Robots

23 Nov 23

This robotic digger could construct the buildings of the future

Computer & Information Technology

Construction is a tough job, and in Europe there is a chronic shortage of workers to build the homes, schools, and roads we use every single day. So why not get a robot to do the hard work so we don’t have to? That’s exactly what researchers at ETH Zurich’s…

03 Oct 23

Drones That Can Fly Better Than You Can

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Episode 3: Drones That Can Fly Better Than You Can Evan Ackerman: I’m Evan Ackerman, and welcome to Chatbot, a new podcast from IEEE Spectrum where robotics experts interview each other about things that they find fascinating. On this episode of Chatbot, we’ll be talking with Davide Scaramuzza and Adam…

02 Oct 23

Creating Domestic Robots That Really Help

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Episode 2: How Labrador and iRobot Create Domestic Robots That Really Help Evan Ackerman: I’m Evan Ackerman, and welcome to ChatBot, a new podcast from IEEE Spectrum where robotics experts interview each other about things that they find fascinating. On this episode of ChatBot, we’ll be talking with Mike Dooley…

02 Oct 23

Making Boston Dynamics’ Robots Dance

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Chatbot Episode 1: Making Boston Dynamics’ Robots Dance Evan Ackerman: I’m Evan Ackerman, and welcome to ChatBot, a robotics podcast from IEEE Spectrum. On this episode of ChatBot, we’ll be talking with Monica Thomas and Amy LaViers about robots and dance. Monica Thomas is a dancer and choreographer. Monica has…

06 Jul 23

Robots could get muscles using a new ferroelectric material

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation

The team has demonstrated the potential of a new type of ferroelectric polymer that can convert electrical energy into a mechanical strain with greater efficiency than previous methods. This material could be extremely useful in the development of medical devices, advanced robotics and precision positioning systems. This new polymer could overcome…

30 Jun 23

Kicking It With Robots

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

In July of 2010, I traveled to Singapore to take care of my then 6-year-old son Henry while his mother attended an academic conference. But I was really there for the robots.IEEE Spectrum’s digital product manager, Erico Guizzo, was our robotics editor at the time. We had just combined forces…

26 Jun 23

Humans and AI Fight It Out in the Ring, via Robots

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

During the final fight scene of the 2011 film Real Steel, two giant robots battle it out in a boxing ring—and the underdog is losing. Before the final round, Hugh Jackman’s character, Charlie, takes his robot aside and tells it to watch him and follow his lead from the sidelines.…

24 Jun 23

How to Build a Power Grid on the Moon

Aerospace & Aeronautical

The early forays to the moon employed throwaway technologies, designed to function during the two-week period of lunar daylight, then to perish in the freeze of the equally long night. But to sustain a colony, everything must be made to survive deathly extremes. During daytime, lunar temperatures can reach 120…

19 Jun 23

A Wearable Robotic Assistant That’s All Over You

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

This is a guest post. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent positions of IEEE Spectrum or the IEEE.Researchers at the Small Artifacts Lab (SMART LAB) at the University of Maryland have been working on a small wearable robot called Calico. Weighing just…

26 May 23

Who’s the Coolest Robot of All?

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Calling all robot fanatics! We are the creators of the Robots Guide, IEEE’s interactive site about robotics, and we need your help. Today, we’re expanding our massive catalog to nearly 250 robots, and we want your opinion to decide which are the coolest, most wanted, and also creepiest robots out…