Delivery robot goes up in flames while out and about in California
A small meal-delivery robot suddenly caught fire in Berkeley, California, on Friday. The robot's maker, Kiwi, said the incident was caused by a faulty battery. The blaze was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt, but the episode is still a troubling one for the fledgling robot delivery industry.
Rise of the Machines: Here’s how much robots and A.I. progressed in 2018
2018 has generated no shortage of news, and the fast-changing worlds of artificial intelligence and robotics are no exception. Here are our picks for the most exciting and game changing examples of A.I. and robots that we saw in the last 12 months. Get ready to have your mind blown!
Postmates’ to roll out Minion-like autonomous delivery robots in 2019
On-demand delivery firm Postmates is about to employ a cute little robot to work alongside its human delivery personnel. Called Serve, the wheel-based bot can carry items weighing up to 50 pounds and has a range of 30 miles. It'll hit the streets first in Los Angeles, with more cities welcoming the robot next year.
Robot janitors will soon be scrubbing the floors at your local Walmart
Hundreds of robot janitors will soon be working at Walmart stores across the U.S. The company says the autonomous floor scrubbers will free its human staff from monotonous tasks, giving them more time to focus on customers. The rollout follows in-store testing of the technology over the last year.
This weird wearable robot arm will feed you and your dinner companion
Researchers in Australia have developed an oddball chest-mounted social feeding robot system which uses a robotic arm to feed either the wearer or their dinner partner. Oh, yes, and the whole thing’s guided by facial recognition technology, too. Is this the future of dining tech?
Bottle-flipping robots may be the most millennial thing we’ve ever seen
Until drones start vaping, you're unlikely to see anything more high-tech millennial than a recent contest in Japan in which robots built by high-schoolers competed to pull off some seriously impressive bottle-flipping feats. Check it out in all its jaw-dropping robot goodness.
Shipping crate filled with 3D-printing robots may be the future of construction
Autodesk has created a robot-filled shipping container which may very well represent the future of construction work. Being shown off at this week's Autodesk University Las Vegas event, the crate contains two robots which can be used to 3D print custom components for building.
Replaced by robots: 10 jobs that could be hit hard by the A.I. revolution
There’s no doubt that A.I. and other tech is going to change the face of employment as we know it. According to one famous study, 47 percent of currently existing jobs in America are at high risk of potential automation in the coming decades. Here are 10 jobs at particular risk.
Autonomous package-delivery robots are ready to steal your mailman’s job
Starship Technologies is launching a robot package-delivery service in the U.S. and U.K. For a monthly subscription fee, customers will be able to get packages delivered at a time and place of their convenience. You can even use a mobile app to check up on your delivery!
Tiny FlyCroTug drones can open doors and pull objects 40 times their weight
Tiny new drones that can pull objects of up to 40 times their own weight have been developed by scientists working in the U.S. and Switzerland. The drones can perform complex tasks like lassoing a door handle to open it or navigating small spaces to deliver bottles of water in a rescue scenario.
Tokyo robotic warehouse needs almost no human workers
Uniqlo has unveiled its first robot-powered warehouse that requires 90 percent fewer human workers and can operate around the clock. The Japanese clothing giant plans to invest close to $1 billion dollars to convert all of its warehouses worldwide into high-tech shipping hubs.
Boston Dynamics is trying to make fetch happen with its new working robot dog
Boston Dynamics wants to see Spot in the workplace, but not as part of take-your-dog-to-work days. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the Massachusetts-based technology company believes its extraordinary robo-dog is now ready to start work, and a new video shows exactly why.
MIT’s creepy-crawly robot can help monitor your health
Researchers from MIT are building a palm-sized bipedal robot called Skinbot that’s designed to crawl over your body using suction-cup feet, modeled on the adhesive abilities of leeches or cephalopods. Here's how it could be used as a personal health guardian just a few years from now.
These crazy alien-like structures were built by MIT’s silkworm-inspired robots
MIT's swarm of silkworm-inspired Fiberbots can spin fiberglass threads into tall structures resembling otherworldly plants from a sci-fi movie. One day, they be used to carry out construction work in far-flung inhospitable environments, like Mars. Check them out in action.
7 ambitious DARPA projects that could revolutionize the armed forces
With a multibillion dollar annual budget and access to some of the sharpest minds around, few research labs can dream of matching DARPA. Here are 7 of the amazing projects they're creating. It seems that tomorrow's U.S. military is going to have access to some pretty amazing tech!
Survey says: We’d rather let robots cook than drive
A Study.com survey on people's comfort with artificial intelligence in everyday life found that fully half of us would be okay with robot chefs and journalists, while less than a third would want a robot at the wheel of their car. Even fewer would want a robot to drive their kid to school or defend them in court.
Robots are going to steal 75 million jobs by 2025 — but there’s no need to panic
The robot job takeover may happen a bit sooner than you think. According to a new paper published by the World Economic Forum, half of all work tasks will be capable of being carried out by machines by 2025. That is about 75 million jobs in total. But they'll create far, far more.
Moxi the ‘friendly’ hospital robot wants to help nurses, not replace them
Moxi is a "friendly" hospital robot from Texas-based Diligent Robotics. The wheel-based bot aims to free nurses from routine tasks so they can spend more time with patients. Trials at several medical facilities begin this week, giving its creators their first glimpse of Moxi in a real-world environment.
The BrambleBee robot promises to help honeybees pollinate flowers
Honeybee populations are declining at a terrifying rate. BrambleBee, a new pollination robot developed by researchers at West Virginia University, may one day be able to help carry on their crucial job. Here's how it works, and how its creators imagine its future.
Robots can peer pressure kids, but don’t think for a second that we’re immune
In a recent experiment, researchers from Germany and the U.K. demonstrated how kids can succumb to peer pressure from robots, even when this means denying facts which are patently obvious. But don't think for a second that grown adults are immune to similar effects. Here's why.
Strawberry-picking robots could replace human workers in the field
Robotics experts at the University of Essex in the U.K. have teamed up with a British jelly manufacturer to build robots that could replace human workers as strawberry-pickers on farms. Here's why that's necessary -- and why this is a surprisingly tough task for robots.
LG’s SuitBot wearable exosuit will give workers the extra strength they need
South Korean tech giant LG has designed a new lower body robotic exosuit called SuitBot, intended to enhance users' leg movements to aid with activities such as warehouse workers lifting heavy objects. It is set to make its debut at IFA 2018 later this week. Here's what we know so far.
Want a peek into the future? Watch these robots 3D print concrete structures
How do you 3D print a large object without having an even larger 3D printer at your disposal? Researchers from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have come up with a way -- and like all the most exciting tech solutions, it involves a pair of robot arms. Check it out.
Born to hug: 6 of the weirdest, most outlandish robots humanity has ever created
Whether it’s carrying out search and rescue missions or performing life-saving surgery, there are some astonishing robots in existence which promise to change the world as we know it. But there are also a whole lot of weird robotics projects, too. Here are six of the strangest.
Meet Fusion: A helpful robotic ‘parasite’ that lives on your back
Have you ever wanted a pair of extra limbs? Researchers at Japan’s Keio University have built Fusion: a robot backpack which allows another person to control a pair of robotic arms on your body, for carrying out a wide variety of tasks. Here's why it could prove so exciting.
Welcome to the uncanny valley: This robot head shows lifelike expressions
Created by Japanese artist Takayuki Todo, SEER is a robot head that is capable of recognizing the facial expressions of the people it interacts with and then mirroring their same expression back at them. Check it out in all its amazingly lifelike 'uncanny valley' glory.
Experiment suggests that the best robot bosses could be jerks
Researchers from France’s University of Clermont Auvergne have been investigating how future robot bosses can coax the most productivity out of us flesh-and-blood employees. The sad answer? Quite possibly by behaving like jerks. It turns out this behavior may be more feature than bug.
‘American History X’ director wants a robot to star in his next film
Tony Kaye, the director of American History X, is hoping to train an artificially intelligent robot to play a lead role in his upcoming film 2nd Born, with the android actor utilizing various acting techniques and taking the place of a computer-generated character in the film.
This robot arm could soon recharge your electric car, no driver effort required
Researchers in Austria have developed a charging technology for electric cars that's sure to impress even the most seasoned of gas guzzlers. It involves a smart robotic charger that can automatically plug itself into any electric vehicle, no driver effort required whatsoever.
Don’t bug out: Spider-like microbots will get under your skin … in a good way
Researchers have created multifunctional microbots using to a new fabrication process that lets them build millimeter-scale machines with micrometer-scale features. To demonstrate their breakthrough, they created a transparent spider bot modeled off of the brilliant Australian peacock spider.
When it comes to bringing you a slice, Pizza Hut’s new robot can’t be topped
Pizza Hut has added a robotic staff member to one of its restaurants in South Korea, where it will bring pizza to hungry customers. It's not the first time the chain has worked with robots, and the company that developed the bot has greater plans, seeing the placement as a learning experience for more service robots.
This myth-inspired, karate-chopping centaur robot could save your life one day
Taking inspiration from the half horse, half man centaur of Greek mythology, Centauro is a robot that boasts an anthropomorphic upper body and a four-legged base. It may sound and look unusual, but this innovative robot could very well one day save your life. Here's how.
Amazing future transports promise to supercharge our commutes
You can keep your Teslas, your McLarens, and your Aston Martins. Here in 2018, the ambition, scale, and adrenalin-pumping excitement of the most cutting-edge transport options put most contemporary tech to shame. Here are six of the amazing modes of transportation we have to look forward to.
It’s curtains for Kuri: Work ceased on robot companion project
Eighteen months after it made its debut at CES 2017, Mayfield Robotics announced this week that it’s ending development of Kuri, its robotic companion. The wheel-based bot was described as an “intelligent pet” and acted as an interactive and mobile videographer, capturing everyday moments around the home.