Latest news with #ScienceRobotics
Perth Now
18-06-2025
- Science
- Perth Now
Robots set to conquer the final frontiers
Small robots may be able to roam the moon's surface, comb the sea floor, or undertake search-and-rescue missions for longer after a breakthrough by Australian researchers. Three scientists at the Queensland University of Technology released their findings on Thursday, outlining a method to create a camera that processes images in ways similar to the human brain. While there are further developments to unlock, they say neuromorphic computing could deliver a robotic revolution. The latest discovery, published in the Science Robotics journal, uses a camera and computer processor the QUT team called LENS, which stands for "locational encoding with neuromorphic systems". The system is inspired by the way the human brain works, author and QUT neuroscientist Adam Hines said, to save more than 90 per cent of power compared to a traditional robotic navigation system. "The brain is so energy-efficient, it only uses about 20 watts of power to do everything from keeping us alert and awake and talking to constantly navigating and predicting where we're going next," Dr Hines told AAP. "Traditional AI systems like ChatGPT use significantly more power than that so taking inspiration from the brain is a really great way to save on energy." The LENS camera sensor and processor work by registering changes, such as light and movement, rather than recording images the entire time it operates. The QUT research team, which included Michael Milford and Dr Tobias Fisher, tested the system on an eight kilometre journey and could make it work using 180 kilobytes or up to 300 times less storage than a traditional system. Saving so much energy and storage could let robots operate and navigate by themselves in new areas or for significantly longer durations, Dr Hines said. "The real use cases in mobile robotics... are search and rescue, underwater monitoring of places like the Great Barrier Reef, or even really extremely remote areas like space explorations," he said. Neuromorphic computing has been a target for previous research but QUT Centre for Robotics director Professor Milford said it was vital to translate theory into practical applications. "Impactful robotics and tech means both pioneering groundbreaking research but also doing all the translational work to ensure it meets end user expectations and requirements," he said.
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
New synthetic ‘skin' gives robots human touch
By Stephen Beech A new synthetic "skin" gives robots the human touch. The low-cost, durable and highly-sensitive material can be added to robotic hands just like a glove, say scientists. It enables automatons to detect information about their surroundings in a way that's similar to humans, according to research published in the journal Science Robotics. The research team, from the University of Cambridge and University College London (UCL), developed the flexible, conductive skin, which is easy to fabricate and can be melted down and formed into multiple shapes. They say the new technology senses and processes various physical inputs, allowing robots to interact with the physical world in a more meaningful way. Unlike other solutions for robotic touch, which usually work via sensors embedded in small areas and require different sensors to detect different types of touch, the entirety of the electronic skin developed by the British team is a sensor, bringing it closer to human skin. Previously, signals from different sensors could interfere with each other, and the materials were easily damaged. Although the new robotic skin is not as sensitive as human skin, the researchers say it can detect signals from more than 860,000 tiny pathways in the material. That enables it to recognise different types of touch and pressure, such as the tap of a finger, a hot or cold surface, damage caused by cutting or stabbing, or multiple points being touched at once, in a single material. The research team used a combination of physical tests and machine learning techniques to help the robotic skin "learn" which of these pathways matter most, so it can sense different types of contact more efficiently. As well as the potential for humanoid robots or human prosthetics where a sense of touch is vital, the researchers say the robotic skin could be useful in industry and even disaster relief. Study lead author Dr. David Hardman, from Cambridge's Department of Engineering, said: "Having different sensors for different types of touch leads to materials that are complex to make. "We wanted to develop a solution that can detect multiple types of touch at once, but in a single material." Co-author Dr. Thomas George Thuruthel, of UCL, said: "At the same time, we need something that's cheap and durable, so that it's suitable for widespread use." Their solution uses a type of sensor that reacts differently to different types of touch, known as multi-modal sensing. While it's challenging to separate out the cause of each signal, the researchers explained that multi-modal sensing materials are easier to make and more robust. The team melted down a soft, stretchy and electrically conductive gelatine-based hydrogel, and cast it into the shape of a human hand. They tested several different electrode configurations to determine which gave them the most useful information about different types of touch. From 32 electrodes placed at the wrist, they were able to collect more than 1.7 million pieces of information over the whole hand, thanks to the tiny pathways in the conductive material. The skin was then tested on different types of touch. The researchers blasted it with a heat gun, pressed it with their fingers and a robotic arm, gently touched it with their fingers, and even cut it open with a scalpel. They then used the data gathered during testing to train a machine learning model so the hand would recognise what the different types of touch meant. Dr. Hardman said: "We're able to squeeze a lot of information from these materials – they can take thousands of measurements very quickly. "They're measuring lots of different things at once, over a large surface area." Dr. Thuruthel added: "We're not quite at the level where the robotic skin is as good as human skin, but we think it's better than anything else out there at the moment. "Our method is flexible and easier to build than traditional sensors, and we're able to calibrate it using human touch for a range of tasks." The team is now hoping to improve the durability of the electronic skin and to carry out further tests involving real-world robotic tasks. The post New synthetic 'skin' gives robots human touch appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
South China Morning Post
11-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese algorithm beats veteran human controller in FPV drone race
Chinese team has developed a unique algorithm that gives first-person-view (FPV) drones the ability to perform autonomous aerobatic manoeuvres, unlocking their full potential to outperform humans in intense flight missions. Advertisement The breakthrough was published on April 16 in the peer-reviewed journal Science Robotics. Aerobatic flight, as the name suggests, involves high-risk manoeuvres that require unstable postures – movements rarely executed in conventional flight operations for most aircraft However, in nature, aerial acrobatics are a vital skill for many species. For instance, sparrowhawks and falcons can rapidly adjust speed and direction through vertical or inverted flight to hunt or avoid obstacles. Bats excel at mid-air flips and hanging upside down, while ravens perform complex aerobatics to attract their peers. Advertisement 'This biological wisdom – transforming 'high-risk manoeuvres' into 'high-survival rewards' – holds the key to redefining traditional drone flight paradigms,' said Gao Fei, an associate professor at Zhejiang University.
CBC
05-04-2025
- Science
- CBC
Apr 5: Our bodies and brains fight weight loss, and more...
On this week's episode of Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald: A Canadian team is developing minimally-invasive micro-tools for brain surgery that can be operated by magnetic fields from outside of the skull. The tools, including scalpels and forceps, will enter the cranium through small incisions, and then be controlled by focused and precise magnetic fields. Eric Diller is associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Toronto and his team's research was published in the journal Science Robotics. In recent decades scientists have discovered animals from primates to birds and marine mammals can use tools — a capacity once thought to be exclusive to humans. Now scientists have discovered fish using hard surfaces to crack open hard-shelled prey and get at the meaty meal inside. The research, led by Juliette Tariel-Adam from Macquarie University, included recruiting divers and scientists from around the world to report any sightings of tool use, which led to 16 reports across five species of wrasses. The results were published in the journal Coral Reefs. WATCH: Tool use by a yellowhead wrasse in South Caicos Island: For a hardy few, soaking in cold water has long been held out as being healthful and invigorating. Well, unfortunately, the latest research suggests that they're right. Volunteers who soaked in cold water for an hour a day for a week showed improvements in autophagy, an important cellular clean-up function that typically declines with age. Kelli King is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Ottawa and was co-lead on this study, published in the journal Advanced Biology. The narwhal is a small whale distinguished by its long spiral horn — an elongated tooth. Researchers have long speculated about what the ostentatious bit of dentition is actually for, but the elusive narwhal has, until now, been hard to study. Now scientists, including Cortney Watt from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, have used drones to learn that the horn is used in several ways: to play, explore and forage. The research was published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. New research is revealing why it's so difficult to keep weight off after you've lost it. One study in Nature found that genes in the fat cells of people who lost a significant amount of weight through bariatric surgery largely continued to behave as if they were still obese. Ferdinand von Meyenn, from ETH Zurich, said that despite these individuals becoming, in many respects, much more healthy, genes that became active during obesity remained active, and genes that were turned off, remained turned off, predisposing them to regain lost weight. In formerly obese mice, their fat cells remained much better at taking up sugars and fats. In addition, another study revealed that neurons in a primitive part of the brain hold onto memories of fat and sugar that can drive our cravings, according to a study on mice in Nature Metabolism. Guillaume de Lartigue, from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the University of Pennsylvania, said specific neural circuits in the brain light up, depending on whether the gut received sugar or fat. Removing these neurons protected the mice from diet-induced weight gain, something de Lartigue is hoping to translate to humans to dial down impulsive eating behaviour.
South China Morning Post
26-03-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Tiny Chinese drone conquers Earth's deepest point, beyond reach of US Navy
In the western Pacific Ocean just east of the island of Guam and a strategic gateway to the second island chain, lies the deepest point on Earth – the Mariana Trench . In the crushing darkness of this hidden realm, China has unveiled a deep-sea technological marvel: a miniature drone, no larger than a briefcase, engineered to succeed where no other machines can reach, including those of the US Navy. Advertisement Developed by researchers at Beijing's Beihang University, the transformer-like robot harnesses smart metal actuators that convert extreme water pressure into propulsion, enabling it to swim, glide and crawl across the trench's 10.7km (6.6 mile) abyss. 'At a depth of [10km], the pressure (equivalent to 1,000 atmospheres) is like a robot bearing the weight of an iceberg,' said professor Wen Li, chief researcher of the project at Beihang University, in an article posted on the university's website on March 20. The achievement, detailed in a landmark Science Robotics study last week, underscores a widening gap between Beijing and Washington. While China completed 246 deep-sea dives in 2024 alone – more than all other nations combined – the United States relies on ageing submersibles like the 61-year-old Alvin, which maxes out at 6,500 metres (21,300 feet). Wen's robotic drone uses shape memory alloys for deep-sea soft actuation. The technology cannot only drive the robot under pressure but also helps the submersible's robot arm carry out various underwater tasks. The miniature deep-sea drone is deployed to swim into the Mariana Trench. Photo: Beihang University The team developed the deep-sea morphable robot with a centimetre-scale soft actuator designed using tube-sealed shape memory alloys (SMAs).
