Reinforcement learning (RL) has so far proved to be an effective technique for training artificial agents on individual tasks. However, when it comes to training multi-purpose robots, which should be able to complete a variety of tasks that require different skills,...
Multi-legged robots are capable of navigating a variety of complex and unstructured terrains. Their many degrees of freedom allow them to adapt their walking posture to navigate several challenging environments, including confined spaces.
A team of researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland has recently developed a multi-camera optical tactile sensor (i.e., a tactile sensor based on optical devices) that collects information about the contact force distribution applied to its surface. This sensor,...
Mobile robots are gradually making their way into a number of human-populated environments, including hospitals, malls and people's homes. In order for these robots to interact with humans in their surroundings, they should respect a number of unspoken social norms...
Researchers at SUNY Binghamton, Cleveland State University and the University of Washington have recently developed a new dialogue system that could improve human-robot interactions. This system, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, is designed to learn...
Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have recently developed a face-following robotic arm with emotion detection inspired by Pixar Animation Studios' Luxo Jr. lamp. This robot was presented by Vernon Stanley Albayeros Duarte, a computer science...
A team of researchers at Harvard University and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has recently developed a computationally efficient framework for the estimation and control of leg trajectories on a quadrupedal microrobot. Their approach, outlined...
Researchers at Kanazawa University have recently developed a friction reduction system based on a lubricating effect, which could have interesting soft robotics applications. Their system, presented in a paper published in Taylor & Francis' Advanced Robotics journal,...
According to a survey released by the U.S. Census Bureau, around 12.3 million Americans require assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), one of which is feeding. Robots could be of great help to people...
Researchers at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in India have recently developed a decentralized trajectory generation algorithm for multi-agent systems. Their algorithm, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, can generate collision-free trajectories...