One of the key challenges for robotics research is the development of effective and resilient control systems, which allow robots to navigate a variety of environments and deal with unexpected events. Researchers at the University of Oslo have recently developed an...
Microbots could have several useful applications, particularly within biomedical and healthcare settings. For instance, due to their small size, these small machines could be inserted within the human body, allowing doctors to remotely carry out exams or operate...
A team of researchers at Luleå University of Technology, in Sweden, has developed a new framework for performing visual inspections of large 3-D infrastructures using fully autonomous micro aerial vehicles (MAVs). In their paper, pre-published on arXiv, they introduce...
The relationship between humans and robots has become the focus of an increasing number of research studies, in light of the approaching integration of robots within a variety of fields, including professional and educational contexts. An international and...
To evaluate the performance of robotics algorithms and controllers, researchers typically use software simulations or real physical robots. While these may appear as two distinct evaluation strategies, there is a whole other range of possibilities that combine...
To effectively navigate their surroundings, robots typically plan paths based on pre-designed maps of the environment they are operating in and observations gathered by their sensors. While this type of navigation strategy can be useful in simple and static...
Nature can be a precious source of inspiration for researchers developing robots and artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Studies in submersible robotics, for instance, have often tried to replicate or incorporate mechanisms observed in aquatic life, such as fish...
Researchers at Siegen University and Würzberg University, in Germany, have recently carried out a study investigating the user experience and acceptability associated with the use of social robots in religious contexts. Their paper, published in Springer's...
Researchers at NTT Corporation in Japan have recently developed a user-centered reinforcement learning approach that could be used to teach 'manners' to social robots. Their method, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, allows a robot to greet or attract the...
In recent years, sex dolls have become increasing sophisticated and realistic in their resemblance to human beings, including mechanized components, and are thus now referred to as humanoid sex robots. Some media outlets have gone as far as to suggest that sex robots...