Robotics
This Insect-Sized Robot Can Carry 22 Times Its Own Weight
The four-legged miniature machine is powered by tiny explosions
Robotics25 articles archived since 1845
Robotics
How to Roll a Joint Perfectly, according to Science
Scientists used a smoking machine—complete with a 3-D-printed mouthpiece—to figure out how to get the most cannabinoid per puff.
Robotics
New Robot Hand Works by Feel, Not Sight
These simple sensors let a robot function by touch alone, allowing it to manipulate objects from a soup can to a rubber duck
Materials Science
Shape-Shifting, Self-Healing Machines Are Among Us
Electronics that can bend, stretch and repair themselves could potentially work in applications ranging from tougher robots to smart clothes
Robotics
The In-Credible Robot Priest and the Limits of Robot Workers
Some jobs just need the human touch to work, even with automated assistance
Agriculture
Robotic Bees Could Support Vertical Farms Today and Astronauts Tomorrow
The buzzy industry of robotic pollinators is setting its sights on indoor farms for urban—and extraterrestrial—environments
Robotics
Soft ‘Electronic Skin’ Mimics Our Sense of Touch
A flexible, conductive membrane that can pass sensory information to the brain and muscles is a step towards artificial skin
Robotics
Bizarre Material Combines the Best Traits of Gel and Metal
A new material was used in a simple snail robot, but it could one day make artificial nervous systems for more complex machines
Robotics
Soft Robots Take Steps toward Independence
Squishy robots can now heal themselves and grow as they explore
Robotics
Transforming Robots Help to Transfer Skills
How do you teach a new robot old tricks?
Conservation
Drones Sample Rare Specimens from Cliffs and Other Dangerous Places
Flying robots help researchers identify and protect threatened plants and other species in places that are inaccessible to humans
Robotics
People Come to Grips with Having an Extra Pair of Arms—in VR
New experiments show simulated robotic limbs can feel like a part of our own body with a little practice
Biotech
Electronic Skin Lets Humans Feel What Robots Do—And Vice Versa
An integration of soft materials, sensors and flexible electronics is bringing robotic “skin” closer than ever to reality
Robotics
Tiny, Tumbling Origami Robots Could Help with Targeted Drug Delivery
The design’s origami pattern creates the flexibility needed to deliver compounds to specific areas of the body
Robotics
Drones Could Spot Crime Scenes from Afar
A system could aid forensic searches and crime-scene mapping by detecting reflections from human materials
Engineering
Record-Breaking Jumping Robot Can Leap a 10-Story Building
To propel itself higher than any known engineered jumper or animal can, it had to ignore the limits of biology
Robotics
Birds Make Better Bipedal Bots Than Humans Do
A new machine called BirdBot balances walking efficiency and speed
Neuroscience
Lego Robot with an Organic ‘Brain’ Learns to Navigate a Maze
The neuromorphic computing device solved the puzzle by working like an animal brain would
Animals
The Best Fun Science Stories of 2021: Rhythmic Lemurs, a Marscopter and Sex-Obsessed Insect Zombies
Check out the weird and wonderful stories that delighted us this year
Engineering
3-D-Printed Chicken Dinner Cooked by Lasers
A laser-focused chef prints and cooks complex designs
