Mechanical

Researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Sony Corp. have developed an origami-inspired manipulator, the mini-RCM, which could make robotic surgery more portable.

Brad Porter, the Amazon vice president leading the company’s robotics initiatives, describes how employees have continued to develop innovative systems while working from home.

Roboticists at UC San Diego have developed a method using magnetic localization and a neural network to more cheaply and accurately track flexible medical robots than conventional radiation-based methods.

Researchers at Georgia Tech have combined limbs that can move up and down with loose wheels for innovative gaits to help propel a NASA rover that could conduct exploration in the sandy hills of the moon or Mars.

The Engine has invested in RISE Robotics, which is developing electric and mechanical systems to displace hydraulics and reduce energy consumption.

The new Gecko SP gripper from OnRobot applies the award-winning technology to smaller objects such as printed circuit boards.

The certified URCap software provides a unified interface for the new versions of OnRobot’s RG2, RG6, and VG10 grippers with Universal Robots’ cobots.

Robotic furniture startup Bumblebee Spaces has joined Toyota AI Ventures portfolio of service robots along with its Series A funding.

Robotic assembly of large structures, made possible with swarms of relatively simple robots and construction materials organized like building blocks, could change how aircraft and buildings are constructed, said MIT researchers.

Rethink Robotics GmbH is following its plans to continue developing collaborative robots with the quieter and more precise Sawyer Black Edition.

A international team of researchers said their discovery could enable devices such as pacemakers, breast implants, biosensors, and drug-delivery devices to last longer and function better.

Providing the right motor for small precision devices can be challenging, as New Scale Robotics found when it designed a parallel gripper for cobots.

ANYbotics released its new ANYmal C legged robot, which it said has been optimized for industrial inspections with the capability to carry multiple sensors and climb stairs.

Even as the enabling technologies for exoskeletons have improved, there is much work yet to be done, says maxon’s Otto Oneichen.

A robotic brace that supports the neck during its natural motion is the first device shown to dramatically assist ALS patients in holding their heads and actively supporting them during range of motion.

Researchers at TU Delft have developed soft actuators that could help soft robots collaborate with humans.

Years ago, MIT Professor Neil Gershenfeld had an audacious thought. Struck by the fact that all the world’s living things are built out of combinations of just 20 amino acids, he wondered: Might it be possible to create a kit of just 20 fundamental parts that could be used to assemble all of the different…

Toyota Research Institute’s VP of robotics research explains how TRI is working on algorithmic techniques and simulation to improve manipulation for human-assist robots, eventually in the home.

Recycling robots such as AMP Robotics’ Cortex can help meet demand for more intensive recycling amid trade disputes. The CEO of Denver-based AMP explains the development of systems specifically for materials handling and sorting of waste.

SlothBot, a project shown at ICRA by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers, is designed to conserve energy and could be useful for environmental monitoring, infrastructure maintenance, and other long-term applications.

At the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, Harmonic Drive will be sharing its expertise in actuators and motion control through a presentation and demonstrations on the show floor.

If you’re a robotics engineer, there is still time to register for next month’s Robotics Summit & Expo. The event in Boston will provide opportunities to learn from technology and business leaders about the development and use of commercial robots and intelligent systems.