We have only touched the surface of what drones can do and how ubiquitous they will become. This is also true in industry, where they have the potential to replace human labor in risky activities such as inspection at height. Swiss startup Voliro operates in this space, with flying robots that can inspect wind turbines, […]
Kiwibot acquires an ad startup to turn its delivery robots into mobile billboards
From the standpoint of any advertising executive, Kiwibot has left a lot of money on the table since its robots began making food deliveries on the UC Berkeley campus back in 2017. After all, the semi-autonomous wheeled systems tend to traverse high-traffic areas. In 2024, they can still draw a crowd of curious onlookers. However you […]
These sub-1mm robots morph and crawl with an electric zap
Cornell University researchers this week unveiled tiny “metasheet” robots capable of transforming into pre-determined shapes and crawling around when electricity is applied. Along with biological organisms, the robots were inspired kirigami, a variation of origami wherein objects are cut in addition to folded. The “metasheet” bit of the name, meanwhile, is based on the word […]
Why do so many home robots still suck?
“The Jetsons” debuted September 23, 1962. The first episode, titled “Rosey the Robot,” was an origin story of sorts for the titular character, describing how an overworked Jane hired the housekeeper. Sixty-two years after her debut, Rosey remains an important pop cultural touchstone for the unfulfilled promise of home robots. The home of 2024 isn’t […]
Researchers develop hair-thin battery to power tiny robots
The biggest limitation of tiny robots is, naturally, their size. The smaller the robot, the more difficult it is to develop components. Among the key challenges is finding a power source. Some systems utilize clever work-arounds, like these cell-sized bots, which use a photodiode to access the minute level of electricity to do their jobs. […]