A robot that looks like a bird, flaps its wings like a bird and flies like a bird could be used as a stealthy, camouflaged drone Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269774-eagle-inspired-robot-flies-by-flapping-its-feather-covered-wings/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: robot
A submersible soft robot survived the pressure in the Mariana Trench
The pressure in the world’s deepest ocean abyss can crush even the strongest enclosures, so researchers are taking another tack – using a silicon robot with wings like a manta ray Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269914-a-submersible-soft-robot-survived-the-pressure-in-the-mariana-trench/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
NASA selects 16 futuristic space technology concepts
NASA has selected 16 cool new futuristic space technology concepts for further study. Four of them are from NASA’s own Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), including a railway system on the moon to move cargo. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/futuristic-space-technology-concepts-nasa-jpl-niac…
Boston Dynamics Is Selling its 70-Pound Robot Dog To Police Departments
The New York Times reports on what the city’s police department calls Digidog, “a 70-pound robotic dog with a loping gait, cameras and lights affixed to its frame, and a two-way communication system that allows the officer maneuvering it remotely to see and hear what is happening.”
Police said the robot can see in the dark and assess how safe it is…
The First AI-written Play Isn’t Shakespeare – but It Has Its Moments
Science magazine describes what happens when a robot writes a play: The 60-minute production — AI: When a Robot Writes a Play — tells the journey of a character (this time a robot), who goes out into the world to learn about society, human emotions, and even death. The script was created by a widely available artificial intelligence (AI) system called…
Soft gel could power robot muscles that grow stronger with a workout
Our muscles get stronger when put under stress and now robot ones could do the same, thanks to a soft gel that becomes harder when exposed to vibration Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2268652-soft-gel-could-power-robot-muscles-that-grow-stronger-with-a-workout/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Get ready for Perseverance’s landing on Mars February 18
Some call attempts to land on Mars “7 minutes of terror.” The Perseverance mission will provide the most detailed video and photos of a landing yet. We’ll watch ourselves land on another planet, for the first time ever. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/get-ready-nasa-perseverance-landing-feb2021…
Robots Are Speeding Up the Most Boring Job In Astronomy
sciencehabit writes: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has, for more than 20 years, pioneered collecting spectra from millions of astronomical objects, from nearby stars to supermassive black holes. But this year, the survey is making a change: Instead of employing a small team of technicians for the daily chore of plugging optical fibers into preprepared plates so that — when…
Spacewalkers Complete Battery Replacement Work, Install New Cameras on Space Station
Astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover floated back outside the International Space Station Monday and completed solar array battery replacement work that began four years ago. They also installed three new video cameras and made preparations for upcoming work to install new roll-out solar blankets to upgrade the lab’s power system. From a report: The work took less time than expected…
A robot submarine could explore Titan’s deepest sea
A new study of data from NASA’s bountiful Cassini mission shows that Titan’s largest methane sea, Kraken Mare, is at least 1,000 feet – 300 meters – deep near its center. That’s plenty of room for a future robotic submarine to explore. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/titans-largest-sea-kraken-mare-is-1000-feet-deep…