Articles

Feature Fields for Robotic Manipulation (F3RM) enables robots to interpret open-ended text prompts using natural language, helping the machines manipulate unfamiliar objects. The system’s 3D feature fields could be helpful in environments that contain thousands of objects, such as warehouses. Images courtesy of the researchers. By Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL Imagine you’re visiting a …

Using language to give robots a better grasp of an open-ended world Read More »

By Andre He, Vivek Myers A longstanding goal of the field of robot learning has been to create generalist agents that can perform tasks for humans. Natural language has the potential to be an easy-to-use interface for humans to specify arbitrary tasks, but it is difficult to train robots to follow language instructions. Approaches like …

Goal representations for instruction following Read More »

MIT researchers are using generative AI models to help robots more efficiently solve complex object manipulation problems, such as packing a box with different objects. Image: courtesy of the researchers. By Adam Zewe | MIT News Anyone who has ever tried to pack a family-sized amount of luggage into a sedan-sized trunk knows this is …

New technique helps robots pack objects into a tight space Read More »

By Matt Shipman Researchers who created a soft robot that could navigate simple mazes without human or computer direction have now built on that work, creating a “brainless” soft robot that can navigate more complex and dynamic environments. “In our earlier work, we demonstrated that our soft robot was able to twist and turn its …

‘Brainless’ robot can navigate complex obstacles Read More »

Researchers at the University of Washington developed small robotic devices that can change how they move through the air by “snapping” into a folded position during their descent. Shown here is a timelapse photo of the “microflier” falling in its unfolded state, which makes it tumble chaotically and spread outward in the wind. Photo by …

Battery-free origami microfliers from UW researchers offer a new bio-inspired future of flying machines Read More »

MIT researchers used kirigami, the art of Japanese paper cutting and folding, to develop ultrastrong, lightweight materials that have tunable mechanical properties, like stiffness and flexibility. These materials could be used in airplanes, automobiles, or spacecraft. Image: Courtesy of the researchers By Adam Zewe | MIT News Cellular solids are materials composed of many cells …

MIT engineers use kirigami to make ultrastrong, lightweight structures Read More »

Dual arm robot holding crisp. Image: Yijiong Lin The new Bi-Touch system, designed by scientists at the University of Bristol and based at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, allows robots to carry out manual tasks by sensing what to do from a digital helper. The findings, published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, show how an …

New dual-arm robot achieves bimanual tasks by learning from simulation Read More »

CMU’s Autonomous Exploration Research Team has developed a suite of robotic systems and planners enabling robots to explore more quickly, probe the darkest corners of unknown environments, and create more accurate and detailed maps — all without human help. By Aaron Aupperlee A research group in Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute is creating the next …

Enabling autonomous exploration Read More »

Dr. Volker Strobel, postdoctoral researcher; Prof. Marco Dorigo, research director of the F.R.S.-FNRS; and Alexandre Pacheco, doctoral student. The researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. Credit: IRIDIA, Université Libre de Bruxelles In a new study, we demonstrate the potential of blockchain technology, known from cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, to secure the …

Robot swarms neutralize harmful Byzantine robots using a blockchain-based token economy Read More »