Collaborate Disseminate
While many insects that would otherwise become bat food rely on the sounds created by the nocturnal creatures to dodge their advances, deaf species of moth have no such luxury. These critters do have another trick up their sleeve, it turns out, with re… Continue reading Deaf moths use commercial-grade noise-cancelling to dodge hungry bats
One of the challenges in designing micro air vehicles (MAVs) lies in the fact that if their battery is large enough to provide much range, it’s too heavy for them to carry. Scientists have developed what could be an alternative, though, in the form of … Continue reading Light-powered wing flaps as long as the sun shines
Engineers from Johns Hopkins have looked to how snakes move around to inform the design of a nimble new robot. It is hoped that the development could lead to search and rescue bots able to tackle all kinds of obstacles with ease.Continue ReadingCategor… Continue reading Snake-inspired robot slithers and climbs over obstacles
We’ve already seen several dog-like quadruped robots, which move by walking with their four backward-bending legs. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are now getting in on the act, with their artificially-intelligent (and dog-headed) … Continue reading Astro robo-dog packs an AI-enabled "brain" in its 3D-printed head
Although jellyfish may not be the fastest animals in the ocean, they do swim in an energy-efficient manner – a manner that underwater robots might do well to copy. With that in mind, Chinese scientists have created a robotic jellyfish, that m… Continue reading Robotic jellyfish takes to the water without a tether
For several years now, we’ve been hearing about “microneedle patches” that deliver medication less painfully and more safely than hypodermic needles. A new take on the technology may allow them to work even better, by copying the structure of… Continue reading Venomous snake fangs inspire new microneedle drug-delivery system
Not only do cockroaches give many people the creeps, but often when you step on one of the critters, it just keeps on scurrying. Such resilience would be a good feature for mini-robots designed to scout disaster sites – among other applicatio… Continue reading Cockroach-inspired robot survives being stepped on
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories led by computational neuroscientist Frances Chance are looking to the common dragonfly for clues to develop smaller, more efficient missile defenses. By replicating the predatory insect’s brain in a… Continue reading Dragonfly brains could make missile defenses faster and more accurate
In a demonstration that less can be more, EPFL scientists are working on simple robots that behave and cooperate like ants. The 10-g (0.35-oz) Tribots are simple, tetherless, reconfigurable three-legged robots that are folded like origami, bu… Continue reading Tiny ant-inspired Tribots embrace collective intelligence to tackle big tasks
A team of engineers in Germany has created a tiny jellyfish-inspired robot, which can not only swim, but transport objects, mix fluids and even bury itself. It’s hoped the five-millimeter tetherless “jellyfishbot” could help us understand the… Continue reading "Jellyfishbot" could shed light on ocean environments and deliver drugs inside the body