robotics - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Fujitsu drone uses wheels to roll along bridges, walls

  Drones don't normally need wheels, but they can come in handy on upside-down roads.

• Senator urges government research to counter rogue drones

  The U.S. Department of Transportation should begin to research technologies to combat "rogue" drone flights around sensitive areas like the White House and airports, a senator has recommended.

• FAA program tests drones flying beyond pilot's line-of-sight

  The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has announced tests of drones in urban areas as well as outside the pilot's line-of-sight, possibly paving the way for operations such as the aerial delivery of packages as proposed by companies like Amazon.com.

• WPI's team gears up for final battle of the bots

  WORCESTER, Mass. -- In about a month, the robotics team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will have to put their robot up against 24 other teams from around the world in the DARPA Robotics Challenge finals.

• Fetch warehouse robots can work in pairs

  A California robotics startup is deploying a dual robot system to speed the delivery of goods purchased online.

• Drone trade group embraces regulation for safey

  The U.S. drone industry wants government regulations for private and commercial use of the remote-controlled devices as a way to ensure airspace safety, the head of a trade group says.

• Facebook's impressive aerial photo highlights confusion over drone regulations

  When Facebook expanded into a new campus in late March, the company released a stunning aerial photo of the site captured from a drone. In taking the picture, Facebook almost certainly broke two FAA regulations governing drone use.

• Friday is your last chance to comment on the FAA's drone regulations

  The U.S. will take another step towards regular commercial flight of drones on Friday when the Federal Aviation Administration closes a two-month public comment period on proposed rules.

• US drone completes first in-flight refuelling

  The US military has successfully demonstrated what it says is the first ever in-flight refuelling of an unmanned aircraft, and in doing so completed a flight test program that leads to a new generation of military drones due to take flight in the 2020s.

• Think your management job is safe? Beware: the 'iCEO' is coming

  The prospect of automation has long sparked fears of jobs lost to robotic replacements, but typically such worries have focused on blue-collar and other low-level positions. Well, the Institute for the Future has a message for all those in the upper echelons feeling complacent about their job security: The iCEO is coming.

• Drone found on roof of Japanese PM's office in Tokyo

  A camera-equipped drone carrying a bottle marked with the radioactive symbol was discovered on the roof of the Japanese prime minister's office in central Tokyo on Wednesday morning.

• Not motivated to jog? A drone can help

  If you find it tough to get off the sofa and get out for a jog, get a drone.

• Shape-shifting robot reveals secrets of Fukushima reactor

  Two robots that can change their shape on command have provided the most detailed look yet inside the heart of reactor number 1 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan.

• Google patent envisions Cloud control of an army of robots

  Google received a US patent this week for technology that would enable it to use the Cloud to control an army of robots.

• New robot bounces, could replace rovers on NASA missions

  Researchers at NASA and the University of California at Berkeley are developing a robot that's robust enough to be dropped directly onto planets and go straight to work.