In 1921, Czech playwright Karel Čapek and his brother Josef invented the word “robot” in a sci-fi play called R.U.R. (short for Rossum’s Universal Robots). As Even Ackerman in IEEE Spectrum points out ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) The next generation of robots may not look anything like the rigid, mechanical machines we’re used to. Instead, imagine a robot that moves more like an octopus or a human hand, ...

A miniature, shape-shifting robot can liquefy itself and reform, allowing it to complete tasks in hard-to-access places and even escape cages. It could eventually be used as a hands-free soldering ...

There are surgeons operating on patients right now who can't feel their instruments. Similarly, there are workers in nuclear facilities around the world using remote manipulator arms to handle ...

Handy material This model of a human hand was made using a liquid metal matrix. (Courtesy: Pu Zhang) A liquid metal lattice that can be crushed but returns to its original shape on heating has been ...

What if electronic circuits could be created simply by drawing lines with a pencil on paper or leaves—and then immediately ...

I am constantly amazed at what robots can do nowadays. Take, for instance, this all-robotic metal band (that pun had to be intentional), wherein the mechanical musicians actually play real instruments ...

This eerily realistic-looking baby is one of the main attractions at London's Science Museum, which has opened its 'Robots' exhibition featuring a remarkable 500-year history of robots. The mechanical ...