Robots

Technological breakthroughs and information about big ideas, innovations and the inventors that make progress possible.

Latest Updates

Mars as seen by NASA’s Viking 1 orbiter.

NASA Has a Plan to Put Robot Bees on Mars

By Rafi Letzter

These Marsbees would flap their way around the Red Planet, mapping the terrain and collecting air samples.

Watch a Robot Solve a Rubik's Cube in 0.38 Seconds

By Brandon Specktor

This robot goes to MIT and just set a world Rubik's Cube speed record. If robots had grandparents, this one's would be very proud.

Humans Couldn't Keep Up with This Burger-Flipping Robot, So They Fired It

By Mindy Weisberger

Being a fry cook isn't as easy as it looks, as a burger-flipping robot named "Flippy" recently discovered.

A Floating 'Brain' Will Assist Astronauts Aboard the Space Station

By Mindy Weisberger

The crew on board the International Space Station (ISS) will soon welcome a new member, described by its creators as "a kind of flying brain."

The 5,000 pencil-size robots will fit snugly inside 10 wedge-shaped petals. Here, one of those wedges is fully stocked with 500 robots, each of which will swivel independently to gather light from a known group of space objects, including distant galaxies

How 5,000 Pencil-Size Robots May Solve the Mysteries of the Universe

By Tereza Pultarova

The little, swiveling robots will look at a new portion of the sky for the invisible force called dark energy that may be causing the accelerating expansion of the universe.

There's a Reason Roaches Love Banging Their Heads Into Walls

By Mindy Weisberger

Cockroaches take a head-on approach to obstacles.

"Terminator"-like robots are perfect movie villains. But what about for babysitting?

This Electronic Skin May Help Prevent Robots from Crushing Us

By Charles Q. Choi

A metallic robot hand with "Terminator"-like power sounds good for the movies. But what about a real-life future where that android is now cradling your baby or just shaking your hand?

'Human Uber' Lets You Hire Someone to Do Your Dirty Work (While Wearing Your Face)

By Brandon Specktor

It's 'Human Uber'... hUber?

Meet Erica, Japan's Next Robot News Anchor

By Brandon Specktor

This uncanny android has a job — and some say "a soul."

24 Underwater Drones – The Boom in Robotics Beneath the Waves

By Tom Metcalfe

Aerial drone concepts are being adopted and adapted to work in a very different environment – underwater.

Why Scientists Just Created the Creepiest Robot Baby You'll Ever See

By Mindy Weisberger

This dirt-dispersing robot-baby torso will crawl out of the lab and into your nightmares.

'Spermbot' May One Day Help Treat Cervical Cancer

By Tereza Pultarova

A biohybrid sperm microrobot might one day deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumors in the female reproductive tract, according to a new paper from Germany.

A three-dimensional glass castle that was created with a 3D printer.

The Strangest Things That Were 3D-Printed in 2017

By Tereza Pultarova

3D printing isn't new to 2017, but this year, researchers pushed the boundaries of the seemingly sci-fi technique.

Forget Cyborgs — Biohybrid Robots Are Almost Here

By Christopher Wanjek

There may come a day when humans take on the form of cyborgs with integrated, robotic parts to enhance our abilities. But long before that, look for "biohybrid" robots...