Articles tagged with "environmental-sensing"
New soft robot navigates land and water with 3 advanced senses
Chinese researchers from Guangdong University of Technology and Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University have developed an innovative 8-milligram soft robot inspired by ants and whirligig beetles that can navigate both land and water. Unlike most existing soft robots that respond to a single environmental trigger and operate in only one environment, this new robot integrates three advanced sensory responses—temperature, humidity, and magnetic fields—through a multi-layered composite film acting as an artificial muscle. This design overcomes previous challenges of signal interference by keeping the robot’s different responses separate, enabling coherent adaptation across dynamic boundaries between water and land. The robot’s structure consists of a triple-layer “sandwich”: a polyimide film chemically modified to be sensitive to temperature and humidity, bonded to a silicone rubber layer embedded with magnetic particles. It achieves speeds up to 9.6 cm/s on water, comparable to actual whirligig beetles, and uses a strong rolling gait controlled by rotating magnetic fields to traverse various terrains, including slopes
soft-roboticsamphibious-robotsartificial-musclemagnetic-sensorsenvironmental-sensingbiomimicryrobot-swarmsAI-powered aerial robots capture wildfire smoke data with precision
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have developed AI-powered aerial robots—coordinated drone swarms equipped with sensors—that can fly directly into wildfire smoke plumes to collect high-resolution, real-time data. Unlike traditional drones, these robots use artificial intelligence to detect and track smoke, enabling them to gather multi-angle data and create 3D reconstructions of smoke dispersion. This detailed information helps scientists better understand smoke particle composition and movement, which is crucial since smaller particles can travel long distances and impact air quality far from the fire source. The system offers a cost-effective alternative to satellite monitoring and aims to improve predictive models for wildfire smoke behavior and hazard response. The technology addresses limitations in previous smoke modeling and field data collection by providing real-time flow pattern analyses and particle characterization through Digital Inline Holography. Beyond wildfires, the researchers envision applications for monitoring other airborne hazards like sandstorms and volcanic eruptions. Future goals include developing the system into a practical early fire detection tool to enable faster response
robotdrone-technologyartificial-intelligencewildfire-monitoringenvironmental-sensingaerial-roboticsair-quality-trackingOctopus-inspired robot can decide how to grip objects with accuracy
robotoctopus-inspiredsoft-roboticssuction-intelligencedexterous-manipulationenvironmental-sensingmultimodal-perception