Robotics

Engineers and paleontologists teamed up to reconstruct an ancestor of starfish from the Paleozoic era and figure out how it moved

An AI used to build artificial neural networks can also create autonomous robot bodies with remarkable speed 

Researchers have created the first nerve-controlled prosthetic hand that can be used in daily life

The four-legged miniature machine is powered by tiny explosions

Scientists used a smoking machine—complete with a 3-D-printed mouthpiece—to figure out how to get the most cannabinoid per puff. 

Electronics that can bend, stretch and repair themselves could potentially work in applications ranging from tougher robots to smart clothes

Some jobs just need the human touch to work, even with automated assistance

The buzzy industry of robotic pollinators is setting its sights on indoor farms for urban—and extraterrestrial—environments

These simple sensors let a robot function by touch alone, allowing it to manipulate objects from a soup can to a rubber duck

A flexible, conductive membrane that can pass sensory information to the brain and muscles is a step towards artificial skin

A new material was used in a simple snail robot, but it could one day make artificial nervous systems for more complex machines

Squishy robots can now heal themselves and grow as they explore