Technology

Disney brings beauty and personality into robot movements

Disney Research Hub has different priorities to other robot developers; its robots need to move effectively and efficiently – but also with a ton of style and personality. This super-cute biped, based on the BD-1 droid, is a perfect example.

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Record-setting drone utilizes ant-inspired smarts to make its way home

Tiny aerial drones have many potential uses, but their ability to navigate is severely limited by their minuscule amount of onboard processing power. Scientists have now set about addressing that limitation, taking a cue from foraging insects such as ants.

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Researchers find cheaper way to mass produce large transparent screens

Transparent OLED technology has come a long way since early prototypes more than a decade ago, but screens are still a pricey proposition. Korean researchers have developed a 100-inch NTS display for mass production at a tenth of the cost.

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Curve-nosed UAV crashes into trees, then wraps its wings around to perch

Taking cues from geckos, EPFL researchers have developed an unmanned aerial vehicle with an upturned nose that crashes into vertical poles, and then wraps its wings around to perch. The PercHug could find use in inspection and surveillance tasks.

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World’s fastest brick-laying construction robot lands on American shores

A robotic truck equipped with a mighty telescopic boom arm has just journeyed from Australia to Florida. Now the construction robot will get busy churning out up to 10 houses in a bid to become the employee of choice for building entire communities.

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First look: DARPA’s latest stealth X-Plane will fly this year

Northrop Grumman has released a photo of the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) XRQ-73 stealth drone X-plane that it has built for DARPA and is expected to fly by the end of the year.

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‘Air curtain’ hard hat works like an invisible face mask

A new device has been shown to protect wearers from airborne viruses while leaving their face mask-free. It blocks microbes via a curtain of air which has itself been pretreated to kill any viruses present within it.

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Samsung finally puts a health tracker on your finger with the Galaxy Ring

Samsung has finally pulled back the official curtain on possibly its worst kept secret – the Galaxy Ring. Though there have been a number of similar wearables available from smaller companies for a while, this is the first from a major brand.

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Six-legged robot looks to replace guide dogs for the blind

The ratio of guide dogs to blind people in China is roughly one service pooch for every 40,000 people. Researchers are currently developing a six-legged, AI-enhanced robodog to close the gap and safely guide users to their destinations.

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