Robots

The latest creations and innovations in automated machines.

Latest in Robots

Ascento Guard robot
Technology

The Ascento Guard patrol robot puts a cartoonish spin on security enforcement

By Andrew Paul

the black hornet drone
Technology

The US military’s tiniest drone feels like it flew straight out of a sci-fi film

By Rob Verger

JAXA LEV-2 lunar probe on sand
Technology

The newest moon-bound robot will roll around like a tennis ball

By Andrew Paul

an inchwoom robot climbing up a smooth surface
Technology

This wormy robot can wriggle its way around a jet engine

By Charlotte Hu

robot doctor talks to elderly person sitting in chair
Health

Will we ever be able to trust health advice from an AI?

By Keith Wagstaff

US submarine in Australia
Technology

Australia is eyeing uncrewed vessels to patrol the vast Pacific Ocean

By Kelsey D. Atherton

The CLARI mini-robot created by Kaushik Jayaram, assistant professor, mechanical engineering and Heiko Kabutz, PhD student, mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder
Technology

This small, squishy robot is cuter than its cockroach inspiration

By Andrew Paul

Professor Garry Duffy and Dr Rachel Beatty show the soft robotic implant developed by University of Galway and MIT
Technology

This drug-delivery soft robot may help solve medical implants’ scar tissue problem

By Andrew Paul

Close-up of witch hazel plant
Environment

Future leaping robots could take a cue from seed-launching witch hazel plants

By Andrew Paul

Robot arms lifting a single Pringles chip
Technology

These AI-powered robot arms are delicate enough to pick up Pringles chips

By Andrew Paul

two drones coming together while flying
Technology

These nifty drones can lock together in mid-air to form a bigger, stronger robot

By Charlotte Hu

ukraine troops training exercise
Technology

Ukraine claims it built a battle drone called SkyKnight that can carry a bomb

By Kelsey D. Atherton

2023 World Robot Conference In Beijing robots
Technology

See the coolest and strangest machines from the World Robot Conference

By Popular Science Team

Artist rendering of Somatic bathroom cleaning robot entering restroom
Technology

These bathroom-cleaning bots won’t replace human janitors any time soon

By Andrew Paul

Dead humback whale on beach from aerial view
Environment

Dead whales and dinosaur eggs: 7 fascinating images by researchers

By Popular Science Team

Soft robot gripper turning a book page
Technology

Origami-inspired robot can gently turn pages and carry objects 16,000 times its weight

By Andrew Paul

Sea turtle robot crawling across sand
Technology

This waddling robot could guide baby turtles to the sea

By Andrew Paul

Robotic arms welding car frames on automotive assembling line
Technology

Why industrial automation can be so costly

By Andrew Paul

Two NASA lunar CADRE rovers parked on the ground
Technology

NASA gears up to send a trio of rovers to the moon in 2024

By Andrew Paul

a robot starting at toy objects on table
Technology

Robots could now understand us better with some help from the web

By Charlotte Hu

The U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 4
Technology

What is DARPA? The rich history of the Pentagon’s secretive tech agency

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Thermal vision of a home.
Technology

A new kind of thermal imaging sees the world in striking colors

By Andrew Paul

Deep underground, robotic teamwork saves the day
Technology

Deep underground, robotic teamwork saves the day

By Kurt Kleiner/Knowable Magazine

onesat robotic arm
Technology

Robot limbs could keep satellite plasma thrusters at an arm’s length

By Andrew Paul

Vintage robots
Technology

An electric cow, a robot mailman, and other automatons we overestimated

By Bill Gourgey

Chipotle worker removing peeled and sliced avocados from Autocado robot
Technology

Chipotle is testing an avocado-pitting, -cutting, and -scooping robot

By Andrew Paul

Three quadruped robots standing on rocky terrain
Technology

Four-legged dog robots could one day explore the moon

By Andrew Paul

The best robot vacuums of 2024
Gear

The best robot vacuums of 2024

By Jackson Cooper

a model of a Kia EV9
Technology

A look at the weird intersection of taxidermy and car design

By Kristin Shaw

A honey bee pollinates a yellow flower against a bright blue sky.
Science

Bee brains could teach robots to make split-second decisions

By Laura Baisas

Screenshot of inching magnetic soft robot
Technology

This magnetic robot could worm its way into human blood vessels

By Andrew Paul

VIPER moon rover coming down a ramp during a test at the NASA Ames Research Center
Science

NASA’s quirky new lunar rover will be the first to cruise the moon’s south pole

By Jon Kelvey

Robot leg inspired by krill
Technology

This robotic leg could give machines krill-like swimming abilities

By Andrew Paul

A hand wearing a smart glove playing keyboard next to computer readings of movements
Technology

This AI-powered glove could help stroke patients play the piano again

By Andrew Paul

Robotic gripper holding pillbug that is gripping piece of cotton
Technology

This weird robot uses living bugs as gripping tools

By Andrew Paul

Two dancers wearing Jizai Arms wearable robotic appendagees
Technology

These wearable cyborg arms were modeled after Japanese horror fiction and puppets

By Andrew Paul

fake raspberry for testing robot pickers
Technology

This robot used a fake raspberry to practice picking fruit

By Charlotte Hu

This pangolin-inspired robot can curl up into a healing ball
Technology

This pangolin-inspired robot can curl up into a healing ball

By Andrew Paul

Mori3 robots combined to form 3D walking shape
Technology

These 2D machines can shapeshift into moving 3D robots

By Andrew Paul

Spotted lanternfly adult on leaf
Technology

This lanternfly-egg-hunting robot could mean fewer bugs to squish

By Charlotte Hu

Fire ants moving across ground
Technology

Robot dog sniffs out fire ants without the painful sting

By Andrew Paul

a tunnel in a sewer system
Technology

Taiwan sent mosquito-fighting robots into its sewers

By Charlotte Hu

a drone flies over the water
Technology

Watch a ‘flying fish’ drone hover in the air and then swim underwater

By Harry Guinness

Rear side of sweating robot
Technology

This very sweaty robot measures how heat affects humans

By Andrew Paul

Person underwater looking up at outer space to represent Blue Abyss training tank. Illustrated.
Technology

Inside Blue Abyss’ plan to build super-deep pools for astronauts and military bots

By Sarah Scoles

Robot arm assembling salad from ingredients
Technology

This robot ‘chef’ can follow video instructions to make a very simple salad

By Andrew Paul

A robot inspired by centipedes has no trouble finding its footing
Technology

A robot inspired by centipedes has no trouble finding its footing

By Andrew Paul

ZiGGY mobile EV charger connected to vehicle in parking lot.
Technology

The Dallas airport is testing out EV charging bots that roll around like suitcases

By Andrew Paul

Beagle flying over an obstacle hurdle
Technology

Google engineers used real dogs to develop an agility course for robots

By Andrew Paul

glider drops from navy helicopter
Technology

Watch the US Navy launch an ocean glider from a helicopter

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Gardener harvesting beets from ground.
Technology

A robot gardener outperformed human horticulturalists in one vital area

By Andrew Paul

Robot arm encased in smart sweater material
Technology

Cozy knit sweaters could help robots ‘feel’ contact

By Andrew Paul

Wendy's chain restaurant at night.
Technology

Wendy’s wants underground robots to deliver food to your car

By Harry Guinness

Fetch robot picking up dry erase marker off of table
Technology

This helpful robot uses a camera to find items for people with dementia

By Andrew Paul

Pink clover meadow and blue sky.
Technology

This lawn-mowing robot can save part of your yard for pollinators

By Andrew Paul

Two researchers standing next to Quori humanoid robot
Technology

A fleet of humanoid, open-source robots could change robotics research

By Andrew Paul

Concept art of NASA EELS snake robot on icy surface of Saturn's moon, Enceladus
Technology

NASA hopes its snake robot can search for alien life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus

By Andrew Paul

centipede robot
Technology

To build a better crawly robot, add legs—lots of legs

By Charlotte Hu

Stunt or sinister: The Kremlin drone incident, unpacked
Technology

Stunt or sinister: The Kremlin drone incident, unpacked

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Young panda eating branch while sitting in tree.
Technology

Researchers built a ‘SoftZoo’ to virtually test animal-inspired robots

By Andrew Paul

Robot plants could be used to grow infrastructure in space from scratch
Science

Robot plants could be used to grow infrastructure in space from scratch

By Dario Floreano and Nicola Nosengo/MIT Press Reader

Two seals laying on shore near water.
Technology

Seals provided inspiration for a new waddling robot

By Andrew Paul

A robotic hand manipulates a reflective disco ball in dim lighting.
Technology

This agile robotic hand can handle objects just by touch

By Andrew Paul

Berkeley Lab researcher Yan Zeng looks over the starting point at A-Lab.
Technology

Tony Stark would love this new experimental materials lab

By Jamie Dickman