May 15, 2024

Need a moment of levity? Try watching videos of astronauts falling on the moon. NASA’s outtakes of Apollo astronauts tripping and stumbling as they bounce in slow motion are delightfully relatable. For MIT engineers, the lunar bloopers also highlight an opportunity to innovate. “Astronauts are physically very capable, but they can struggle on the moon, where gravity is one-sixth that of Earth’s but their inertia is still the same. Furthermore, wearing a spacesuit is a

A team of researchers at Delft University of Technology has developed a drone that flies autonomously using neuromorphic image processing and control based on the workings of animal brains. Animal brains use less data and energy compared to current deep neural networks running on GPUs (graphic chips). Neuromorphic processors are therefore very suitable for small drones because they don’t need heavy and large hardware and batteries. The results are extraordinary: during flight the drone’s deep

Listen to this article [embedded content] Robots and drones need “common sense” to navigate dynamic environments, according to XTEND. The company this month said it has raised $40 million in Series B funding to further develop its proprietary XOS operating system. It also plans to increase global sales of its own drones and robots. “Robots and drones promise to transform everything from factories to our homes,” stated Aviv Shapira, co-founder and CEO of XTEND. “However,

Listen to this article [embedded content] Unitree Robotics unveiled its latest generation G1 humanoid robot at ICRA 2024. The original Unitree H1 humanoid was first introduced in 2023 and made famous in a number of videos demonstrating its balancing and walking capabilities. The Unitree H1 was a popular demo during the CES 2024, where the Unitree booth was slammed throughout the show. In April, Unitree brought the H1 to NVIDIA GTC and walked the robot