Robots tend to be powered by batteries and plug sockets. But the RoBeetle is a little different. This insect-size microbot (defined as weighing less than 1 gram) runs on methanol, a type of alcohol commonly found in solvents and antifreeze.
Liquid fuels like methanol hold more energy per unit volume than batteries, especially on a small scale. This means methanol-powered microbots don't require an additional external power source, such as wires or electromagnetic fields. They could therefore theoretically move around with more autonomy than their electrically powered counterparts while retaining their minuscule size.
And here's another article:
An 88-milligram insect-scale autonomous crawling robot driven by a catalytic artificial muscle |
The creation of autonomous subgram microrobots capable of complex behaviors remains a grand challenge in robotics largely due to the lack of microactuators with high work densities and capable of using power sources with specific energies comparable to that of animal fat (38 megajoules per kilogram).
( A ) Energy densities and specific energies of various power sources (see table S1 for detailed data). The red circles indicate potential energy sources to power the proposed NiTi-Pt–based artificial muscles as these fuels can be used in exothermic reactions catalyzed by Pt. Fat, the type of energy used by animals, is represented with a yellow diamond. Batteries are indicated with green squares. ( B ) Work and power densities of different actuation methods (see table S2 for detailed data).
Biomorphic batteries could provide 72 times more energy for robots -- ScienceDaily
Like biological fat reserves store energy in animals, a new rechargeable zinc battery integrates into the structure of a robot to provide much more energy, a team led by the University of Michigan has shown.
This approach to increasing capacity will be particularly important as robots shrink to the microscale and below -- scales at which current stand-alone batteries are too big and inefficient.
"Robot designs are restricted by the need for batteries that often occupy 20% or more of the available space inside a robot, or account for a similar proportion of the robot's weight," said Nicholas Kotov, the Joseph B. and Florence V. Cejka Professor of Engineering, who led the research.
Robot beetle runs on booze - Axios
A tiny, lightweight beetle-inspired robot fueled by alcohol can crawl on its own for up to two hours.
Why it matters: Researchers have long dreamed of creating tiny autonomous robots that could explore small spaces to inspect infrastructure, assist in disaster relief or drop pollen on flowers. But bringing the required power and control to insect-sized robots has been challenging.
How it works: The RoBeetle's artificial muscle is powered by methanol instead of batteries, freeing it from tethered power sources.
And here's another article:
Facebook is building home robots to help you find your ringing phone | ZDNet
"Where's my phone?" is, for many of us, a daily interjection -- often followed by desperate calling and frantic sofa searches. Now, some new breakthroughs made by Facebook AI researchers suggest that home robots might be able to do the hard work for us, reacting to simple commands such as "bring me my ringing phone."
Virtual assistants as we know them are utterly incapable of identifying a specific sound, and then using it as a target for where they should navigate across a space. While you could order a robot to "find my phone 25 feet southwest of you and bring it over", there is little an assistant can do if it's not told exactly where it should go.
NBC 5 Responds: How Robots Are Helping to Enforce Mask Orders – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Trinity Metro is one of the first agencies in the country to deploy this type of technology at its train stations in Fort Worth.
A north Texas agency is one of the first places in the country to use a new, robotic technology, that will help enforce mask orders-- hoping to end person-to-person conflicts.
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There have been several confrontations caught on camera showing angry customers confronted for ignoring mandatory mask policies. Several of those videos have gone viral.
How robotics and automation could create new jobs in the new normal | VentureBeat
Of course, any discussion about automation invariably raises the question of what it means for jobs.
As we're still in the early stages of a broader shift to AI and automation, it's not easy to fully envisage what new jobs could crop up — and which will be lost.
Slamcore is a London-based startup pushing to commercialize AI algorithms that help robots gain situational awareness from sensor data. Slamcore cofounder and CEO Owen Nicholson says we only have to look at some of today's jobs to realize how difficult it can be to forecast the future.
Happening on Twitter
Watch a tiny robot powered by alcohol: https://t.co/xGARuy3IWD https://t.co/a9TSyFm3bn NewsfromScience (from Washington, D.C.) Wed Aug 19 19:33:39 +0000 2020
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