ReWalk Robotics Ltd has donated one of its ReStore Exo-suits to Brooks Rehabilitation. The ReStore will be utilized by the therapy team in one of the the specialized Neuro Recovery Centers to conduct gait training sessions with patients seeking post-stroke rehabilitation.

Scientists often look to nature for cues when designing robots - some robots mimic human hands while others simulate the actions of octopus arms or inchworms. Now, researchers have designed a new soft robotic gripper that draws inspiration from an unusual source: pole beans.

The Forum International de la Robotique Agricole (FIRA) is an annual event that focuses on discussions around the agricultural robotics sector. Normally held in France, the 2020 edition was held virtually, in the wake of travel restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AI algorithm flew with the pilot on a U-2 Dragon Lady assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base. Air Combat Command's U-2 Federal Laboratory researchers developed ARTUµ and trained it to execute specific in-flight tasks that otherwise would be done by the pilot.

As the whole world is still facing an unprecedented health crisis, SoftBank Robotics and its partners are developing new robotic solutions to help fight against the spread of the pandemic. Thanks to its partners, SoftBank Robotics has been able to deploy multiple Pepper robots all across EMEA to help companies and public places to enforce social distancing and mask wearing.

This ROV can fully operate on its own, and follow along with fish's behaviour and health with its Argus eyes - all while keeping a safe distance. It even inspects the technical standard of the enclosure while it's at it

Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind life-like material that acts as a soft robot. It can walk at human speed, pick up and transport cargo to a new location, climb up hills and even break-dance to release a particle.

In an industrial context, the word automation is often, inaccurately, used to mean only industrial robotics. In fact, it refers to everything from inverter driven conveyor systems to advanced manufacturing software.

A team of researchers has developed a flexible, rechargeable silver oxide-zinc battery with a five to 10 times greater areal energy density than state of the art. The battery also is easier to manufacture; while most flexible batteries need to be manufactured in sterile conditions, under vacuum, this one can be screen printed in normal lab conditions. The device can be used in flexible, stretchable electronics for wearables as well as soft robotics.

Smart cities are now much more ambitious. That means new materials are their biggest enabler, with information and computer technology dropping to an important support role.

Hyundai Motor Group and SoftBank Group Corp agreed on main terms of the transaction pursuant to which Hyundai Motor Group will acquire a controlling interest in Boston Dynamics in a deal that values the mobile robot firm at $1.1 billion.

IDTechEx recently attended the Image Sensor and IS Auto US 2020 online conference. This premium article outlines and analyzes the talks given.

Thursday 17 December 2020 - An IDTechEx Perspective for 2020. The webinar will cover Vertical farming; Plant-based and cultured meat; Biostimulants and biopesticides; Genetic technologies in agriculture; and Agricultural robots and drones.

IDTechEx have released a brand new report, "Smart Cities Emerging Materials Markets 2021-2041" - a comprehensive analysis of multifunctional smart materials, bioplastics, structural electronics, composites, 3D printing, graphene, 2D and 3D molecules, 5G, 6G, IOT, new recycling.

Previous attempts to build a human-eye type of device, called a retinomorphic sensor, have relied on software or complex hardware, but the new sensor's operation is part of its fundamental design, using ultrathin layers of perovskite semiconductors - widely studied in recent years for their solar energy potential - that change from strong electrical insulators to strong conductors when placed in light.

In 2020 smart cities have been pivoting reinvented hardware and associated systems.

A fleet of new-generation, deep-diving ocean robots will be deployed in the Southern Ocean, in a major study of how marine life acts as a handbrake on global warming. The automated probes will be looking for 'marine snow', which is the name given to the shower of dead algae and carbon-rich organic particles that sinks from upper waters to the deep ocean.

Husqvarna is launching a robotic solution for commercial turf care management. The new Husqvarna CEORA platform is an autonomous turf care solution for grass areas of up to 50 000 m2. The high performing, low noise and zero emission robot mows autonomously and systematically within virtual boundaries.

Tuesday 15 December 2020 (3 sessions to choose from) - The current state of global agriculture; Key technology trends in the field of agricultural robotics; Enabling technologies in agricultural robotics; and Case study discussions of autonomous tractors and robotic fresh fruit picking.

Radically different robot shuttles are bringing big changes to cities.