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Thermally actuated micro-grippers shown to navigate unstructured environments may find application in minimally invasive surgeries.

A transparent electrical device was designed as the first potentially biocompatible artificial electric organ that generates more than 100 V.

The British online retailer Ocado is developing a robot designed to recognize, pick up and pack up to 50,000 grocery items. The company filed an application to the US Patent and Trademark Office, describing the device as two robots systems mounted on a frame above the merchandise stacks. This, they say, will avoid the need for aisles in the warehouse and will allow Ocado to fit more products into a smaller place, reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Researchers are exploring the use of a new deep learning tool to analyze video data collected from traffic light cameras, which has the potential to help planners optimize traffic flow and identify sites most likely to have accidents.

The suborbital spacecraft reached an altitude of 99.39 km, just short of the 100 km Kármán Line that marks the edge of space.

Illumination from nanobionic plants might one day replace some electrical lighting.

New research on lithium-rich battery cathodes could lead to markedly increased electric vehicle driving range.

An ultra-stretchable bioprobe based on kirigami, a variant of origami which utilizes paper cutting in addition to folding, shows significant potential for medical applications of flexible-film electronics.

The French startup artificial intelligence (AI) company Exotec Solutions announced the debut of new mobile robots – Skypods – designed to navigate by climbing shelves rather than moving the shelves to human workers.

PRENAV, a startup based out of Silicon Valley, Calif., is developing precision navigation for drones. Their automated aerial robots navigate along pre-planned flight paths with the ability to fly in close proximity to structures.

The teams must also maneuver their spacecraft a distance of 500 m and transmit high-definition video and images back to Earth.

Researchers at Delft University in the Netherlands have developed an alternative method to 3D printing, giving the products more functionalities than those produced by standard 3D printers. The final product can be used in medical implantations, flexible electronic devices and other sensitive applications.

Two days before the intentional crash that drove Cassini into Saturn, the satellite snapped many pictures of the gas giant on its fatal descent. These images are just a part of the Cassini legacy.

A new synthesis technique eliminates the need for harsh chemicals that ruin the bioactive properties of silk proteins.

Software and hardware are combined to optimize seasonal road salting, enabling cities to allocate resources effectively and increase safety on critical roads.

Magnesium’s higher price compared to steel or aluminum is limiting wider adoption in the cost-sensitive mainstream automotive market. While magnesium and aluminum are abundant elements in the earth’s crust, magnesium is currently more expensive to reduce or produce compared to aluminum. New developments on the horizon may change that.

The 20 homes in Pontfadog, Wales, are now connected to the world via broadband, thanks to a creative use of drone technology.

New industrial uses for uranium that don’t involve nuclear power or weapons may be on the horizon.