Explore the future of technology with our latest insights on cyborgs, humanoids, and groundbreaking robots transforming our lives. Discover innovations like the lightning-fast TOKUFASTbot, capable of solving a Rubik’s Cube in just 0.305 seconds, and the Selector180, designed to protect tulip fields from disease using AI. Learn about Garmi, a robo-helper set to revolutionize eldercare by taking vitals and providing companionship for an aging population. Dive into the exciting world of smart machines and their potential to enhance human capabilities, making everyday tasks easier and more efficient.
HIGHER AND HIGHER
THE BOTS • HUMANS, DOGS AND MICROBES, JELLYFISH AND EELS: ROBOTS CAN MIMIC EVERY LIVING CREATURE ON EARTH.
robots in the thick of it • FOUR BOTS LIFT US UP WITH SHOTS OF PLEASURE, AMAZEMENT AND A LITTLE BIT OF HELP IN THE HERE AND NOW.
INTO THE DEEP
Whale-Watching
swarms • THEY WORK TOGETHER.
the hybrid mind • SCIENTISTS GREW MINI HUMAN BRAINS IN THE LAB, FIT THEM WITH COMPUTER CHIPS AND SHOWED THE SYSTEM WAS FUNCTIONAL ENOUGH TO TEACH TINY ROBOT TERMINATORS TO GRASP AND TRACK THINGS IN THE WORLD.
FLIGHT OF THE BLACK HORNET • THE U.S. MILITARY’S TINIEST RECONNAISSANCE DRONE FEELS LIKE IT FLEW STRAIGHT OUT OF A SCI-FI FILM, BUT IT MADE A TEST RUN IN A COLLAPSED NYC PARKING GARAGE LAST YEAR, AND IT’S NOT THE ONLY ROBOT RUNNING AROUND THE BIG APPLE.
Trashbots
The City Has Gone to the Digidogs • THEY CHASE, THEY SHOOT TRACKERS, WATCH OUT!
The Robotaxis Are Coming • AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES TAKE ON NYC
INVASION OF THE Body Patchers • SPACE ROBOTS THAT PRINT AND REPAIR HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES AND ORGANS MAY SOON BE HEALING ALL OF US.
Daddy long-legs-inspired robot could one day skitter through Martian caves. • THE SPIDERBOT’S EXTENDABLE LEGS CAN GRASP ONTO UNEVEN ROCK SURFACES AND PROPEL IT FORWARD.
Researchers built a ‘SoftZoo’ to virtually test animal-inspired robots • THE OPEN-SOURCE TESTING GROUND COULD HELP ENGINEERS ENVISION FUTURE SOFT ROBOTIC DESIGNS.
UKRAINE’S ROBOT WAR • WITH OUTSIDE SUPPORT WANING, UKRAINIANS HAVE EMBRACED AI TO CONTROL DRONES AND ROBOTS FOR THEIR DEFENSE—AND IN THE PROCESS, INVENTING A SCRAPPY MILITARY FOR THE FUTURE.
THE HUMANOIDS • POWERED BY AI, THEY CAN KICK A GOAL IN SOCCER, CONVERSE IN SPOKEN ENGLISH AND FOLD RUMPLED JEANS AT THE GAP.
sure, they can do backflips, but could they hold a desk job or play a sonata on the violin? • TODAY’S HUMANOIDS ARE IMPROVING, BUT THEY STILL HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE QUIET MANEUVERS, FINE MOTOR SKILLS AND NUANCES THAT HUMANS TAKE FOR GRANTED.
THE NEXT STEP • JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, THE IDEA OF TWO-LEGGED ROBOTS RESEMBLING A HUMAN WAS LAUGHABLE OUTSIDE OF THE MOVIES. BUT TODAY, WITH THE AI REVOLUTION IN FULL SWING AND TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS HAD A CENTURY TO COOK, WE COULD BE ON THE CUSP OF A NEW WORLD.
OUT OF THE UNCANNY VALLEY • A few of these robots seem so apparently human they’ve finally entered the uncanny valley, that uncomfortable realm where they resemble us (almost) but not quite. Among the candidates for the most humanlike thus far, we nominate:
AWKWARD ROBOTS MAKE US CRINGE • WHEN THEY MAKE MISTAKES, WE FEEL EMPATHY AND EMBARRASSMENT ON THEIR BEHALF.
This Bothead Can Simulate Facial Interactions in Conversations With Humans and Outsmile You by 840 Milliseconds
why are so many robots white? • SOME PEOPLE HAVE ACCUSED ENGINEERS OF SIMPLY LACKING IMAGINATION. OTHERS CLAIM THAT AI AND ROBOTICS ARE PERPETUATING BIASES ALREADY FOUND IN THE CULTURE AT LARGE.
THE ROBOT IN THE CORNER OFFICE • DO WE TRUST ROBOTS ENOUGH TO PUT THEM IN CHARGE? THE FACTORS THAT CAUSE PEOPLE TO ACCEPT ROBOTS, OR NOT, WILL SURPRISE YOU.
THE CYBORGS • HUMAN + AI +...
