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What happens when you mix a two wheeled rover with a drone? 🤔 You get a hybrid aerial-ground robot that can fly, walk, crawl, and climb steep and rough terrain. Developed by students at the Nanyang Technological University Singapore, the "Double-Bee" robot uses the high energy efficiency of a bicopter configuration in aerial mode, and enjoys the low power consumption of a two-wheel self-balancing robot on the ground. This robot leverages a decoupled control scheme, where the attitude of the robot is controlled using thrusts, and the translational motion is realized using wheels. The design of the robot gives it a unique ability to navigate unstructured environments 💡 Let us know what you think about Double-Bee in the comments below? #drones #robotics #autonomy

Drone vs. Fencer. Researchers from Stanford University have developed a drone control system for drones to hover in place, with a safety filter to keep it within a designated safe zone and avoid obstacles, like a saber tip. Here's how it works: The main controller sends a command to keep the drone in the center of the room, while the safety filter checks that command against safety rules. If adjustments are needed, it makes minimal changes to keep everything smooth. This setup lets the drone maintain a steady hover while avoiding potential collisions and staying within a safe boundary. #drones #innovation #tech

Shapeshifting drones. Adaptive-morphology multirotors are drones designed to change shape, allowing them to handle different tasks more effectively than traditional drones. The challenge lies in balancing stability and flexibility: they need to lock firmly into place for stable flight, but also switch shapes with minimal energy. A new design from The Environmental Robotics Lab addresses this by using soft, multi-stable composite airframes capable of holding multiple stable shapes. These airframes are built to be sturdy during flight while easily reconfigurable when needed. A 130-gram prototype demonstrates this by shifting between open and folded shapes, reducing its width by 48% without compromising stability. Ground-based reconfiguration is enabled by soft pneumatic actuators powered by compressed air. This approach combines the strength of rigid drones with the adaptability of soft materials, offering a versatile, shape-shifting drone solution. #drones #robotics

This robot has serious off-road capabilities thanks to AI. DEEP Robotics recently unveiled the skills of its wheeled robot, Lynx, and this machine can handle some impressive terrain. As the first Chinese company to pull off fully autonomous substation inspections with quadruped robots, DEEP Robotics is pushing the field of embodied AI. Their in-house-developed robots are already rolling out in real-world settings—from power plants and factory floors to tunnel inspections and rescue operations. #robotics #AI

Will humanoids ever really move like humans? PNDbotics has introduced "Adam," a humanoid robot designed with a focus on mimicking human movement through a blend of hardware innovations and reinforcement learning. Launched in 2023, Adam incorporates a biomimetic pelvis design and modular actuator hardware, allowing him to perform agile movements with a natural flow. In early 2024, PNDbotics refined Adam’s stability through adjustments to his legs and feet, enhancing his adaptability to different environments. These developments are detailed in their recently published paper, “Whole-body Humanoid Robot Locomotion with Human Reference,” on arXiv, which explores Adam’s ability to tackle complex locomotion tasks with human-like control. With the first units now in production, PNDbotics is taking steps to bring humanoid robots closer to human-like flow. #robotics #humanoids #tech #innovation

The drone saving $150,000 on industrial inspections. For companies needing stack inspections—like those at aggregate plants—the traditional approach can be both costly and slow. Using scaffolding to access a stack just for initial measurements in some cases can cost over $150,000, not even counting the actual inspection work. And with the stacks needing to cool down before work begins, the time factor adds up fast. In contrast, drone technology is stepping in as a faster, more cost-effective alternative. By deploying a drone like Voliro's, inspections can be completed within a single day, without the need for scaffolding or extended downtime. As drones continue to evolve, they’re reshaping how industries approach high-stakes inspections—cutting costs, saving time, and ultimately keeping operations running more smoothly. #drones #industrial #inspections

The drone saving $150,000 on industrial inspections. For companies needing stack inspections—like those at aggregate plants—the traditional approach can be both costly and slow. Using scaffolding to access a stack just for initial measurements in some cases can cost over $150,000, not even counting the actual inspection work. And with the stacks needing to cool down before work begins, the time factor adds up fast. In contrast, drone technology is stepping in as a faster, more cost-effective alternative. By deploying a drone like Voliro's, inspections can be completed within a single day, without the need for scaffolding or extended downtime. As drones continue to evolve, they’re reshaping how industries approach high-stakes inspections—cutting costs, saving time, and ultimately keeping operations running more smoothly. #drones #industrial #inspections

This drone can map 460 hectares in one flight... Wingtra's VTOL drone is capturing survey data faster and cheaper than traditional methods. Equipped with a 61 MP sensor, the WingtraOne is providing twice the reach of other fixed-wing drones and nearly ten times that of a standard multicopter. For surveyors, this means less time in the field and reduced costs—without sacrificing data quality. With a beginner-friendly setup, WingtraOne appears to be opening the door for survey teams to achieve better data collection, even on large, complex sites. #drones #surveying #mapping

Controlling humanoids using mixed reality. The ROBOTIS OP3 is a small, humanoid robot created for education and research, aimed at helping people explore robotics in an accessible, hands-on way. Designed with advanced sensors and smooth movement capabilities, it allows students and researchers to experiment with robotics concepts like motion control and artificial intelligence. While packed with powerful internal components—a fast processor, ample storage, and a high-quality camera—the OP3’s true value lies in its versatility as a learning tool. It can move, sense, and interact with its surroundings, making it an ideal platform for teaching robotics, coding, and automation skills to anyone interested in diving into the field. Who else wants to get their hands on one? ✋ #robotics #humanoid #opensource #innovation

The Snake-Like Robot Set to Revolutionize Rescue Missions. Developed at ETH Zürich’s Autonomous Systems Lab, the RoBoa robot is poised to reshape emergency response and inspection work. This snake-like robot moves smoothly through tight spaces—whether pipes, channels, or disaster rubble—using soft materials and compressed air for propulsion, making it safe for human contact and suitable for high-risk environments where sparks must be avoided. With a current reach of up to 100 meters, RoBoa is equipped with both a microphone and loudspeakers to enable direct communication in emergencies. Originally conceived as a student project, it has now secured a Pioneer Fellowship and is set to launch commercially, marking a potential breakthrough in how inspections and rescues are carried out in challenging conditions. #robotics #publicsafety #searchandrescue