IEEE Robotics & Automation Society Italian Chapter (I-RAS)

Many natural organisms have the ability to repair themselves. Now, manufactured machines will be able to mimic this property. Researchers have created a self-healing material that spontaneously repairs itself under extreme mechanical damage.

A robotic system has been developed to automate the production of human mini-organs derived from stem cells. The ability to rapidly, mass produce organoids promises to expand the use of mini-organs in basic research and drug discovery. The system was tested in producing kidney organoids, including models of polycystic kidney disease. The robots were also programmed to analyze the organoids they produced.

Engineers have designed a robotic glider that can skim along the water's surface, riding the wind like an albatross while also surfing the waves like a sailboat.

Engineers have created RoboFly, the first wireless flying robotic insect. RoboFly is slightly heavier than a toothpick and is powered by a laser beam.

Engineers have created a soft robot that does not rely on a motor to propel itself through the water.

A robot is successfully sliding hospital gowns on people's arms. The machine doesn't use its eyes as it pulls the cloth. Instead, it relies on the forces it feels as it guides the garment onto a person's hand, around the elbow and onto the shoulder.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are seen as a potential means by which severely physically impaired individuals can regain control of their environment, but establishing such an interface is not trivial. A new study suggests the most dramatic improvements in computer-augmented performance are likely to occur when both human and machine are allowed to learn.

The development of new artificial intelligence (AI) technology is often bias, and the resulting systems can be discriminatory, meaning more should be done by policymakers to ensure its development is democratic and socially responsible. This is according to a new policy report on the role of AI and robotics in society.

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to spot patterns within the communities of bacteria living in the human gut. These patterns could indicate who among the approximately one billion people around the globe at risk of cholera infection will get sick with the diarrheal disease.

Scientists have succeeded in reconstruction of plant branch structures, including the branch structures under leaves, by using image analysis and artificial intelligence technology, a world first.

Uber's recent self-driving car fatality underscores the fact that the technology is still not ready for widespread adoption. One reason is that there aren't many places where self-driving cars can actually drive. Companies like Google only test their fleets in major cities where they've spent countless hours meticulously labeling the exact 3D positions of lanes, curbs, off-ramps and stop signs.

New research has shown for the first time that a social robot can deliver a 'helpful' and 'enjoyable' motivational interview (MI) -- a counseling technique designed to support behavior change.

Penn neurosurgeons and otolaryngologists performed the first robot-assisted spinal surgery. The robotic arms made it possible for the team to successfully remove a rare tumor in the patient's neck.

For the first time scientists have created a way to model the interaction between light and twisted molecules, as these molecules transition from left- to right-handed versions, or vice versa. The transitional forms offer a deeper insight into material symmetries and their unexpected behavior could lead to improved design of telecoms components.

Smashing mantis shrimp. Snapping trap-jaw ants. Stinging jellyfish. Some of the fastest living things -- at least over short distances -- are also the smallest. A new mathematical model explores how the smallest and speediest things on Earth generate their powerful jumps, snaps, strikes and punches. The model could help explain why robots can't hold a candle to the fastest-moving insects and other tiny-but-powerful creatures, and how they could get closer.

An innovative, eel-like robot developed by engineers and marine biologists can swim silently in salt water without an electric motor. Instead, the robot uses artificial muscles filled with water to propel itself. The foot-long robot, which is connected to an electronics board that remains on the surface, is also virtually transparent.

Computer scientists have created a deep-learning, software-coding application that can help human programmers by writing chunks of code in response to keywords.

Searches involving multiple websites can quickly get confusing, particularly when performed on a mobile device with a small screen. A new web browser now brings order to complex searches in a way not possible with conventional tabbed browsing. The Bento browser stores each search session as a project workspace that keeps track of the most interesting or relevant parts of visited web pages.

A new paper finds that artificial intelligence has the potential to upend the foundations of nuclear deterrence by the year 2040. While AI-controlled doomsday machines are considered unlikely, the hazards of artificial intelligence for nuclear security lie instead in its potential to encourage humans to take potentially apocalyptic risks, according to the paper.

Engineers discovered that tiny crystal lattices called 'self-assembling molecular nanosheets' expand when exposed to light. The advancement could form the backbone of new light-powered actuators, oscillators and other microscopic electronic components useful in the development of artificial muscles and other soft robotic systems.