Today’s action at the DARPA Robotics Challenge has been interesting, but if there’s one takeaway so far it’s this: the robot apocalypse is not here yet.
Robots clean rivers and sort waste, monitor ecosystems, and inspect renewable-energy infrastructure. But even the greenest robot has an environmental footprint.
EPFL engineers have designed acoustic cavities that convert sound waves into thrust, propelling small robots and ultralight aerial vehicles without on-board actuators or electronics.