“Google can’t stop buying robotics companies. In the past two months, eight of the 12 companies the search giant has acquired have “robotics” in their name or descriptions.”
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.