“It’s been three years since the global uprising of the world’s robots, three long years in which ordinary people waged a guerilla war that saved humankind from the brink of annihilation. But a horrific new enemy has emerged …”
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.