Robots are starting to turn up in Japanese bank branches to greet customers, and now they’re getting ready for service behind the scenes to help older employees lift heavy stacks of cash.
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.