The use of advanced industrial robots is nearing takeoff, lowering labor costs, boosting productivity, and changing the competitiveness of major manufacturing economies.
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.