As if nature wasn’t already full of pests, a team of engineers just built their own — and the little bug can take a beating. The DEAnsect is a soft robot modeled after an insect, and it’s the work of ...

Swiss boffins have developed a light, quick robotic bug called the DEAnsect, which can withstand several whacks from a flyswatter and can survive being stepped on by a shoe. According to ...

In their guest blog, mechanical engineering professor Hassan Masoud and doctoral student Mitch Timm share how they built a tiny, self-powered robot inspired by water-skimming insects. For centuries, ...

Researchers have combined research with real and robotic insects to better understand how they sense forces in their limbs while walking, providing new insights into the biomechanics and neural ...

Cyborg cockroaches that find earthquake survivors. A “robofly” that sniffs out gas leaks. Flying lightning bugs that pollinate farms in space. These aren’t just buzzy ideas, they’re becoming reality.

If you want to walk on water, it helps to have fancy feet. With the help of their feet, the rice grain–sized ripple bugs can make sharp turns in just 50 milliseconds and move up to 120 body lengths ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. It’s that time of the year again. The invasive, crop-damaging ...

Inspired by fireflies, researchers created soft actuators that can emit light in different colors or patterns. These artificial muscles, which control the wings of featherweight flying robots, light ...