Researchers at Michigan Technological University are working on a vision system for prosthetic legs. The system uses an inexpensive camera to get a better sense of the terrain, and an actuator that adjusts the ankle accordingly. “The camera can identify the profile of the ground, while the computer …

Bare Conductive’s Touch Board Inventors Kit is ideal for both beginners and those who already have some experience with sensors and Arduinos. The touch board itself is very versatile, intended as a platform for a wide range of projects. Use it to turn just about anything conductive (including Bare Conductive’s paint) …

There’s a brand new product on Kickstarter, designed to make it easy for anyone to create cellular-connected devices. A 2D/3D development kit, the Spark Electron is poised to bring machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to the masses. At the moment, it’s difficult to develop M2M electronics at home because the market is …

Three Austrian men have undergone a new technique called bionic reconstruction, enabling them to use a robotic prosthetic hand controlled by their mind. The technique involves selective nerve and muscle transfers, as well as amputating the affected limb. The limb was then replacing with a prosthesis containing sensors that respond …

Researchers at the RIKEN-SRK Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research in Nagoya, Japan have developed a robotic nurse that looks like an adorable bear. The robot, called ROBEAR, can help nursing staff with the heavy work: lifting patients from beds and wheelchairs, and providing physical support to patients who …

Sick of sorting out measurements for screws, or the numbering system for alloy sheets? Great Innovations’ chart keeps the important numbers handy. The chart has a ton of info, including the tap, drill, and stress area for screws, c’bore sizes, bolt grades, prefixes, fractional drill sizes, …

SuperDroid Robotics has a new low-profile, high-end robot on the market: an inspection bot with a video camera, that can be remotely controlled via an included tablet. At just 12 inches high, the tracked robot is designed to fit into spaces that are less than ideal …

There’s still time to sign up your team for the 2015 Soft Robotics Competitions! For the design competition, entrants are charged with creating a novel device using at least one of the tools available on Harvard’s Soft Robotics Toolkit Website. The entire robot doesn’t have to …

Ready, aim, fire! Add some fun firepower to your robot with a Foam Dart Gun Kit from Trossen Robotics. The kit is designed to be used with a pan-tilt system and any Arduino-compatible microcontroller. Each kit includes a dart gun, two foam darts, laser cut plate …

A team from MIT recently showed off a robotic flower garden with adjustable lights and moveable petals at the school’s Hour of Code event. The idea behind the garden is to get kids — particularly girls — interested in building and programming their own electronics. The garden …

If you’ve been thinking about starting your first project with an Intel Edison, you’ll definitely want to check out Sparkfun’s kit. It has all the basics: an Edison, GPIO block, base block, battery block, a 6-foot microB cable, and all the schematics and documentation you’ll need. Not …

Are in you grades 9 – 12 and have some deep thoughts to share about the future of robotics and its societal implications? Create a two- to three-minute video with your thoughts, and you could win a chance to see the DARPA Robotics Challenge in Pomona, CA this …

Researchers from Virginia Tech revealed more details about their ongoing project with the US Navy: the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR). Speaking at the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO, the researchers discussed the results of recent tests of SAFFiR as it walked on uneven …