MIT engineers have expanded the capabilities of their Cheetah 2. The robot can now autonomously detect obstacles while running, and jump over them. Designed in MIT’s Biomimetics Robotics Lab, the robot uses a 2D laser distance sensor to spot anything in its path and gather data …

The Gooseneck Robot Kit from Actobotics offers some interesting features you might want to consider for your next project. The truck-bed style chassis is ideal for holding batteries, electronics, or another small load. The protruding “Gooseneck” piece can act as base for a camera, robotic arm, gripper kit, scoop, or whatever attachment …

Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan have developed a robot call Terapio, intended to replace the traditional medical cart used by doctors and nurses during their rounds in a hospital. The mobile, autonomous robot can deliver resources and record information as doctors visit with patients. A paper outlining the robot …

More than 45 teams competed in the Sixth Annual NASA Robotic Mining Competition last week at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The competition pitted student teams against each other, with each designing a robot intended to cross simulated Martian terrain, excavate a rocky material known …

This high-power switch is perfect for robotics competitions, when you don’t want to be plugging and unplugging your robot repeatedly. Small yet robust, the FingerTech Mini Power Switch turns on with the low-force twist of an Allen key. Once full rotation counter-clockwise disconnects the power. Weighing …

Perfect for small, simple, sewable projects, the Arduino GEMMA is a collaboration between Adafruit and Arduino.cc. The board features an Attiny85, 8K of flash, and 5 I/O pins. It also has a USB bootloader, so it can be plugged it into any computer and reprogrammed via …

A new robot called the X2-VelociRoACH is setting land-speed records for small, legged robots. The bot, which weighs in at 54 grams, can run up to 4.9 m/s with stride frequencies up to 45 Hz. Built by researchers at UC Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab, the X2 …

The 3-in-1 All Terrain Robot is a tracked robotic kit that you put together yourself. It has 120 pieces that can be put together, as the name suggests, in three different ways: as a forklift, a rover, or a gripper. All you need is 4 AA …

From: Servo City Made by ION Motion Control and two are used in the Robot Magazine Nomad Project to control it’s motors. RoboClaw 2x30A Motor Controller Thanks ServoCity! www.servocity.com www.ionmc.com

New algorithms developed at UC Berkeley let robots learn motor tasks much more like humans do, using trial and error. Using this new approach the robot completed various tasks without prior knowledge of its surroundings, including putting a clothes hanger on a rack, assembling a toy …

From: Sparkfun Most robot projects wind up with an RC aspect to them but once a robot is fully functional… it comes time to provide not only the possibility of autonomy but also the addition of sensors and other accessories which requires a microcontroller.  Arduino is one …

  From: Servo City Made by ION Motion Control and used in the Robot Magazine Runt Rover Bogie Project to control it’s motors. RoboClaw 2x5A Motor Controller Thanks ServoCity! www.servocity.com www.ionmc.com

Researchers at Caltech, the University of South Carolina and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center have developed a better a neural prosthetic system that offers smoother movement of a prosthetic limb than previous devices that controlled by the thoughts of the user. What makes this system …