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Machines and robots undoubtedly make life easier. They carry out jobs with precision and speed, and, unlike humans, they do not require breaks as they are never tired. As a result, companies are looking to use them more and more in their manufacturing processes to improve productivity and remove dirty, dangerous, and dull tasks. However, there are still so many tasks in the working environment that require human dexterity, adaptability,...

When a robot needs to move across a room, there are several paths, each with curves and multiple potential starting and ending points. How does it decide the most efficient, cost-effective approach? A collaborative team of researchers in the United States may have the answer. They developed a method to determine the optimal solution for this kind of general control problem, which could apply...

by Rachel Gordon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Basic safety needs in the paleolithic era have largely evolved with the onset of the industrial and cognitive revolutions. We interact a little less with raw materials, and interface a little more with machines. Robots don't have the same hardwired behavioral awareness and control, so secure collaboration with humans requires methodical planning and...