Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.ado6251
Yusuf Furkan Kaya, Lachlan Orr, Basaran Bahadir Kocer, Vijay Pawar, Robert Stuart-Smith, Mirko Kovač
Recent advancements in large-scale additive manufacturing have extended its application in the building industry, delivering notable gains in productivity, efficiency, environmental sustainability, and safety compared with traditional construction methods. Aerial additive manufacturing (aerial AM), which uses aerial robots for unbounded construction tasks, offers distinct advantages, such as scalability at height, enhanced access to remote or challenging locations, and rapid on-demand repair capabilities. Despite several small-scale demonstrations, deploying aerial robots in construction still presents critical challenges and unresolved scientific questions. This Review provides a comprehensive analysis of current aerial AM research, highlights key opportunities and challenges at large scales, and introduces an autonomy framework aimed at clarifying the overarching challenges inherent in the technology.
{"title":"Aerial additive manufacturing: Toward on-site building construction with aerial robots","authors":"Yusuf Furkan Kaya, Lachlan Orr, Basaran Bahadir Kocer, Vijay Pawar, Robert Stuart-Smith, Mirko Kovač","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado6251","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado6251","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Recent advancements in large-scale additive manufacturing have extended its application in the building industry, delivering notable gains in productivity, efficiency, environmental sustainability, and safety compared with traditional construction methods. Aerial additive manufacturing (aerial AM), which uses aerial robots for unbounded construction tasks, offers distinct advantages, such as scalability at height, enhanced access to remote or challenging locations, and rapid on-demand repair capabilities. Despite several small-scale demonstrations, deploying aerial robots in construction still presents critical challenges and unresolved scientific questions. This Review provides a comprehensive analysis of current aerial AM research, highlights key opportunities and challenges at large scales, and introduces an autonomy framework aimed at clarifying the overarching challenges inherent in the technology.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.ady1403
Melisa Yashinski
Patterning planar muscle layers can create biohybrid robots capable of unique and controllable muscle activity.
{"title":"Biohybrid robot contracts like the human iris","authors":"Melisa Yashinski","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.ady1403","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.ady1403","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Patterning planar muscle layers can create biohybrid robots capable of unique and controllable muscle activity.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adw9925
Robin R. Murphy
One of the twists in Companion depends on faulty assumptions about the internal anatomy of a humanoid robot.
{"title":"Understanding humanoid robots could save your life","authors":"Robin R. Murphy","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adw9925","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adw9925","url":null,"abstract":"<div >One of the twists in <i>Companion</i> depends on faulty assumptions about the internal anatomy of a humanoid robot.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adq3121
Sunny Kumar, Ishant Tiwari, Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, Adler R. Dillman, Dongjing He, Yuhang Hu, Saad Bhamla
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) exhibit a bending-elastic instability, or kink, before becoming airborne, a feature previously hypothesized but not substantiated to enhance jumping performance. Here, we provide the evidence that this kink is crucial for improving launch performance. We demonstrate that EPNs actively modulate their aspect ratio, forming a liquid-latched α-shaped loop over a slow timescale (1 second), and then rapidly open it (10 microseconds), achieving heights of 20 body lengths and generating power of ∼104 watts per kilogram. Using a bioinspired physical model [termed the soft jumping model (SoftJM)], we explored the mechanisms and implications of this kink. EPNs control their takeoff direction by adjusting their head position and center of mass, a mechanism verified through phase maps of jump directions in numerical simulations and SoftJM experiments. Our findings reveal that the reversible kink instability at the point of highest curvature on the ventral side enhances energy storage using the nematode’s limited muscular force. We investigated the effect of the aspect ratio on kink instability and jumping performance using SoftJM and quantified EPN cuticle stiffness with atomic force microscopy measurements, comparing these findings with those of Caenorhabditis elegans. This investigation led to a stiffness-modified SoftJM design with a carbon fiber backbone, achieving jumps of ∼25 body lengths. Our study reveals how harnessing kink instabilities, a typical failure mode, enables bidirectional jumping in soft robots on complex substrates like sand, offering an approach for designing limbless robots for controlled jumping, locomotion, and even planetary exploration.
{"title":"Reversible kink instability drives ultrafast jumping in nematodes and soft robots","authors":"Sunny Kumar, Ishant Tiwari, Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, Adler R. Dillman, Dongjing He, Yuhang Hu, Saad Bhamla","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adq3121","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adq3121","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) exhibit a bending-elastic instability, or kink, before becoming airborne, a feature previously hypothesized but not substantiated to enhance jumping performance. Here, we provide the evidence that this kink is crucial for improving launch performance. We demonstrate that EPNs actively modulate their aspect ratio, forming a liquid-latched α-shaped loop over a slow timescale <span><math><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></math></span> (1 second), and then rapidly open it <span><math><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></math></span> (10 microseconds), achieving heights of 20 body lengths and generating power of ∼10<sup>4</sup> watts per kilogram. Using a bioinspired physical model [termed the soft jumping model (SoftJM)], we explored the mechanisms and implications of this kink. EPNs control their takeoff direction by adjusting their head position and center of mass, a mechanism verified through phase maps of jump directions in numerical simulations and SoftJM experiments. Our findings reveal that the reversible kink instability at the point of highest curvature on the ventral side enhances energy storage using the nematode’s limited muscular force. We investigated the effect of the aspect ratio on kink instability and jumping performance using SoftJM and quantified EPN cuticle stiffness with atomic force microscopy measurements, comparing these findings with those of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>. This investigation led to a stiffness-modified SoftJM design with a carbon fiber backbone, achieving jumps of ∼25 body lengths. Our study reveals how harnessing kink instabilities, a typical failure mode, enables bidirectional jumping in soft robots on complex substrates like sand, offering an approach for designing limbless robots for controlled jumping, locomotion, and even planetary exploration.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-16DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adq3059
Nak-seung P. Hyun, Christian M. Chan, Alyssa M. Hernandez, Robert J. Wood
For flying insects, the transition from flight to surface locomotion requires effective touchdown maneuvers that allow stable landings on a variety of surfaces. Landing behaviors of insects are diverse, with some using more controlled flight approaches to landing, whereas others dampen collision impacts with parts of their bodies. The landing approaches of real insects inspired our current work, where we present a combined mechanical and control approach to achieving safe and accurate landings for flapping-wing microaerial vehicles. For the mechanical approach to landing, we took inspiration from the legs of the crane fly, designing lossy compliant legs that maximize energy dissipation during surface collisions. We explored three features in the compliant leg design: leg stance, number of joints, and joint placement. For the control approach to landing, the challenge lies in overcoming the aerodynamic ground effect near the surface. Leveraging the compliant leg design during impact, we designed the preimpact behavior, drawing inspiration from insect landing trajectories, to increase landing success. The proposed controlled landing sequence includes an initial acceleration from hovering, followed by deceleration toward the target, ending with a nonzero impact velocity, similar to what is observed in insects. Last, using an insect-scale flapping-wing aerial microrobot platform (Harvard RoboBee), we verified the controlled, safe, and accurate landing on natural terrain.
{"title":"Sticking the landing: Insect-inspired strategies for safely landing flapping-wing aerial microrobots","authors":"Nak-seung P. Hyun, Christian M. Chan, Alyssa M. Hernandez, Robert J. Wood","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adq3059","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adq3059","url":null,"abstract":"<div >For flying insects, the transition from flight to surface locomotion requires effective touchdown maneuvers that allow stable landings on a variety of surfaces. Landing behaviors of insects are diverse, with some using more controlled flight approaches to landing, whereas others dampen collision impacts with parts of their bodies. The landing approaches of real insects inspired our current work, where we present a combined mechanical and control approach to achieving safe and accurate landings for flapping-wing microaerial vehicles. For the mechanical approach to landing, we took inspiration from the legs of the crane fly, designing lossy compliant legs that maximize energy dissipation during surface collisions. We explored three features in the compliant leg design: leg stance, number of joints, and joint placement. For the control approach to landing, the challenge lies in overcoming the aerodynamic ground effect near the surface. Leveraging the compliant leg design during impact, we designed the preimpact behavior, drawing inspiration from insect landing trajectories, to increase landing success. The proposed controlled landing sequence includes an initial acceleration from hovering, followed by deceleration toward the target, ending with a nonzero impact velocity, similar to what is observed in insects. Last, using an insect-scale flapping-wing aerial microrobot platform (Harvard RoboBee), we verified the controlled, safe, and accurate landing on natural terrain.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.science.org/doi/reader/10.1126/scirobotics.adq3059","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Quadcopter drones are capable of executing complex aerobatic maneuvers when controlled manually by skilled pilots but are limited to simple aerobatic actions when flying autonomously in open spaces. As such, this study introduces a comprehensive system that enables drones to generate and execute sophisticated aerobatic maneuvers in complex environments with dense obstacle distributions. A universal representation is proposed, succinctly capturing flight as a series of discrete aerobatic intentions. These intentions consist of topology and attitude changes, which can be combined in various ways to describe intricate flight maneuvers. A spatial-temporal joint optimization trajectory planner is also introduced to generate dynamically feasible trajectories that are as smooth as possible and devoid of collisions. In addition, we investigate unique yaw sensitivity issues in aerobatic flight and identify the inherent influence of differential flatness singularities on yaw rotations while avoiding associated dynamics issues. A series of ablation studies confirmed the necessity of these spatial-temporal joint optimization and yaw compensation strategies. Additional simulations and physical experiments validated the stability and feasibility of our proposed system for improving uncrewed aerial flight. The proposed system enables drones to autonomously achieve flight performance usually reserved for professional pilots, unlocking boundless potential for aerobatic flight evolution in uncrewed aerial vehicles.
{"title":"Unlocking aerobatic potential of quadcopters: Autonomous freestyle flight generation and execution","authors":"Mingyang Wang, Qianhao Wang, Ze Wang, Yuman Gao, Jingping Wang, Can Cui, Yuan Li, Ziming Ding, Kaiwei Wang, Chao Xu, Fei Gao","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adp9905","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adp9905","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Quadcopter drones are capable of executing complex aerobatic maneuvers when controlled manually by skilled pilots but are limited to simple aerobatic actions when flying autonomously in open spaces. As such, this study introduces a comprehensive system that enables drones to generate and execute sophisticated aerobatic maneuvers in complex environments with dense obstacle distributions. A universal representation is proposed, succinctly capturing flight as a series of discrete aerobatic intentions. These intentions consist of topology and attitude changes, which can be combined in various ways to describe intricate flight maneuvers. A spatial-temporal joint optimization trajectory planner is also introduced to generate dynamically feasible trajectories that are as smooth as possible and devoid of collisions. In addition, we investigate unique yaw sensitivity issues in aerobatic flight and identify the inherent influence of differential flatness singularities on yaw rotations while avoiding associated dynamics issues. A series of ablation studies confirmed the necessity of these spatial-temporal joint optimization and yaw compensation strategies. Additional simulations and physical experiments validated the stability and feasibility of our proposed system for improving uncrewed aerial flight. The proposed system enables drones to autonomously achieve flight performance usually reserved for professional pilots, unlocking boundless potential for aerobatic flight evolution in uncrewed aerial vehicles.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-16DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adx2410
David Vernon
Robots are being deployed in many sectors in Africa, from agriculture to education, and research activities are growing fast.
{"title":"Robotics in Africa is trending upward and has a bright future","authors":"David Vernon","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx2410","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx2410","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Robots are being deployed in many sectors in Africa, from agriculture to education, and research activities are growing fast.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 101","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.science.org/doi/reader/10.1126/scirobotics.adx2410","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143846226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-26DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adk4249
Changyan He, Robert Nguyen, Haley Mayer, Lingbo Cheng, Paul Kang, D. Anastasia Aubeeluck, Grace Thiong’ᴏ, Erik Fredin, James Drake, Thomas Looi, Eric Diller
Operating in the brain for deep-seated tumors or surgical targets for epilepsy is technically demanding and normally requires a large craniotomy with its attendant risk and morbidity. Neuroendoscopic surgery has the potential to reduce risk and morbidity by permitting surgical access through a small incision with burr hole and a narrow corridor through the brain. However, current endoscopic neurosurgical tools are straight and rigid and lack dexterity, hindering their adoption for neuroendoscopic procedures. We propose a class of robotic neurosurgical tools that have magnetically actuated wristed end effectors small enough to fit through a neuroendoscope working channel. The tools were less than 3.2 millimeters in overall diameter and contained embedded permanent magnets that allowed wireless actuation with magnetic fields. Three magnetic tools are presented: a two–degrees-of-freedom (DoFs) wristed gripper, a one-DoF pivoting scalpel, and a one-DoF twisted string–actuated forceps. This work evaluated the feasibility of these tools for completing minimally invasive neurosurgical resection and cutting tasks. Experimental tests on a silicone brain phantom showed that the tools could reach the ventricle area for simulated tumor removal and access a section of the corpus callosotomy for a simulated tissue-severing procedure in epilepsy treatment. Integration of the magnetic end effectors with a concentric tube robot as a hybrid steerable surgical robotic system enabled in vivo experiments on piglets. These experiments show that wireless magnetic tools could perform essential neurosurgical tasks, including gripping, cutting, and biopsy on living brain tissue, suggesting their potential for clinical applications.
{"title":"Magnetically actuated dexterous tools for minimally invasive operation inside the brain","authors":"Changyan He, Robert Nguyen, Haley Mayer, Lingbo Cheng, Paul Kang, D. Anastasia Aubeeluck, Grace Thiong’ᴏ, Erik Fredin, James Drake, Thomas Looi, Eric Diller","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adk4249","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adk4249","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Operating in the brain for deep-seated tumors or surgical targets for epilepsy is technically demanding and normally requires a large craniotomy with its attendant risk and morbidity. Neuroendoscopic surgery has the potential to reduce risk and morbidity by permitting surgical access through a small incision with burr hole and a narrow corridor through the brain. However, current endoscopic neurosurgical tools are straight and rigid and lack dexterity, hindering their adoption for neuroendoscopic procedures. We propose a class of robotic neurosurgical tools that have magnetically actuated wristed end effectors small enough to fit through a neuroendoscope working channel. The tools were less than 3.2 millimeters in overall diameter and contained embedded permanent magnets that allowed wireless actuation with magnetic fields. Three magnetic tools are presented: a two–degrees-of-freedom (DoFs) wristed gripper, a one-DoF pivoting scalpel, and a one-DoF twisted string–actuated forceps. This work evaluated the feasibility of these tools for completing minimally invasive neurosurgical resection and cutting tasks. Experimental tests on a silicone brain phantom showed that the tools could reach the ventricle area for simulated tumor removal and access a section of the corpus callosotomy for a simulated tissue-severing procedure in epilepsy treatment. Integration of the magnetic end effectors with a concentric tube robot as a hybrid steerable surgical robotic system enabled in vivo experiments on piglets. These experiments show that wireless magnetic tools could perform essential neurosurgical tasks, including gripping, cutting, and biopsy on living brain tissue, suggesting their potential for clinical applications.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 100","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143703304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-26DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adx3476
{"title":"Erratum for the Research Article “Safety-assured high-speed navigation for MAVs” by Y. Ren et al.","authors":"","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx3476","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx3476","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 100","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143717530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-26DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adx2364
Amos Matsiko
The use of emotional words and expressive voices in robots alters the attribution of agency and experience by humans.
{"title":"Harnessing emotion and intonation in speech to improve robot acceptance","authors":"Amos Matsiko","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx2364","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx2364","url":null,"abstract":"<div >The use of emotional words and expressive voices in robots alters the attribution of agency and experience by humans.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 100","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143717546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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