Show Notes 20 June 2025
Story 1: Crawling Toward the Future: Robotic Centipedes Aim to Revolutionize Farming
Source: Impactlab.com
See also: https://groundcontrolrobotics.com/
See this short video here: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=Ground+Control+Robotics&&mid=2803501D0F3FAF7A22AD2803501D0F3FAF7A22AD&&FORM=VRDGAR
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvm4AK_z_0c
- A giant robotic centipede may soon slither out of the lab and into U.S. vineyards and blueberry farms, offering a novel solution to the challenges of agricultural terrain.
- Developed by Atlanta-based startup Ground Control Robotics, this multi-legged machine draws inspiration from nature’s most agile creepers—centipedes and snakes.
- Unlike heavy, rigid agricultural machines, this multi-legged robot uses cable-driven limbs to shift thrust outward from its body, allowing it to flex and adapt as it crawls.
- The robot’s head is equipped with a versatile sensor platform designed for precision in complex environments. Sensor options include:
- Hyperspectral cameras for detailed imaging across multiple wavelengths
- Sensors to measure nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in soil
- Soil moisture sensors for monitoring hydration levels
- Detectors to sense volatile organic compounds, which can indicate plant health or pest presence
- The first major application of this robotic centipede is aimed at automating weeding and monitoring in perennial crops like blueberries, strawberries, and grapes—plants that grow in tangled, bushy rows difficult for tractors or traditional robots to access.
- Unlike many high-end agricultural machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, Ground Control Robotics aims to price its centipede robots in the thousand-dollar range.
- The company envisions future swarms of these robots working autonomously, day and night, to scout fields, detect early signs of disease, and eliminate weeds—freeing up human labor for higher-value tasks.
- Ground Control Robotics is exploring other use possibilities, including disaster relief and military operations, where adaptable robots could navigate rubble, tunnels, or dense forests.
Story 2: Soft robotic gripper injects leaves with precision
Source: Cornell University Chronicle Story by Stephen D’Angelo Cornell Research and Innovation
See research paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adu2394
- Tools that offer early and accurate insight into plant health – and allow individual plant interventions – are key to increasing crop yields as environmental pressures increasingly impact horticulture and agriculture.
- In response to this challenge, Cornell University researchers have developed a soft robotic device that gently grips and injects living plant leaves with sensors that help it detect and communicate with its environment. The robot can also inject genetic material that could be used for bioengineering plants in the future.
- The device allows for safe, repeatable delivery of sensors and genetic material in a reliable, plant-safe way – an essential step in precision, data-driven agriculture.
- By implanting sensors into leaves, researchers can monitor the impact of drought or an overdose of fertilizer on the plant.
- To demonstrate, the team used the gripper to deliver two types of probes:
- The first, called AquaDust, is a tiny gel particle that glows brightly in response to water stress, allowing researchers to non-invasively monitor a plant’s hydration levels.
- The second probe, called RUBY, is a gene-encoded biological reporter that causes red pigmentation to appear where genetic transformation occurs within the plant.
- The researchers tested the device on sunflower and cotton leaves – plants known for their structural resistance to infiltration. The gripper achieved more than 91% success in delivery while causing significantly less damage than syringe-based methods and expanding the effective infiltration area by more than 12 times.
- In the long term, similar grippers could be used to deliver or retrieve other diagnostic materials, including sensors for nitrogen uptake, disease presence or even real-time metabolic changes, opening new possibilities for smart agriculture and plant research.
- The team is now exploring the integration of the gripper onto robotic arms for automated greenhouse systems, with the long-term goal of adapting it for field-deployable platforms.
Story 3: Seoul National University College of Engineering Researchers Unveil World’s First 3D Microphone with Single-Sensor Position Estimation
Source: Bioengineer.org
See also: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-sensor-3d-microphone-enables-robots.html
See research paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736584525000249?via%3Dihub
- In a significant breakthrough in auditory technology, researchers at Seoul National University College of Engineering have developed an innovative system that allows for the detection and recognition of human positions using a single microphone.
- This pioneering work paves the way for new sound-based interactions between humans and robots, especially in challenging industrial environments where noise often hinders clarity.
- Sound has long been recognized as a crucial source of information, particularly in environments where visual modalities or electromagnetic-based communication can fail due to various obstacles such as dust, smoke, or extreme temperatures.
- However, traditional acoustic sensing technologies have often been hampered by accuracy issues or necessitate complex and expensive configurations that hinder practical industrial applications. As a result, the potential of sound as a sensing resource remains largely untapped.
- This innovation [from the Seoul National University College of Engineering] seeks to change that paradigm by leveraging advanced auditory technologies that can effectively operate in high-noise scenarios.
- In developing this technology, the researchers drew inspiration from the auditory mechanisms found in bats and dolphins, renowned for their remarkable ability to navigate and communicate through sound.
- The research team’s new system, dubbed the “3D Acoustic Ranging” or 3DAR, utilizes a meta-structure design that integrates an acoustic perception capability to pinpoint the three-dimensional positions of human beings or objects, even amidst overwhelming background noise.
- The core functionality of the 3DAR system lies in its ability to enable distinct communication pathways through sound waves, allowing both humans and robots to interact effectively in environments that are otherwise prohibitively challenging.
- To further enhance the utility of the sensor, the research group designed a dual acoustic channel that separates audible and inaudible frequencies.
- This design not only facilitates communication between humans and robots using sounds that are within human hearing ranges but also allows for robots to converse with one another using sound frequencies that remain inaudible to human ears.
- Such a dual-channel design minimizes possible interference between channels, ensuring smooth and efficient communication in various industrial scenarios.
Story 4: First-of-its-kind technology helps man with ALS ‘speak’ in real time – New brain-computer interface system enables faster, more natural conversation
Link: See research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09127-3
- Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a brain-computer interface that holds promise for restoring the ability to hold real-time conversations to people who have lost the ability to speak due to neurological conditions.
- In a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, the researchers demonstrate how this new technology can instantaneously translate brain activity into voice as a person tries to speak — effectively creating a digital vocal tract with no detectable delay.
- The system allowed the study participant, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to “speak” through a computer with his family in real time, change his intonation and “sing” simple melodies.
- His ability to communicate through a computer has been made possible with an investigational brain-computer interface (BCI). It consists of four microelectrode arrays surgically implanted into the region of the brain responsible for producing speech.
- These devices record the activity of neurons in the brain and send it to computers that interpret the signals to reconstruct voice.
- The brain-computer interface was able to translate the study participant’s neural signals into audible speech played through a speaker very quickly — one-fortieth of a second.
- His brain-computer interface-synthesized voice was often intelligible: Listeners could understand almost 60% of the synthesized words correctly (as opposed to 4% when he was not using the brain-computer interface).
Honorable Mentions
Story: World’s first 2D, non-silicon computer developed
Source: PennState News Room Story by Ashley Wenners Herron
Link: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/worlds-first-2d-non-silicon-computer-developed
- Penn State researchers have developed the world’s first 2D, non-silicon computer, marking a major leap in semiconductor technology. Instead of traditional silicon, they used molybdenum disulfide and tungsten diselenide, two atomically thin materials that retain their electronic properties at such scales. This breakthrough enables thinner, faster, and more energy-efficient electronics.
- The team successfully built a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) computer, a fundamental technology in modern devices, without relying on silicon. Previous attempts struggled to scale beyond small circuits, but this research demonstrates a fully functional CMOS computer using 2D materials.
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Story: China’s Largest Relocation Project: Robots Relocate 7,500 Ton Historical Complex
Source: RealityPlus.com
MUST SEE VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatM7mvCEko
- The 7,500-ton shikumen architectural complex Huayanli, located within Zhangyuan in Shanghai’s Jing’an district, returned to its original location. The process involved 432 small walking robots, moving at an average pace of 10 meters per day.
- Called the Huayanli complex, the collection of buildings was built in the 1920s–1930s and are part of the Zhangyuan area, which itself is over 140 years old. The complex also features architecture that combines Western and Chinese elements.
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Story: Turning CO₂ into cement: A new path to greener construction
Source: Earth.com Story by Rodielon Putol
Link: https://www.earth.com/news/turning-co2-into-cement-a-new-path-to-greener-construction/
- Scientists at the University of Michigan, UC Davis, and UCLA have developed a method to convert carbon dioxide into metal oxalates, which can be used as building blocks in cement manufacturing. This breakthrough, part of the Center for Closing the Carbon Cycle (4C) project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, aims to repurpose CO₂ rather than simply burying it.
- Traditional Portland cement production is highly energy-intensive and releases significant CO₂ emissions. The researchers flipped the process by using CO₂ to create alternative cement precursors. They focused on metal oxalates, simple salt compounds, but faced a challenge: lead was needed as a catalyst, which posed environmental risks. Their solution? Using polymers to control the chemical surroundings, allowing them to reduce lead usage to parts per billion—comparable to common impurities in commercial materials.
- The process involves electrodes: one converts CO₂ into dissolved oxalate ions, while the other releases metal ions that bind with oxalate to form solid metal oxalates, which can then be used in cement production. Researchers believe this method could revolutionize construction by making cement production more sustainable while repurposing CO₂.
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Story: Your Next Flight Could Run on Algae: Inside the Biofuel Revolution – Climate Cosmos
Source: Climatecosmos.com Story by Jeff Carlin
- The article explores how algae-based biofuels are emerging as a game-changer for sustainable aviation. Airlines like United, KLM, and Japan Airlines are already testing or flying with algae-derived sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which can cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.
- Algae stands out because it grows rapidly, doesn’t compete with food crops, and can thrive in saltwater or wastewater. It also absorbs CO₂ during growth, helping offset emissions when burned. Some strains can yield up to 5,000 gallons of fuel per acre annually—far more than crops like soybeans.
- Major players like Boeing and Delta are investing in algae fuel supply chains, and the EU has mandated that 6% of aviation fuel must be sustainable by 2030. With over 30 airlines signing contracts for algae-based SAF since 2023, the industry is clearly banking on pond scum to power a greener future.