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Robotics and artificial intelligence

Intelligent machines could shape the future of science and society.

Image credit: Peter Crowther

Image credit: Peter Crowther

At the end of the twentieth century, computing was transformed from the preserve of laboratories and industry to a ubiquitous part of everyday life. We are now living through the early stages of a similarly rapid revolution in robotics and artificial intelligence — and the effect on society could be just as enormous.

This collection will be updated throughout 2024, with stories from journalists and research from across the Nature Portfolio journals. Check back throughout the year for the latest additions, or sign up to Nature Briefing: AI and Robotics to receive weekly email updates on this collection and other goings-on in AI and robotics.

Features

Original journalism from Nature.

An older person sitting in wheelchair in middle of a bedroom, stroking a seal robot

Are robots the solution to the crisis in older-person care?

Social robots that promise companionship and stimulation for older people and those with dementia are attracting investment, but some question their benefits. By Tammy Worth

25 April 2024

Soft robot resembling a four-legged starfish on a black background

Robot, repair thyself: laying the foundations for self-healing machines

Advances in materials science and sensing could deliver robots that can mend themselves and feel pain. By Simon Makin

29 February 2024

Isolated hand on white background holding a large cockroach. On the insect's back is a square pack showing a circuit board and wires.

This cyborg cockroach could be the future of earthquake search and rescue

From drivable bionic animals to machines made from muscle, biohybrid robots are on their way to a variety of uses. By Liam Drew

7 December 2023

A surreal illustration of an alphabet soup that spells the phrase "I am a robot"

How robots can learn to follow a moral code

Ethical artificial intelligence aims to impart human values on machine-learning systems. By Neil Savage

26 October 2023

A surreal illustration of an alphabet soup that spells the phrase "I am a robot"

A test of artificial intelligence

With debate raging over the abilities of modern AI systems, scientists are struggling to effectively assess machine intelligence. By Michael Eisenstein

14 September 2023

A pair of robot dogs walking along the tracks of a railway tunnel.

Robots need better batteries

As mobile machines travel further from the grid, they'll need lightweight and efficient power sources. By Jeff Hecht

29 June 2023

An illustration of a woman laying strips of paper next to each other. When seen together, the strips depict human faces made up of parts of several different people.

Synthetic data could be better than real data

Machine-generated data sets have the potential to improve privacy and representation in artificial intelligence, if researchers can find the right balance between accuracy and fakery. By Neil Savage

27 April 2023

A conceptual illustration of a robot playing with a Newton's cradle.

Why artificial intelligence needs to understand consquences

A machine with a grasp of cause and effect could learn more like a human, through imagination and regret. By Neil Savage

24 February 2023

A man sits on his sofa, looking thoughtfully out of shot and holding a small black plastic box in his hands.

Abandoned: The human cost of neurotechnology failure

When the makers of electronic implants abandon their projects, people who rely on the devices have everything to lose. By Liam Drew

6 December 2022

A quadruped robot with a flat body is pictured running in a laboratory. The limbs are blurred with speed

Bioinspired robots walk, swim, slither and fly

Engineers look to nature for ideas on how to make robots move through the world. By Neil Savage

29 September 2022

A cartoon robot learns to navigate around obstacles

Learning over a lifetime

Artificial-intelligence researchers turn to lifelong learning in the hopes of making machine intelligence more adaptable. By Neil Savage

20 July 2022

A robotic hand holding a marble between two glowing fingertips

Teaching robots to touch

Robots have become increasingly adept at interacting with the world around them. But to fulfil their potential, they also need a sense of touch. By Marcus Woo

26 May 2022

Artist's impression of microscopic robots attacking a tumour inside the body

Miniature medical robots step out from sci-fi

Tiny machines that deliver therapeutic payloads to precise locations in the body are the stuff of science fiction. But some researchers are trying to turn them into a clinical reality. By Anthony King

29 March 2022

Illustration of a scientist peeling back one face of a large black cube to look inside

Breaking into the black box of artificial intelligence

Scientists are finding ways to explain the inner workings of complex machine-learning models. By Neil Savage

29 March 2022

An older person sitting in wheelchair in middle of a bedroom, stroking a seal robot

Are robots the solution to the crisis in older-person care?

Social robots that promise companionship and stimulation for older people and those with dementia are attracting investment, but some question their benefits. By Tammy Worth

25 April 2024

Soft robot resembling a four-legged starfish on a black background

Robot, repair thyself: laying the foundations for self-healing machines

Advances in materials science and sensing could deliver robots that can mend themselves and feel pain. By Simon Makin

29 February 2024

An illustration of a laboratory in which robots are learning right and wrong

How robots can learn to follow a moral code

Ethical artificial intelligence aims to impart human values on machine-learning systems. By Neil Savage

26 October 2023

A pair of robot dogs walking along the tracks of a railway tunnel.

Robots need better batteries

As mobile machines travel further from the grid, they'll need lightweight and efficient power sources. By Jeff Hecht

29 June 2023

A conceptual illustration of a robot playing with a Newton's cradle.

Why artificial intelligence needs to understand consequences

A machine with a grasp of cause and effect could learn more like a human, through imagination and regret. By Neil Savage

24 February 2023

A quadruped robot with a flat body is pictured running in a laboratory. The limbs are blurred with speed

Bioinspired robots walk, swim, slither and fly

Engineers look to nature for ideas on how to make robots move through the world. By Neil Savage

29 September 2022

A robotic hand holding a marble between two glowing fingertips

Teaching robots to touch

Robots have become increasingly adept at interacting with the world around them. But to fulfil their potential, they also need a sense of touch. By Marcus Woo

26 May 2022

Illustration of a scientist peeling back one face of a large black cube to look inside

Breaking into the black box of artificial intelligence

Scientists are finding ways to explain the inner workings of complex machine-learning models. By Neil Savage

29 March 2022

Isolated hand on white background holding a large cockroach. On the insect's back is a square pack showing a circuit board and wires.

This cyborg cockroach could be the future of earthquake search and rescue

From drivable bionic animals to machines made from muscle, biohybrid robots are on their way to a variety of uses. By Liam Drew

7 December 2023

A surreal illustration of an alphabet soup that spells the phrase "I am a robot"

A test of artificial intelligence

With debate raging over the abilities of modern AI systems, scientists are struggling to effectively assess machine intelligence. By Michael Eisenstein

14 September 2023

An illustration of a woman laying strips of paper next to each other. When seen together, the strips depict human faces made up of parts of several different people.

Synthetic data could be better than real data

Machine-generated data sets could improve privacy and representation in artificial intelligence, if researchers can find the right balance between accuracy and fakery. By Neil Savage

27 April 2023

A man sits on his sofa, looking thoughtfully out of shot and holding a small black plastic box in his hands.

Abandoned: The human cost of neurotechnology failure

When the makers of electronic implants abandon their projects, people who rely on the devices have everything to lose. By Liam Drew

6 December 2022

A cartoon robot learns to navigate around obstacles

Learning over a lifetime

Artificial-intelligence researchers turn to lifelong learning in the hopes of making machine intelligence more adaptable. By Neil Savage

20 July 2022

Artist's impression of microscopic robots attacking a tumour inside the body

Miniature medical robots step out from sci-fi

Tiny machines that deliver therapeutic payloads to precise locations in the body are the stuff of science fiction. But some researchers are trying to turn them into a clinical reality. By Anthony King

29 March 2022

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Research and reviews

Curated from the Nature Portfolio journals.

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A robot in front of a classroom chalkboard

Will ChatGPT give us a lesson in education?

There might be a learning curve as AI tools grow in popularity, but this technology offers teachers opportunities to help pupils acquire new skills around formulating questions and in critical thinking.

A glowing computer chip on a circuit board

The challenge of making moral machines

Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve industries, markets and lives – but only if we can trust the algorithms.

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