A group of researchers are developing a tiny foldable robot, to be used as a non-invasive tool in medicine.

Artificial Intelligence expert Professor Shanahan talks about the 2015 sci-fi film he helped inform, and discusses the future of AI.

Neil Stoker finds out about how Project Daedalus is looking at creative ways to fuse two emerging technologies – drones and virtual reality – and is trying to get everyone involved

Anne Petzold finds that robots might help long space flights just by being good company

Margot Lesaffre investigates how our knowledge of the biology of the octopus arm is leading to innovations in surgery

When a mission is too dangerous for humans, call in the robots …

Camel racing in the Arabian Peninsula moves with the times and now that child jockeys are banned, robots are an appealing lightweight replacement …

How robots could be used to help restore the natural beauty of coral reefs…

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Alan Turing’s birth and there are events happening across the UK to celebrate Turing’s contributions to computer science as we know it today. However, not that many people seem to realise the influence Turing’s work continues to have and the stuggles he faced. I went along to Kinetica […]

Watson plays Jeopardy! Horizon: The Hunt for AI BBC HD, 3 April 2012 As the stern grandfather of the BBC’s science output, Horizon is as topical as ever with its latest programme exploring the search for artificial intelligence. In reference to all things brainy, modern-day mathematician and Professor of Public Understanding of Science Marcus du […]

I’ll be the first to admit that I thought this was a tiny robot dance-off at first, but it’s actually the ROBO-ONE Championship – a humanoid-robot fighting competition that saw its tenth anniversary this year in Japan. The video shows the red-armed GAROO fighting off Gargoyle Mini to take the crown for a second year […]

It might be very obvious considering my past posts and – if you’ve ever met me – my constant ramblings on the topic, but I’m quite a fan of astronauts. In Issue 20 of I, Science we interviewed former Apollo astronaut Colonel David Scott, which gave us the opportunity to ask a question that is […]

Sure-footed Some lizards can walk on water, others can walk up walls. It’s hard to tell from the photo whether this gecko is walking on the floor, up a vertical surface, or upside down across the ceiling. And from its point of view, it probably doesn’t make much difference. Geckos’ amazing adhesive feet work by […]

Today I had the chance to go along to the preview of this year’s Kinetica Art Fair. I really can’t recommend it enough, it’s an absolute wonderland of art inspired by science and technology – I could have happily wandered around all day playing with the various installations. Have a listen to the podcast to […]

Primitive AI or just clever tricks? And what’s the difference anyway? Sacha Thorpe and Elliot Black sit down with a Furby to ask just that. An Interview with a Furby by iscience Image: flickr | blamethecrane

Apologies, I do realise that the title of this blog kind of implies I wouldn’t be mentioning tiny robots but I figured that by breaking the rules right from the start, at least it can only get better – right? Somehow, there always seems to be an overriding fear that we’re going to be overrun […]

As computers have become more developed and intricate they have been given responsibility for many tasks that people used to carry out. However, how close are we to them taking over everything we do, resulting in a Hollywood-esque robotic revolution? Turing intelligence Scientists have been asking this question for a very long time. The famous […]

Ever since the Wright brothers achieved the first manned powered flight in 1903, we have been dreaming of our own personal flight machine. Before that it was gliders and before that, our own set of flapping wings. Over a third of people dream of flying but how close are we to living that dream? Where […]

In the second podcast for I, Science we talk all about Great Expectations. Listen in for the science of expectation, predictions from future scientists and the future of robotics. Episode-2-Great-Expectations by iscience

Being touched by a sexy nurse is one of the most common fantasies (not admitting anything personally here) – but how would you feel if your object of affection was a robot? Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology found that volunteers were happy to be touched by a robot nurse, if under the impression they […]

A whistle stop tour of Mark Stevenson’s vision of the future, this book is a crash course in some of science’s hottest topics. Taking a journey around the world, Stevenson tries to get to grips with how science is set to change our lives beyond all recognition. Each pitstop along his journey introduces a new […]

Question: What do mice, dogs, squirrel monkeys, tortoises, oyster toadfish, harvester ants, carpenter bees, turtles, humans, newts, chimpanzees and flour beetles all have in common? Answer: They have all been into space! This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the animals (which also includes ourselves) we have sent into the heavens, and […]