WiFi and Bluetooth-based methods are accurate in detecting social distancing breaches and our approach complements them. The WiFI and Bluetooth-based methods need appropriate sensing technologies and cannot be easily deployed in all kinds of environments (e.g., public places or isolated locations). These methods also need additional infrastructure to be in place for detection. Our method uses the visual feed from a depth camera onboard a mobile robot and existing CCTV infrastructure (if available) to detect social distancing breaches. In addition, the robot can autonomously navigate and interact with people and encourage them to maintain social distancing.

Robotics is the field of engineering that is focused on developing machines – usually by combining knowledge from both the field of mechanics and electronics – that are able to either fully or partly take over tasks that would normally be carried out by humans. As technology advanced, components such as processors, electric motors and different kind of sensors have become increasingly more compact and precise, stimulating the use of robotics in other fields than only that of manufacturing. Robotics, fueled by artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the way we work and interact with technology. Technological advances have drastically changed the capabilities of modern robotics, allowing them to be operational and effective in a wide range of industries. New technologies – such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced computer vision – form the basis of the further development of robotics, allowing them to be used in processes which were, up until today, deemed to only be executable by humans.

Autonomous robots could soon be ferrying deliveries alongside human messengers in your city's bike lane. Refraction AI has unveiled a 5-foot-tall delivery robot dubbed REV-1 that can zip around at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour on its three wheels. It can carry the equivalent of about four or five grocery bags in its cabin, according to the firm. The company says its lightweight, nimble design will allow it to operate in both the bike lane and the roadway, making for more efficient last-mile delivery options. 'We have created the Goldilocks of autonomous vehicles in terms of size and shape,' Matthew Johnson-Roberson, cofounder and CEO at Refraction, said in a statement when the bot launched this month at TechCrunch Mobility.

A robotic surgical device has learned to autonomously navigate inside a beating heart. Using only a small camera for vision, it successfully travelled to the correct location in the hearts of pigs for surgeons to then complete the operation. Pierre Dupont at Harvard Medical School in Boston and his colleagues created a robotic catheter --a thin tube widely used in surgeries to deliver devices or drugs. The device has a camera and LED light on its tip and is connected to a motor system that controls its movement from the other end. The team used 2000 images of the interior of a heart to train an algorithm to control the movement of the catheter.

Boston Dynamics, the firm that introduced the world to human-like robots going for a job and Black Mirror-style demon dogs, has revealed its latest creation. The machine is called Handle and striking footage shows the automaton balancing on two wheels while lifting boxes and loading a pallet. It whizzes around a large warehouse with impressive agility and uses an overhead sucker to lift and move its loads. Handle was first introduced in 2017 but this version has undergone significant changes. The robot is larger and carries less weight - a maximum load of 30 pounds (13.5kg) - compared to its predecessor which could carry boxes weighing up to 100 pounds (45kg).

Scientists have unveiled a quadrupedal robot that can open doors, ride an elevator and, in perhaps one of the creepiest scenarios, move uninterrupted after being pushed over by a human. Called the'ANYmal,' the device is described as an autonomous robot that can navigate nearly any terrain, including ones deemed unsafe for human entry. Anymal's robotic limbs allow it to move at a pace that's comparable to that of a human and it can carry a payload of up to 22lbs. It was developed by Robotic Systems Lab at ETH Zurich University in Switzerland and has been shown in several videos completing various tasks. The latest clip shows Anymal using an articulated arm to turn a door handle, then push the door open with ease.

In today's industrial environment, robots appeal to several industries because they help ease labor concerns--specifically, an aging workforce and the potential to increase the efficiency of work output. This is no different in the agricultural world. Introducing robots into the fieldwork would help reduce labor concerns that are currently being experienced in both the U.S. and in Europe. Robots and new technology would also help alleviate the increase need of precision work and limitations brought on by new chemical and natural resources farming standards. However, the delicate nature of the work makes it difficult to introduce traditional industrial robots.

Boston Dynamics will begin selling its groundbreaking SpotMini robo-dogs as early as next year. The company currently has 10 prototypes of the quadruped and has plans to build 100 more this year. It has previously shown the robot carrying packages around and office and even loading a dishwasher. President Marc Raibert didn't reveal any price plans at a TechCrunch conference on Friday, but did say that the mini robots could be useful for security patrols. Boston Dynamics also posted two videos showing off the new skills of SpotMini, as well as a humanoid robot Atlas.

Incredible footage has revealed the terrifying capabilities of Black Mirror-style robots, branded'future death machines'. Boston Dynamics has posted two videos showing off the new skills of two of its advanced automatons. In one, Atlas, a humanoid robot, can be seen jogging around a grassy field, before leaping over a log that's obstructing its path. The canine automatons look eerily similar to those featured in an episode of the sci-fi series, where mechanised creatures hunt humans in a post-apocalyptic future. Boston Dynamics, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, manually steered SpotMini around its test course to prepare for the demonstration.