Michigan Robotics News | Michigan Robotics

Rendering of the small robot that uses a twisted wire to hop and swim.

Small robot propulsion: low-power twisting enables hopping, swimming

September 21, 2026

The mechanism works on challenging surfaces such as slippery cloth and grass-covered ground, producing frog-like motion.

Academic and industry center to solve digital twin challenges for manufacturing

September 4, 2026

Digital twins could make manufacturing more efficient with early defect detection, just-in-time maintenance and personalized worker assistance.

Bridges cross the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh in evening light, with a riverboat passing below and the Cathedral of Learning on the horizon.

Michigan Robotics at IROS 2026 in Pittsburgh

August 27, 2026

See the work Michigan researchers will bring to Pittsburgh for the 2026 IROS conference across soft robotics, manipulation, perception, and more.

Three 3D-printed titanium snake fangs side by side, each with a different venom channel structure, mounted on cylindrical bases.

Studying snake envenomation with the help of robotics

August 10, 2026

A robotic system that simulates snake bites with a 3D-printed titanium fang helps researchers answer long-standing evolutionary questions about which venom delivery methods are most effective.

Dawn Tilbury smiles while leaning on a glass railing in the atrium of the Ford Robotics Building.

Dawn Tilbury named Distinguished University Professor

July 16, 2026

The robotics department chair was appointed the Martha E. Pollack Distinguished University Professor of Robotics, recognizing research that has reshaped manufacturing systems, networked control, autonomous vehicles, and human-robot interaction.

upcoming event

Photo of Patricia Alves-Oliveira with the October 15 date and title of her talk Can AI Help Us Build Better Connections? How Social Robots Are Transforming Human Experiences

October 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM

Can AI Help Us Build Better Connections? How Social Robots Are Transforming Human Experiences

Patricia Alves-Oliveira

upcoming event

November 5, 2026 at 6:00 PM

Defining the Discipline of Robotics for Excellence and Equity in an AI-driven World

Chad Jenkins

Ram Vasudevan presents legged robotics research to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

robotics community

Robotics celebrates standout staff and faculty excellence in 2026

June 29, 2026

The department congratulates Ram Vasudevan on the Robotics Departmental Faculty Award and Samantha Price on the College of Engineering Staff Excellence Award.

Artist Adnan Charara paints with a robot arm programmed to collaborate on artwork.

human-robot interaction & teaming

Artists paint with robots to study creative expression

June 23, 2026

U-M researchers paired eight abstract artists with a robot arm over three weeks, and their feedback reveals what it’s like to co-create a painting with a robot.

The SPPIRO robot, a soft origami in-pipe robot, shown inside a section of pipe.

design & soft robotics

An earthworm-inspired robot to inspect complex pipelines

June 9, 2026

An untethered robot can crawl along pipelines and maneuver around sharp turns and tight junctions to detect potential defects before they lead to costly failures.

A researcher wearing motorized knee exoskeletons on both legs ascends a flight of stairs.

rehabilitation robotics & wearables

Knee exoskeletons to relieve arthritis pain, preserve mobility

June 1, 2026

Extending a motorized brace approach to take the load off arthritic knees, a U-M research team shifts from boosting strength to reducing joint contact forces.

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