This ‘Ultrasonic gripper’ lets robots move things without touching them

When we think about robots working in factories and assembly lines, we often imagine large robotic arms moving heavy components around. But there’s also automation for small fragile materials as well, requiring the lightest touch to move. No problem: Robots may soon be able to move small objects without touching them at all. Marcel Schuck, a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), is developing a method for robots to carry small objects without touc