Purpose: This paper aims to provide details of recent research into robots capable of ascending vertical or near-vertical surfaces and to illustrate how the ability to climb is set to resolve a critical industrial need arising from the growth in renewable energy. Design/methodology/approach: ...

Purpose: This paper aims to provide details of recent developments in robots aimed at applications in the offshore oil and gas industries. Design/methodology/approach: Following a short introduction, this first discusses developments to remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe recent fruit picking robot developments with an emphasis on corporate activity rather than academic research. It also aims to provide a view on the commercial prospects for these developments. Design/methodology/approach: Following a short...

Purpose: This paper aims to illustrate the rapidly growing use of robots in the retail sector by considering a range of products and applications. Design/methodology/approach: Following a short introduction, this paper discusses robotic products and deployments in the following applications:...

Purpose: This paper aims to provide an insight into robot developments that use bioinspired design concepts. Design/methodology/approach: Following a short introduction to biomimetics, this paper first provides examples of bioinspired terrestrial, aerial and underwater robot navigation...