HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL—The University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering recently unveiled a cutting-edge laboratory donated by the Omron Foundation, the charitable arm of automation technology provider Omron in the United States.

HANNOVER, Germany—Engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) have developed a way for people and robots to work together in an intuitive way that feels like human teamwork.

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a robot that uses touch and vision technology to play Jenga, a popular game that requires agility.

VDMA Robotics and Automation, the German machine tool builders association, recently unveiled new specifications that will enable manufacturers to implement state-of-the-art assembly lines.

Engineers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have developed a faster, more accurate way for robots to grasp objects in cluttered and changing environments.

PITTSBURGH—Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, a research consortium, has selected four projects to develop next-generation automation. The four R&D projects will focus on robotic composites manufacturing, automotive assembly line robots, robotic sanding and finishing, and robotic wire harness assembly.

In the popular children's book, "The Little Engine That Could," the main character chants "I think I can, I think I can." Engineers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute are trying to use a similar approach to give robots the ability of self-assessment.

NEW YORK--Industrial robots could help counter aging demographics in German and Japanese factories.