Design of a household robot with autonomous navigation for object detection and sorting

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Design of a household robot with autonomous navigation for object detection and sorting.

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Credit: Bingjie Xu/Suzhou Industrial Park Institute of Vocational Technology, Qinglei Bu/Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Researchers have designed an intelligent household robot capable of autonomous navigation, object detection, and sorting. This robot, equipped with advanced technologies like depth cameras, YOLOv11 object recognition, and a flexible gripper, can perform various tasks, including retrieving objects and interactive entertainment. The study, published in Robot Learning, highlights the robot’s ability to navigate indoor spaces, recognize objects with high accuracy, and grasp items of different sizes and weights. This innovation could transform household robots into more efficient and interactive family assistants.

In the quest to make household robots more efficient and interactive, a team of researchers from Suzhou Industrial Park Institute of Vocational Technology and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has developed an intelligent robot that can autonomously navigate, detect, and sort objects. This breakthrough, published in the journal Robot Learning, brings us closer to having robots that can perform a variety of household tasks with ease.

"This robot is designed to be a comprehensive family assistant, capable of performing tasks that make daily life more convenient and enjoyable,"says Bingjie Xu, one of researchers on the project. "From picking up toys to fetching items, it can handle a wide range of objects with precision and care."

The robot integrates a movable chassis, robotic arm, lifting platform, and flexible gripper, allowing it to grasp objects of varying sizes and types. The key to its functionality is the YOLOv11 object recognition system, which, combined with a depth camera, enables the robot to detect target objects with high accuracy. The YOLOv11 algorithm significantly enhances the robot's ability to recognize and locate objects in real-time, this makes it highly effective for tasks like cleaning up or fetching items.

One of the most significant features of this robot is its autonomous navigation capability. Using 2D LiDAR and the Navigation2 framework in ROS2, the robot can generate a 2D radar map of its environment and navigate indoor spaces without human intervention. "The robot can move seamlessly through rooms, avoid obstacles, and reach designated locations on its own," says Yangzesheng Lu. "This feature is crucial for tasks like picking up toys scattered around the house or fetching items from different rooms."

The robot’s ability to interact with humans is another highlight. It uses a speech recognition system to understand and respond to voice commands, making it easier for family members to communicate with it. The speech recognition system allows the robot to understand and execute commands from family members. This makes it a more engaging and useful assistant.

In a series of experiments, the robot demonstrated its ability to grasp objects of different sizes and weights, including an orange, a bowl, a bottle, a bear, a book, an umbrella, a handbag, and a potted plant. The robot's flexible gripper and advanced vision system ensure that it can handle objects with precision and care, makes it highly adaptable to different household scenarios.

The researchers believe that this robot could be a game-changer in the field of household robotics. "We are excited about the potential applications of this robot in everyday life,"  says Dr. Bu. "Future work will focus on enhancing the robot's object detection accuracy and integrating large language models to improve its semantic understanding capabilities."  These advancements will further bridge the gap between humans and robots, fostering more seamless and intuitive interactions. "This robot represents a significant step towards creating more efficient and interactive family assistants,"says Dr. Sun. "We hope it will enhance daily life in modern households."  

This paper, titled “Design of a household robot with autonomous navigation for object detection and sorting,” was published in Robot Learning. Xu B, Lu Y, Wang J, Bu Q, Leach M, et al. Design of a household robot with autonomous navigation for object detection and sorting. Robot Learn. 2025(1):0005, https://doi.org/10.55092/rl20250005.

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Journal

Robot Learning

DOI

10.55092/rl20250005 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Article Title

Design of a household robot with autonomous navigation for object detection and sorting

Article Publication Date

31-Jul-2025

WHY D.E.I.?!

Hearing loss lowers prospects of employment and higher income for young Americans

Young people with hearing loss, especially people of color, have less educational attainment, are less likely to work, and earn less than fully hearing peers, shows US study

Frontiers

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Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory disability. Approximately 1.6 billion people around the world currently live with from some degree of hearing loss, and the WHO has forecast that this number will rise to 2.5 billion by 2050. People with hearing loss tend to experience more stress and anxiety at school or work, and as a result take more days off sick. The annual global cost of unaddressed hearing loss may run to $1 trillion.

Now, a long-term observational study has found that young adults with hearing difficulties in the US have less educational attainment, are less likely to be employed, and tend to earn less, compared to their peers with excellent to fair hearing. These results are published in Frontiers in Otology.

“We found that these detrimental effects are especially pronounced among Black and Hispanic individuals, who face additional barriers to employment and income. Our findings highlight how hearing health can shape early career outcomes and long-term financial stability,” said Dr Molly Jacobs, an associate professor at the University of Florida Gainesville, and the study’s first author.

Lending an ear to adolescents

The researchers mined the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (ADD Health) dataset, a longitudinal study following a representative cohort of young Americans, who were enrolled in grades K7 through K12 at any of 26,666 high schools across the US in the 1994-1995 year. Jacobs et al. analyzed responses to the fourth and fifth ‘wave’ of interviews within ADD Health, when 15,701 participants were between 24 and 32 years old, and when 11,955 participants were between 33 and 43 years old, respectively.

Among other questions, participants were asked to rate the quality of their hearing without hearing aids, and whether they had been bothered by ringing, roaring, or buzzing in their ears or head (so-called tinnitus) over the past year.

The researchers focused on the impact of having ‘poor’ hearing or worse, and of currently suffering from tinnitus, on a participant’s chances of being employed. They also looked at the impact on income. Their various statistical models compensated for a suite of likely confounders such as race or ethnicity, education level, or general health on both outcomes.

In wave IV, 0.8% of participants reporting suffering only from hearing loss only, 5.8% only from tinnitus, and 0.5% from both conditions. In wave V, these percentages were 1.4%, 8.8%, and 1.4%, respectively. The results also showed that educational attainment was lower for people with hearing loss and/or tinnitus, and that a lower percentage of people with these conditions reported having overall good health. As has been shown in earlier studies, Black and Hispanic people were less likely to report having hearing problems than their White counterparts.

Strong impact of hearing loss

Compared to their fully hearing people, participants with hearing loss had overall 12% lower odds of being in paid employment. But the negative impact of hearing loss was especially strong for Black and Hispanic participants, who had respectively 98% and 99% lower odds of being in paid employment than their hearing peers. Participants with either hearing loss only, or both hearing loss and tinnitus, had a significantly lower probability (33% and 19%, receptively) of being in a higher income category than their peers.

Surprisingly, having tinnitus was not found to have an impact on educational attainment, the probability of being in paid employment, and income.

The researchers concluded that hearing loss is associated with lower chances of employment and employment advancement in the US, particularly among young Black and Hispanic individuals.

A possible mechanism for these effects immediately came to mind for the researchers.

"Hearing problems may make it harder for people to communicate effectively at work, which can limit job opportunities and career growth,” said Dr Charles Ellis Jr, a professor and department chair at the same university, and the corresponding author.

“These challenges can lead to lower wages, fewer promotions, and even unemployment, especially in jobs that rely heavily on listening and speaking. Over time, this can widen income gaps and reduce financial security."

But what can be done to negate the negative impact of hearing loss? Modern hearing aids are much smaller and more powerful than in the past, although these are not affordable for everyone.

"To reduce the impact of hearing loss on employment, we need better access to hearing care, early screening, and workplace support like assistive technologies or flexible communication options,” said Jacobs.

“Encouraging open conversations about hearing health and reducing stigma can also stimulate individuals to seek the help they need. This can improve job prospects and help close income gaps for those affected."

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DOI

10.3389/fauot.2025.1595281 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus: Association with Employment and Income among Young Adults

Article Publication Date

1-Aug-2025

 

The human touch of doctors & NURSES

will still be needed in the AI healthcare revolution, technology expert suggests

Taylor & Francis Group

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AI-based medicine will revolutionise care including for Alzheimer’s and diabetes, predicts a technology expert, but it must be accessible to all patients.

Healing with Artificial Intelligence, written by technology expert Daniele Caligiore, uses the latest science research to highlight key innovations assisted by AI such as diagnostic imaging and surgical robots.

From exoskeletons that help spinal injury patients walk to algorithms that can predict the onset of dementia years in advance, Caligiore explores what he describes as a ‘revolution’ that will change healthcare forever.

Economically, the market for AI in healthcare is experiencing rapid growth, with forecasts predicting an increase in value from around USD 11 billion in 2021 to nearly USD 188 billion by 2030, reflecting an annual growth rate of 37%. AI is already being used in some countries, for example to search through genetic data for disease markers, or to assist with scheduling and other administrative tasks – and this trend is set to continue.

However, the author caveats his predictions of progress by warning these technologies may widen existing inequality. Caligiore suggests that AI-based medicine must be available to all people, regardless of where they live or how much they earn, and that people from low-income nations must not be excluded from cutting-edge care which wealthier nations can access.

Other challenges posed by the advancement of AI in healthcare includes who takes responsibility for treatment decisions, especially when a procedure goes wrong. This is a particular challenge given widespread concerns around explainable AI, as many advanced AI systems operate as black boxes, making decisions through complex processes that even their creators cannot fully understand or explain.

Caligiore says AI should support doctors and patients, not replace doctors who, says the author, have a ‘unique ability to offer empathy, understanding, and emotional support’.

“AI should be viewed as a tool, not a colleague, and it should always be seen as a support, never a replacement,” writes Caligiore.

“It is important to find the right balance in using AI tools, both for doctors and patients. Patients can use AI to learn more about their health, such as what diseases may be associated with their symptoms or what lifestyle changes may help prevent illness. However, this does not mean AI should replace doctors.”

Despite his warnings, Caligiore is largely optimistic about the impact of AI in healthcare: “Like a microscope detecting damaged cells or a map highlighting brain activity during specific tasks, AI can uncover valuable insights that might go unnoticed, aiding in more accurate and personalized diagnoses and treatments,” he says.

In any case, Caligiore predicts the healthcare landscape will look ‘dramatically different’ in a few years, with technology acting as a ‘magnifying glass for medicine’ to enable doctors to observe the human body with greater precision and detail.

Examples of where AI will make profound impacts in healthcare include, regenerative medicine, where gene and stem cell therapies repair damaged cells and organs. Spinal cord injury patients are among those who could benefit.

AI may also provide personalised therapies, suggesting treatments tailored to specific individuals often based on their unique genetic profile. Studies are being conducted into targeting different tremor types in Parkinson’s and breast cancer subtypes

The convergence of regenerative medicine, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and AI is the next frontier in medicine, Caligiore suggests. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), living organisms whose genetic material has been altered through genetic engineering techniques, have already paved the way for personalised gene therapies.

Blending real and virtual worlds may also prove useful to healthcare, for example the ‘metaverse’ – group therapy where patients participate with an avatar, or ‘digital twins’ – AI simulations of a patient’s body and brain on a computer so doctors can identify underlying causes of disease and simulate the effects of various therapies for specific patients to help doctors make more informed decisions.

These advances and others will reshape the doctor-patient relationship, according to Healing with Artificial Intelligence, but the author suggests the key is for patients and clinicians to keep a critical mindset about AI.

Caligiore warns that role of physicians will evolve as AI becomes more integrated into healthcare but the need for human interactions will remain ‘central to patient care’.

"While healthcare professionals must develop technical skills to use AI tools, they should also nurture and enhance qualities that AI cannot replicate – such as soft skills and emotional intelligence. These human traits are essential for introducing an emotional component into work environments,” he explains.

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DOI

10.1201/9781003606130 

 

Study identifies global upswing in photosynthesis driven by land, offset by oceans

Duke University

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The image above illustrates the annual trend in global net primary production (NPP) — or net carbon gain by photosynthetic organisms on Earth — from 2003 to 2021. Image courtesy of Yulong Zhang, et al, 2025

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Credit: Image courtesy of Yulong Zhang, et al, 2025

Terrestrial plants drove an increase in global photosynthesis between 2003 and 2021, a trend partially offset by a weak decline in photosynthesis — the process of using sunlight to make food — among marine algae, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change on Aug. 1. The findings could inform planetary health assessments, enhance ecosystem management, and guide climate change projections and mitigation strategies.

Photosynthetic organisms — also known as primary producers — form the base of the food chain, making most life on Earth possible. Using energy from the sun, primary producers fix, or convert, carbon from the air into organic, or carbon-based, matter. But primary producers also release carbon through a process called autotrophic respiration, which is somewhat akin to breathing. The rate of carbon gain after accounting for loss through respiration is called net primary production.

“Net primary production measures the amount of energy photosynthetic organisms capture and make available to support nearly all other life in an ecosystem,” said first author Yulong Zhang, a research scientist in the lab of Wenhong Li at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. “As the foundation of food webs, net primary production determines ecosystem health, provides food and fibers for humans, mitigates anthropogenic carbon emissions and helps to stabilize Earth’s climate.”

Previous research on net primary production has typically focused on either land or ocean ecosystems, leaving gaps in our understanding of net primary production across Earth and the potential implications for climate mitigation.

For this study, the team explored annual trends and variability in global net primary production, with a focus on the interplay between land and ocean ecosystems.

“If you’re looking at planetary health, you want to look at both terrestrial and marine domains for an integrated view of net primary production. The pioneering studies that first combined terrestrial and marine primary production have not been substantially updated in over two decades,” said co-author Nicolas Cassar, Lee Hill Snowdon Bass Chair at the Nicholas School who jointly oversaw the research with Zhang.

Satellite Insights

Observations from satellites offer continuous perspective on photosynthesis by plants and marine algae called phytoplankton. Specifically, specialized satellite instruments measure surface greenness, which represents the abundance of a green pigment called chlorophyll produced by photosynthetic life. Computer models then estimate net primary production by combining greenness data with other environmental data, such as temperature, light and nutrient variability.

The authors of the new study used six different satellite-based datasets on net primary production — three for land and three for oceans — for the years from 2003 to 2021. Using statistical methods, they analyzed annual changes in net primary production for land and, separately, for the ocean.

They found a significant increase in terrestrial net primary production, at a rate of 0.2 billion metric tons of carbon per year between 2003 and 2021. The trend was widespread from temperate to boreal, or high-latitude, areas, with a notable exception in the tropics of South America.

By contrast, the team identified an overall decline in marine net primary production, of about 0.1 billion metric tons of carbon per year for the same time period. Strong declines mainly occurred in tropical and subtropical oceans, particularly in the Pacific Ocean.

All told, trends on land dominated those of oceans: Global net primary production increased significantly between 2003 and 2021, at a rate of 0.1 billion metric tons of carbon per year.

Environmental Drivers

To understand the potential environmental factors at play, the team analyzed variables such as light availability, air and sea-surface temperature, precipitation and mixed layer depth — a measure that reflects the extent of mixing in the ocean’s top layer by wind, waves and surface currents.

“The shift toward greater primary production on land mainly stemmed from plants in higher latitudes, where warming has extended growing seasons and created more favorable temperatures, and in temperate regions that experienced local wetting in some areas, forest expansion and cropland intensification,” said Wenhong Li, a professor of earth and climate sciences at the Nicholas School and a co-author on the study.

Warming temperatures appeared to have an opposite effect in some ocean areas.

“Rising sea surface temperatures likely reduced primary production by phytoplankton in tropical and subtropical regions,” Cassar added. “Warmer waters can layer atop cooler waters and interfere with the mixing of nutrients essential to algal survival.”

Although land drove the overall increase in global primary production, the ocean primarily influenced year-to-year variability, especially during strong climate events such as El Niño and La Niña, the authors found.

“We observed that ocean primary production responds much more strongly to El Niño and La Niña than land primary production,” said co-author Shineng Hu, an assistant professor of climate dynamics at the Nicholas School. “A series of La Niña events was partly responsible for a trend reversal in ocean primary production that we identified after 2015. This finding highlights the ocean’s greater sensitivity to future climate variability.”

Broad Implications

The study points to the important role of terrestrial ecosystems in offsetting declines in net primary production among marine phytoplankton, according to the authors.

But they added that declines in net primary production in tropical and subtropical oceans, coupled with stagnation on land in the tropics, can weaken the foundation of tropical food webs, with cascading effects on biodiversity, fisheries and local economies. Over time, these disruptions could also compromise the ability of tropical regions to function as effective carbon sinks, potentially intensifying the impacts of climate warming.

“Whether the decline in ocean primary production will continue — and how long and to what extent increases on land can make up for those losses — remains a key unanswered question with major implications for gauging the health of all living things, and for guiding climate change mitigation,” Zhang said. “Long-term, coordinated monitoring of both land and ocean ecosystems as integrated components of Earth is essential.”

# # #

Funding: Y.Z., W.L., and G.S. were partially supported by the Duke University-USDA Forest Service collaboration (23-JV-11330180-119). N.C. was supported by the National Science Foundation (OCE-2123198). J.M. was supported by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. J.X. is supported by the National Science Foundation (Macrosystem Biology) and NEON-Enabled Science Program (DEB-2017870).

Citation: “Contrasting biological production trends over land and ocean,” Zhang Y., Li W., Sun G., Mao J., Dannenberg M., Xiao J., Li Z., Zhao H., Zhang Q., Hu S., Song C. and Cassar N. Nature Climate Change, Aug. 1, 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02375-1.

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Journal

Nature Climate Change

DOI

10.1038/s41558-025-02375-1 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Article Title

Contrasting biological production trends over land and ocean

Article Publication Date

1-Aug-2025

 

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in malnourished children under five years old

University of Oxford

A new study led by researchers at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) has found that antimicrobial resistant bacteria is spreading rapidly among children being treated for severe malnutrition in a hospital facility in Niger. The findings have been published today (1 August) in Nature Communications

Globally 45 million children under the age of five are estimated to be severely malnourished. These children are also at a higher risk of developing life-threatening infections such as tuberculosis or sepsis due to their weakened immune systems.

Working with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), researchers analysed over 3,000 rectal swabs from 1,371 children under the age of five being treated for severe malnutrition between 2016 and 2017.

Their findings showed that:

1. Over three-quarters (76%) of children carried bacteria with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes, which can break down many commonly-used antibiotics.
2. One in four children (25%) carried bacteria with carbapenemase genes like blaNDM, which confer resistance to some of the most powerful and last line antibiotics.
3. More than two-thirds (69%) of children who did not carry carbapenem-resistant bacteria upon admission were found to carry them at discharge. Carbapenems are a class of last-resort antibiotics used when other antibiotics have failed to treat an infection.
4. 11% of children were carrying E. coli ST167 strains with the blaNDM gene, which is of major concern because it limits treatment options for infections caused by these bacteria.

Antibiotics are life-saving medicines that are becoming ineffective due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)- a process in which bacteria, fungi and parasites have developed the ability to resist the action of medicines.

If antibiotic-resistant bacteria remain in the gut, these children could be at risk of developing infections such as pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhoea and urinary tract infections in the future that do not respond to antibiotic treatment.

Dr Kirsty Sands, Scientific Lead, Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research and lead author said: “These are some of the most vulnerable children in the world, and we’re seeing them pick up bacteria that don’t respond to life-saving antibiotics.

“While our study was focused in one treatment facility in Niger, this situation is likely mirrored in many more hospitals around the world. As AMR continues to increase globally, concurrent humanitarian crises such as wars and climate change are exacerbating malnutrition, leading to overcrowded treatment centres.”

Dr Céline Langendorf, Lab Coordinator, Epicentre, MSF and co-author of the study, said: “Our latest findings highlight the urgent need to prioritise infection prevention and control measures in hospitals to protect the most vulnerable patients. In crowded hospitals with limited resources, these bacteria can spread easily from child to child. Without urgent action, more children could die from infections that used to be easy to treat.”

Professor Owen B. Spiller, Head of Medical Microbiology at Cardiff University and co-author of the study, said: “This research provides stark evidence that humanitarian crises amplify the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance. Without coordinated international action, combining antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance, and improved hygiene infrastructure, resistant bacteria will continue to spread unchecked. We urgently need global investment to safeguard antibiotics for children facing severe malnutrition in resource-limited settings.”

Researchers used genome sequencing to track the spread of these resistant bacteria. Most E. coli carrying blaNDM-5 were genetically very similar, suggesting likely transmission within the hospital setting. The resistance genes were carried on plasmids—mobile pieces of DNA that can jump between bacteria—making spread between species even more likely.

Notes to editor

For media enquiries and interview requests, contact Caroline Wood, University of Oxford: caroline.wood@admin.ox.ac.uk

The paper ‘Acquisition of Escherichia coli carrying extended-spectrum ß-lactamase and carbapenemase genes by hospitalised children with severe acute malnutrition in Niger’ will be published in Nature Communications at 5 AM ET / 10 AM BST Friday 1 August at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61718-w To view a copy of the paper before this under embargo, contact Caroline Wood, University of Oxford: caroline.wood@admin.ox.ac.uk

About the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research

The Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) is a world-leading centre of research, training and education based at the University of Oxford. The IOI is developing solutions to fight antimicrobial resistance by developing new drugs for human use and designing alternative antibiotics to use in agriculture and animal feed exclusively.

 About the University of Oxford

Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the ninth year running, and ​number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.

Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.

Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past five years. The university is a catalyst for prosperity in Oxfordshire and the United Kingdom, contributing around £16.9 billion to the UK economy in 2021/22, and supports more than 90,400 full time jobs.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-61718-w 

Article Title

Acquisition of Escherichia coli carrying extended-spectrum ß-lactamase and carbapenemase genes by hospitalised children with severe acute malnutrition in Niger

Article Publication Date

1-Aug-2025