Robotics
Having already revolutionized the production line, robots promise to transform our lives in myriad ways. Here you'll find the news and opinion on the latest advances in robotics and where they are taking us.
Latest News
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Kinder, gentler robotic arm channels its inner elephant and octopus
October 26, 2023In order to function safely alongside human workers, robotic arms shouldn't be hard and unyielding. An experimental new arm was designed with that fact in mind, as it mimics soft n' squishy elephant trunks and octopus tentacles. -
Transforming Archax mecha robot could be yours to pilot – for a price
October 20, 2023Japan's giant human-piloted, humanoid Gundam-style robots are neat and everything, but … why walk if you can roll on four wheels? That's what the Archax does, transforming between robot and vehicle configurations. -
Figure's humanoid is already walking and performing autonomous tasks
October 17, 2023After a year of development, Figure has released video footage of its humanoid robot walking – and it's looking pretty sprightly compared to its commercial competition. It's our first look at a prototype that should be doing useful work within months. -
Bricklaying robots can now build tennis-court-sized walls in 4 hours
October 16, 2023The extraordinary Hadrian X bricklaying robot rocks up to a building site looking like a regular truck, then extends a 32-m (105-ft) boom arm and starts precisely laying up to 300 large masonry blocks an hour. It's pretty remarkable to watch. -
Disney's super-cute new bipedal robot demonstrates the power of style
October 08, 2023Most robots walk like they've soiled themselves; this one walks with a crazy amount of personality. Disney is getting very good at combining the art of character animation with the science of bipedal robotics, and the results are ... adorable. -
GelSight Svelte tech gives robotic fingers a full-length sense of touch
October 05, 2023While there are a number of optical systems that provide robotic hands with a sense of touch, most of those systems are flat, so they're confined to the fingertips. A new MIT system, however, works along the entire length of each finger. -
Your next breast exam could be performed by a robot
October 04, 2023Researchers have developed a prototype robot that is able to perform a breast examination and sense lumps that may indicate cancer. While still in the early stages, they say their robot could improve the likelihood of catching breast cancer early. -
AI-based algorithm uses "compressed evolution" to create functional robots
October 04, 2023Evolution is a very slow process, due largely to the fact that nature doesn't "know" in advance which features of an animal will be beneficial. A new AI-based algorithm does know, however, allowing it to design robots within a matter of seconds. -
Versatile Tetraflex robot changes shape to move in different manners
October 03, 2023If a robot is trying to traverse rugged, irregular terrain, it's limited by having just one body shape. The Tetraflex robot was designed with this fact in mind, as it can change shape to adopt different modes of locomotion. -
Tiny energy-harvesting MilliMobile robot has no need for batteries
September 28, 2023There are numerous situations in which a robot doesn't need to move quickly, but it does need to cover long distances without having to recharge its batteries. The minuscule energy-harvesting MilliMobile robot was designed for just such scenarios. -
Figure's Brett Adcock on the practicalities of humanoid robot workers
September 27, 2023A year and a bit into Figure's push toward humanoid robot laborers, founder Brett Adcock talks to us about how they'll enter the workforce, how they're being trained, how language model AIs will be used, and why now's the right time. -
Fourier and Tesla show off impressive humanoid robot progress
September 26, 2023As Tesla's Optimus robot shows off new capabilities in pick 'n' place sorting and one-legged yoga balancing, Singaporean company Fourier Intelligence has released new video showing the production process for its super-strong GR-1 humanoid. -
Getting philosophical with future robot overlord Brett Adcock
September 26, 2023Humanoid robot laborers will soon hit the workforce, powered by AI and designed eventually to take over any task a human worker can do. Figure's Brett Adcock is one of the people driving this seismic shift, so we asked him what the future holds. -
Toyota upends robot learning: New AI masters complex tasks in hours
September 19, 2023"We've had a bit of a breakthrough." Toyota, MIT and Columbia Engineering have shown off wild results from a new AI learning approach that massively accelerates how quickly robots can acquire new skills. It looks like a ChatGPT moment for robotics. -
"World's first humanoid robot factory" will ship Digits in 2024
September 19, 2023Agility Robotics is well into construction of a 70,000-sq-ft facility in Salem, Oregon, with the capacity to produce more than 10,000 units per year of the company's Digit humanoid robot – which will work alongside humans on the factory floor.
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