Image Credits:gizmodoAmazon has long embraced robotics in its warehouses, using a variety of machines from squat bots to tall crane-like models. It’s like a capitalist, e-commerce droid world—just with worse names. While robots handle most warehouse tasks, package delivery remains largely untouched by automation—for now.Amazon to Test Humanoid Robots for Last-Mile Deliveries in San...
Image Credits: PixabayBuilding advanced robotics projects at home is gradually getting simpler. This week, Hugging Face, an AI development platform, introduced SmolVLA, an open-source robotics model.According to the company, SmolVLA—trained on community-contributed datasets with compatible licenses—surpasses much larger robotics models in both simulated and real-world settings.In a blog post, Hugging Face states that...
Image Credits:Yuichiro Chino / Getty ImagesTeddy Warner, 19, has long been fascinated by robotics. Growing up in a family involved in the field, he spent his high school years working in a machinist shop. Today, he's launching his own robotics startup, Intempus, with the goal of making robots more human-like.Intempus is developing technology to...
The robots' bodies are made of molded and freeze-dried commercial fish feed, along with other biodegradable materialsAlain HerzogWhen deploying a robot into an aquatic environment without plans to retrieve it, ensuring the device is biodegradable is crucial. Swiss scientists have advanced this idea by developing tiny robots that fish can safely eat once the...
Image Credits:Kevin Frayer / Getty ImagesHumanoid robots still have a lot of ground to cover before they can match human runners. On Saturday, Beijing’s E-Town tech hub held what it called the world’s first half-marathon for humanoid robots, featuring 21 robotic participants running alongside thousands of human competitors.According to Bloomberg, the race’s top-performing robot,...
Credit: PixabayPicture an automated delivery vehicle racing to complete a grocery drop-off as you rush to meet friends for a long-anticipated dinner. You both reach a busy intersection simultaneously. Do you pause to let it navigate the turn, or do you expect it to yield, even if traffic rules suggest it should go first?Navigating...
At the intersection of robotics and social science, researchers explore how heterogeneity, influence, and uncertainty drive smarter collective decisions—whether in human groups, robot swarms, or biological collectives. Credit: SCIoIWhen groups make decisions—whether humans, robots, or animals—not all members contribute equally. Some have more reliable information, while others hold greater social influence. A new study...
Snapshots of realized sleepy mood expression on a child android robot. Credit: Hisashi IshiharaOsaka University researchers have developed a technology that enables androids to express moods like excitement or drowsiness through dynamic facial movements modeled as overlapping, decaying waves.While androids can mimic human expressions, their movements often feel artificial, creating discomfort. Traditional approaches rely...
The soft-bodied RoBoa can snake its way through collapsed buildings in search of survivorsRoBoa/ETH ZurichWhen disaster strikes, drones and robots can search for survivors in dangerous zones. The student team at ETH Zurich designed the RoBoa to slither through debris that would stop other robots.Developed at the Autonomous Systems Lab, RoBoa aids rescue teams...
MIT's Clio runs in real-time to map task-relevant objects in a robot's surroundings, allowing the bot (Boston Dynamic's quadruped robot Spot, pictured) carry out a natural language task ("pick up orange backpack"). Credit: Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPicture tidying up a cluttered kitchen, beginning with a counter scattered with sauce packets. If your aim is...
