Category
Papers, labs, breakthroughs, and academic robotics.
Academic robotics sets the agenda that commercial robotics follows several years later. Locomotion controllers, manipulation policies, and perception stacks that now ship in products were conference papers first, and the pipeline from lab to product is short enough that reading the research is genuinely predictive.
The field publishes primarily through conferences rather than journals — ICRA, IROS, CoRL, and RSS are where results land — which makes the calendar unusually bursty. Preprints typically appear well ahead of formal presentation.
Reproducibility deserves scepticism. Robotics results depend on specific hardware, calibration, and environments, and a policy that works in one lab often does not transfer to another. Released code, published failure cases, and independent replication carry more weight here than headline success rates.
Gemini Robotics 2 enables robots to reason through every movement, unlocking a broad range of tasks, DeepMind said. The post Google DeepMind says Gemini Robotics 2 enables full body control appeared first on The Robot Report.
Illustration of the versatile nanorobot. It is 150 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. (Illustration: Marina Bräm) By Angelika Jacobs Nanorobots sound like science fiction: tiny machines for medicine, the environment, or industry. In fact, nanorobotics has become a…
The US is banning the sale of robots made outside the country. That includes all the cool ones we've covered out of China, which can dance, provide companionship to seniors, fight fires, and carry loads over rocky terrain. Continue Reading Category: Robotics, Engineering Tags:…
This year, join us in October in Santa Clara to celebrate 20 years of robotics excellence at RoboBusiness 2026. The post Registration is open for RoboBusiness 2026 appeared first on The Robot Report.
ENvue Drive is designed to assist, not replace, the clinician, who retains full control of the procedure at all times. The post ENvue Medical develops robotic feeding tube placement system appeared first on The Robot Report.
Two Scythe co-founders are using their experience building commercial robots to create tools for robotics developers at Agency Tool Co. The post Agency Tool Company wants to make OTA software updates easier appeared first on The Robot Report.
The soft robotic model of the human heart, developed at UNSW. Credit: UNSW/Richard Freeman. UNSW researchers have developed a soft robotic model of the human heart that can mimic disease and provide a realistic environment for testing the next generation of cardiac devices.…
NORD Drivesystems said its NORDAC PRO VFDs are adaptable to individual application requirements across industries. The post NORD expands compact NORDAC VFD family to 200 hp appeared first on The Robot Report.
A miniature robot developed at the University of Basel could help prepare teeth for a crown. Photo: University of Basel, Catherine Weyer. By Angelika Jacobs A routine check-up at the dentist ends with bad news: tooth decay has left a large cavity, and the tooth needs a crown.…
Gritt is coming out of stealth with $34 million and plans to automate the hardest tasks on construction sites.
Evolution has already found solutions to lots of problems, so engineers more often borrow ideas from nature instead of reinventing the wheel. We’ve previously seen robots that can curl up like armadillos to protect themselves, and now researchers have developed yet another soft…
What sounds more terrifying than a part-cockroach, part-robot cyborg? Definitely one that can also breathe underwater. Yet, this is exactly what researchers have just created, except they are replacing “terrifying” with “useful.” Scientists from Nanyang Technological University…
Like many engineers, Sarah Downs says she knew she wanted to pursue a STEM career from a young age. As a teenager, she discovered robotics through her Tulsa, Okla., middle school’s First Lego League team, and she fell in love with the field, she says. Downs participated in the…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. Summer School on Multi-Robot…
Andrew James (from left), Neil Morrison, Natalia Kurz and Michael Neiss work on a prototype of their weed-killing robot ahead of The Farm Robotics Challenge, which they won on May 21. By Holly Hartigan A team of Cornell undergraduates beat 95 other teams to take the grand prize…
Image copyright: Raphael Zufferey. By Jennifer Chu Loons, gulls, puffins, and petrels are some of the 100 species of birds that can both fly and swim. These diving birds can plunge in water to swim after prey, and then leap back into the air to fly away. Now, inspired by these…
A robot that swims like a diving bird and then flies like, well, a bird, sounds like the setup for two different machines bolted together. But researchers at MIT and EPFL built one that does both with a single set of wings. No propellers, no legs, and no origami-style folding…
By moving their hands and fingers, users can direct a robot to play piano or shoot a basketball, or they can manipulate objects in a virtual environment.
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEY…
MIT researchers developed FloatForm, a swarm of small aquatic robots that snap together like ants forming a raft, assembling into reconfigurable structures on the water.
This year, RoboCup took place in Incheon, South Korea, from 2-6 July. The event saw teams take part in competitions, training sessions, and a symposium. Take a look at what the participants got up to in our round up from social media. The wait is over! 🤖🎉 RoboCup 2026…
Toshio Fukuda has been blazing trails for most of his career. He is considered to be one of the most prolific scholars in robotics, writing more than 2,000 research papers and authoring several books on the field. He’s an influential figure thanks to his pioneering work…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEY…
Weave Robotics announced its first robot for folding laundry just five months ago, and it already has a new product on offer. Like its predecessor, the new Isaac 1 robot also folds clothes. But unlike the old model, this one can tidy up your living room and make the bed on…
From the 1st-5th June, the robots descended on Vienna. The 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA) brought together the top minds in robotics for one short week to showcase the latest technologies, form new collaborations, and exchange ideas. Held at…
Three MIT teams took five top awards in the 2026 NASA RASC-AL Competition for designing critical elements for the moon base and future missions to Mars.
Agriculture is one of the industries that is getting increasingly affected by robotics, which totally makes sense, as farmers around the world face human labor shortages and also rising labor costs. For some crops, labor accounts for almost 50% of production expenses. Continue…
This year, RoboCup will be held in Incheon, South Korea, from 2-6 July. The event will see teams take part in competitions, training sessions, and a symposium. It’s an exciting time for RoboCup, as there have been some updates to the leagues and competition format. Most…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEY…
Researchers combined an efficient algorithm with dedicated hardware to rapidly generate 3D maps for navigation using minimal memory and power.
The sandfish lizard moves very efficiently through the sands of the Sahara desert, and not surprisingly, it doesn't use wheels to do so. Scientists have now copied the reptile's swimming motion in an experimental Mars rover that outperforms others in sandy soil. Continue Reading…
Shinkei makes a refrigerator-sized robot called Poseidon to kill fish quickly and humanely.
One of only four teams remaining from more than 130 competitors worldwide, our team AURA Foresight is developing autonomous technology to stop wildfires before they grow out of control. AURA Foresight has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious XPRIZE Wildfire Autonomous…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEY…
Claire chatted to Allison Okamura from Stanford University about developing advanced robotic systems for haptic (touch) interaction. Allison Okamura is the Richard W. Weiland Professor of Engineering at Stanford University. Her academic interests include haptics, teleoperation,…
By rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles, the open-source “MIGHTY” system could streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery.
Scientists have found that staple-shaped particles can tangle together to create a material that is both strong and flexible. Unlike conventional materials, these particles can be locked into a sturdy structure or rapidly unraveled using vibrations. The unusual behavior could…
By Syl Kacapyr Cornell engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows, reshapes and adapts to its environment without centralized control. The system, called the Cross-Link Collective, consists of dozens of…
Robots exploring the ocean floor today use pre-programmed movements, centralized processors, and rigid structures to do their work. But the sea is unpredictable, and that architecture struggles wherever currents shift, visibility drops, or terrain changes without warning. Now,…
This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore. As robots advance in terms of dexterity and other physical capabilities, it becomes more likely that humans may find themselves working alongside them. If that happens, how will…
Soft robots have a “cardiovascular” problem. While their bodies can deform and bend, their hearts, the pumps that keep them moving, have remained bulky and rigid. Researchers at the University of Bristol have created a “soft” miniature pump that weighs about as much as a single…
Yen-Ling Kuo always wanted to understand how things worked. When she was growing up in Taiwan, reading the story of Michael Faraday in elementary school piqued her curiosity about the natural world. During that time, she was introduced to Logo, a computer program with a turtle…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEY…
The fellowships in applied sciences, engineering, and mathematics recognize doctoral students who are pursuing solutions to the most pressing challenges in science and technology.
Scientists have developed an artificial photosynthesis system that essentially regulates itself, eliminating the need for batteries used in many current designs. The key innovation is an electrolyzer that automatically adapts to changing sunlight by altering its electrical…
Scientists discovered that rice behaves in a highly unusual way: it weakens under rapid compression but stays stronger when pressure is applied slowly. Using this effect, they engineered a new material that reacts differently to gentle movements and sudden impacts. The material…
The “Sonar-MASt3R” combines sonar and visual data to create real-time 3D maps, even in cloudy water.
Most of nature – including humans – is symmetrical, and as creations reflect their creators, many robots we create today feature this symmetry, with the general assumption that symmetry is best. Researchers at Duke University have challenged that assumption with Argus, a…
Nature has long served as a source of inspiration for scientific innovations. Many animals have evolved defensive features such as skins, shells, and scales to protect themselves from predators. Because protective mechanisms are essential in both biological organisms and…
This article is brought to you by AGILINK. Throughout the exhibition hall at the 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics (ICRA), in Vienna, one demonstration seemed to attract a disproportionate amount of attention. Two robotic hands were making a balloon dog. Slowly and…
Thirteen years ago last August, I was camped out in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory press room in Pasadena, Calif., waiting to see whether the Curiosity rover would survive its descent and skycrane-assisted landing on the surface of Mars. It did, and it was awesome. Since then,…
The AAMAS 2026 best paper awards were presented at the 25th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, which took place from 25-29 May 2025 in Paphos, Cyprus. The winners and nominees in the three categories (best paper, best student paper, best blue…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RSS 2026: 13–17 July 2026, SYDNEY…
Deborah Lupton / Pop Chips / Licenced by CC-BY 4.0. Henrik I Christensen, Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at University of California San Diego, has recently released a global robotics technology roadmap. This position paper focuses on Asia, Europe, and America and…
A new MIT student club for FIRST Robotics alumni aims to promote hands-on STEM education enrichment for K-12 students.
Image credit: HIMS / Nature Synthesis. In a paper published in Nature Synthesis, researchers led by Professor Timothy Noël of the University of Amsterdam’s Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences present an advance in autonomous laboratory systems for synthesis…
A new room-temperature quantum device uses twisted light to entangle photons and electrons, overcoming one of the biggest hurdles in quantum technology. The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, cheaper quantum systems with applications ranging from secure communications…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNA…
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For more than a century, pianists and music teachers have argued over whether a performer’s touch can actually change the tone color of a piano note — and now scientists say the answer is yes. Using a cutting-edge sensor system that tracked piano key movements at 1,000 frames…
New MIT work advances the growing field of ionotronics, in which data are transferred through ions, potentially providing a bridge between electronics and biological tissue.
Cornell researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch. Credit: Anand Mishra. By David Nutt When assessing the ripeness of fruit, sight and smell can tell you a lot, but the best indicator is…
Scientists in Germany have demonstrated a startling new form of surveillance: identifying people using nothing more than ordinary WiFi signals. By analyzing how radio waves bounce around a room, researchers can effectively “see” and recognize individuals — even if they are not…
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNA…
When a group of academics started making open-source robotics hardware, a generation of roboticists got years of their lives back. Now, the bigger challenge is getting robots to think—and that’s starting to be open sourced too. The shift is still early, but companies including…
The recently launched Robotics Café is a weekly online seminar series to bring together researchers, students and industry practitioners working in the field of autonomous robotics. One of the key aims of the initiative is to provide a dedicated platform for students to present…
The day is coming when you may walk past a robot and have no idea it was a robot. Over years of engineering, we've given robots skeletons, brains, senses, and even a nervous system. Muscles have proven particularly complex (not that the other things were easy). Continue Reading…
Electronic waste is moving up on regulatory agendas in 2026. New European waste-shipment rules, expanded recycling fees on products with non-removable batteries in California, and an e-waste import ban in Malaysia, for example, are all increasing pressure to recover more value…
It’s fairly easy for people to learn from other people – we’ve been doing it for around 300,000 years – because we can observe, copy, and modify what they’re doing. It’s less easy for us to learn from other animals that way, because the less our cognition and bodies are alike,…
Unitree has just gone and made many a kid-at-heart's wildest dream come true. The Chinese robotics firm has created the GD01, a functional mecha suit that you can hop into and walk about on two legs or four. Continue Reading Category: Robotics, Engineering Tags: Unitree, Future…
The prestigious fellowship funds graduate studies at Stanford University.
Scientists studying mysterious ultra-powerful cosmic rays have uncovered a surprising hidden pattern that could finally help explain where these particles come from. Using the DAMPE space telescope, researchers found that cosmic ray particles—from tiny protons to heavy iron…
By C Huygelen Leiden researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have created microscopic robots that move without sensors, software, or external control. Instead, their behaviour emerges entirely from their shape and the way they interact with their environment. This…
By David Nutt The way bugs and birds flap their wings may look effortless, but the dynamics that keep them aloft are dizzyingly complex and difficult to quantify. Cornell researchers created a computational model that shows the effect of insects’ morphology on stabilizing their…
New research suggests constructing a simple building from interlocking subunits should be mechanically feasible and have a much smaller carbon footprint.
An old patent from MIT Professor Bill Freeman inspired the new “Y-zipper,” a three-sided fastener that snaps gear, robots, and art into shape at the push of a button.
