Today's Robotics Pulse
Ukraine’s mid‑range strike drones reshape battlefield dynamics
Ukraine’s new mid‑range strike drones can operate up to 100 miles behind enemy lines and carry payloads of up to 440 pounds, targeting logistics convoys, fuel depots and command posts. Since February, strikes beyond 12 miles have quadrupled, and the defence ministry now rewards successful units with cash e‑points.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Shifters raises $10.2M seed round
ABB Automation Extended
ABB announced its Automation Extended program, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems that lets customers modernize without interrupting operations. The initiative builds on the long‑standing ABB Ability System 800xA platform, now released as version 7.0 with a separation‑of‑concerns architecture separating core control from a digital analytics layer. New Extension Packs deliver modular software updates, while broader OS, virtualization, and cybersecurity support future‑proofs installations. The approach promises a low‑risk, incremental path to AI, IoT, and advanced analytics integration.
Driving STEM Innovation Through Robotics
#STEM #STEAM #ROBOT #Robotics #Engineering #Professor https://lnkd.in/gpS6XHpa
Mitsubishi Electric Follows Digital-First Strategy for Advanced Air Mobility
Mitsubishi Electric United States is rolling out a digital‑first strategy that blends SaaS platforms, data‑driven tools, and AI to bridge physical and digital operations. Its flagship AnyMile logistics software orchestrates cargo‑drone missions, handling fleet, airspace, payload, and regulatory complexities. The...
Language‑Based Policies Enable Zero‑Shot Cross‑Robot Skills
Same task, same scene. Different robot. Everything breaks… LAP trains the model to express motion in plain language, for example “move forward 3 cm” or “tilt 15 degrees” instead of predicting joint torques or tokens. Because language carries structure and...
Artimus Robotics Is Launching Next-Generation Artificial Muscles and Seeking Partners to Evaluate the Technology in Markets Requiring Dexterous Robotic Manipulation.
Artimus Robotics unveiled its next‑generation HASEL artificial muscles, delivering more than twice the mechanical output of the prior version. The new actuators are fully encapsulated, improving safety and simplifying integration into robotic systems. Artimus is actively recruiting partners to test...
Video Wednesday
On November 20, 2020, Verb and Johnson & Johnson unveiled OTTAVA, a six‑armed robotic platform designed for minimally invasive surgery. The system integrates AI‑driven vision, haptic feedback, and modular tooling to automate complex suturing and tissue manipulation. Early trials report a 30%...
E-Con Systems Launches DepthVista Helix 3D CW iToF Camera for Robotics and Industrial Automation
e-con Systems has introduced the DepthVista Helix 3D Continuous‑Wave iToF camera, targeting industrial robotics and automation. The device leverages a 1.2 MP onsemi Hyperlux ID AF0130 sensor to deliver depth, confidence, and IR‑grayscale streams at 60 fps with less than 1 % deviation...
Untitled
Rösler UK has installed a Universal Robots collaborative robot equipped with a Cambrian Robotics vision system at its Knowsley Customer Experience Centre. The cobot autonomously loads and unloads a variety of aluminium and steel components for mass‑finishing and shot‑blasting machines,...
WingtraRAY Earns C6 Mark for Advanced EU Flights
Swiss drone maker Wingtra announced that its WingtraRAY mapping platform has secured both C3 and C6 certifications under the EASA framework, issued by TÜV Rheinland. The C6 mark, tied to specific‑category standardized risk scenarios, unlocks beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) operations when the...
U.S. Contract Sends Revolutionary Naval Drones to Japan
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Liquid Robotics a $25 million sole‑source contract to deliver 20 unmanned surface vehicles to Japan under a Foreign Military Sales program. The award covers control software, mission‑specific payloads, and launch‑recovery equipment, with work slated for...
BAE Systems Completes Successful Trials of ATLAS UGV
BAE Systems announced that its Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) uncrewed ground vehicle has successfully completed a series of trials covering remote teleoperation, waypoint navigation and full sense‑and‑avoid autonomy. The eight‑wheel, 10‑tonne prototype demonstrated integration of the VANTAGE medium‑calibre...
Brightpick Partners with NAPA on Robotic Fulfillment Deployments at DCs
Brightpick announced a strategic partnership with NAPA to roll out AI‑powered robotic fulfillment across the retailer’s distribution centers. After a successful 2025 pilot, the 2026 agreement will see more than 100 Brightpick goods‑to‑person robots deployed at an initial site, with...
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 Returns to Spotlight AI, Robotics, and Urban Resilience
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 will run April 27‑29 at Tokyo Big Sight, marking its fourth edition and the largest innovation gathering in Asia. The conference will focus on AI, robotics, urban resilience and entertainment, drawing...
Galgotias Controversy Shouldn’t Overshadow Efforts at India AI Summit: Meity Secy on Chinese Robot Row
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered the removal of Galgotias University stalls from the India AI Impact Summit 2026 after a controversy erupted. The secretary emphasized that the summit should remain focused on advancing India’s artificial‑intelligence agenda,...
Chinese AVIC Reveals U.S.-made V-BAT Copy Drone
China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group unveiled the Yunying‑25V, a tail‑sitter VTOL UAV that closely resembles the U.S. Shield AI V‑BAT. Demonstrated at the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the drone can launch from a 3‑by‑3‑meter footprint and transition to forward...
Siemens' OT Security Needs Centralized Certificate Management
With the TIA Portal and platforms like WinCC Unified, Siemens Industry is clearly strengthening its security capabilities. ✔️ Encrypted communication ✔️ Certificate-based authentication ✔️ Hardened PLCs, HMIs and drives Technically strong. No doubt. But let’s be honest: Where is the...
Robots Build Robots, Generating Data for IPO
robots building robots… • unitree dropped a video of their g1 humanoid assembling robot legs in their own shenzhen factory using the unifolm embodied ai model. yes, robots building robots at actual production speed • the tasks are real bimanual...
Allient Appoints New Director of Engineering to Support Motion Control Development
Allient has named Ben Vespone as Director of Engineering for its Rochester unit, overseeing new product development and value‑add design projects. Vespone brings a master’s degree from the University of Rochester and a track record launching complex electronic and electromechanical...
Bay Area ROS Meetup: Drones, Autonomy, Expert Speakers
Are you in the Bay Area and interested in drones or autonomous heavy equipment? Join us for our next ROS By-The-Bay meetup next Thursday. Our guest speakers will be @mrpollo from @PX4Autopilot / @Dronecode and Zeerek Ahmad, a Sr. controls engineer...
MQ-9 Drones Sharpen US Eye on China’s Pacific Moves
The United States is deploying and upgrading MQ‑9 Reaper drones across the Indo‑Pacific, stationing them at bases in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and other locations. The expansion creates a persistent ISR web that allies such as Japan, Taiwan and...
Robotaxis Wreck 4x More than Humans, and at Least One Tesla Wants to Swim
Tesla’s autonomous robotaxi fleet in Austin logged five additional crashes this month, pushing the crash rate to more than four times that of human drivers. In China, the company’s sales plunged over 45% amid negative media coverage. A viral video...
Modex 2026: MHI Innovation Award Finalists Announced
MHI announced the finalists for its 2026 Innovation Awards, selecting twelve solutions from 220 submissions. The entries span four categories—Best New Innovation, Best Robotics Innovation, Best IT Innovation, and Best Sustainability Innovation—each judged by eight industry practitioners. Finalists will present...
Geek+ Unveils Gino 1 Mobile Manipulator for Warehouses
Geek+ introduced Gino 1, a dual‑armed mobile manipulator designed for warehouse environments and powered by the company’s AI‑driven Geek+ Brain. The robot combines two seven‑degree‑of‑freedom force‑controlled arms, each equipped with a three‑finger gripper, tactile sensors and an RGB‑D camera, on...
JFB and XTEND Announce $1.5B Business Combination to Establish AI-Driven Autonomous Defense Robotics Company
JFB Construction Holdings will merge with defense‑software firm XTEND in an all‑stock deal, creating a Nasdaq‑listed AI‑driven autonomous defense robotics company named XTEND AI Robotics. XTEND shareholders will own roughly 70% of the new entity while JFB shareholders retain about...
UNIFY.C2 and Black River Systems Announce Strategic Partnership to Integrate Ninja™ C-UAS Capabilities Into Unified Airspace C2 Platform
UNIFY.C2 has partnered with Black River Systems to embed the Ninja™ counter‑UAS sensor suite into its real‑time fusion command‑and‑control platform. The integration creates a unified interface that detects, identifies, tracks and optionally mitigates rogue drones across defense, government, public‑safety and...
Hands‑free AI Driving Builds Trust, Fuels Future Sales
Our robot has driven me and the family for two hours in driving rain across one of USA’s most dangerous roads. Without my hands touching the wheel once. It is how it handled pudddles, two brown streams crossing the road that most...
IFR Releases Position Paper on AI in Robotics
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) published a position paper outlining how artificial intelligence is reshaping robotics, from enhanced vision and navigation to generative code creation. It highlights rapid advances in physical AI, deep‑learning perception, reinforcement learning, and natural‑language interfaces...
Ondas’ Sentrycs Secures German State Police Contract to Enhance Airspace Protection
Ondas’ subsidiary Sentrycs has delivered its protocol‑based counter‑drone system to a German State Police office, providing non‑disruptive mitigation for unauthorized UAVs. The deployment coincides with the upcoming launch of the man‑carried Sentrycs Scout at the Enforce Tac exhibition, expanding Ondas...
RBTX Launches New Online Shopping Experience for Customers
RBTX has launched a full e‑commerce platform on RBTX.com, enabling engineers to purchase robotics components, robots, and services online. The site offers instant credit‑card checkout and transparent pricing, eliminating the need for a sales consultation for known‑item buyers. A guided...
Hybrid3D Prints Custom-Shaped Batteries for Drones, Smart Glasses
The Hybrid3D can 3D print batteries that can fill irregular shapes, like the wing of a drone or the arm of smart glasses. https://spectrum.ieee.org/3d-printed-batteries
Autonomous Vehicles Steer Robotics Growth
Barclays analysts project the AI‑powered robotics market could reach a trillion dollars by 2035, with autonomous vehicles acting as the catalyst. The report identifies roughly 200 public companies, half of which already have corporate bonds, as potential beneficiaries. Automakers, logistics...
HII Teams with Path Robotics to Integrate Physical AI Into Manned and Unmanned Shipbuilding
HII and Path Robotics signed an MOU to integrate Path’s physical AI welding system into HII’s shipbuilding operations. The partnership aims to boost HII’s shipyard throughput by an additional 15% in 2026, building on a 14% increase achieved in 2025....
Autonomous Wheelchair Maps Home, Yet Cost Hurdles Remain
What if your wheelchair could map your house and drive you to specific spots on command? Strutt's EV1 does exactly that. It learns your space, lets you save waypoints, and navigates at 3 mph while avoiding obstacles. Manual override is...
Magnetic‑Gear Yagi Antenna Enables Contactless 6G Beam Steering
A Yagi-Uda antenna integrated with a magnetic gear achieves precise, contactless beam reconfiguration, offering low-loss and maintenance-free operation for adaptive 6G wireless networks. antenna
Robot Hand Approaches Human-Like Dexterity with New Visual-Tactile Training
Researchers in China introduced a visual‑tactile pretraining framework that teaches a low‑cost four‑fingered LEAP Hand to manipulate objects with human‑like dexterity. By first watching extensive videos of human hand actions and then training in simulation using only a webcam and...
Inside a Humanoid Head: How It Differs From Biology
Ever wondered whats inside a humanoid head and how its different to biological intelligence? @foundation_robo team did a deep dive. Full video in 🧵 https://t.co/SiJn9wVKKt
Mori3 Robots Keep Walking via Local Resource Sharing
Scientists have developed a method that promotes local resource sharing between individual Mori3 modules, enabling the robot to “walk” even when one agent loses power, communication, and sensing. Learn more in Science #Robotics: https://t.co/NRPlam3xZS https://t.co/9g6atd7U0e
Pentagon Designates LongShot Air-Launched Drone X-68A
The Pentagon’s research arm DARPA has officially designated its LongShot air‑launched unmanned combat aircraft as X‑68A after completing key technical milestones. Built by General Atomics, the X‑68A will be launched from a host platform such as an F‑15 and carry...
ARM Institute Opens Project Call for Military Supply Chain Technology
The Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing (ARM) Institute has issued a member‑only project call to modernize the Department of Defense’s organic industrial base (OIB) supply chain. The call seeks proposals that combine digital operations, AI‑driven robotic process planning, real‑time sensors, in‑situ...
Anzu Discontinues Raptor Drone Series Amid Supply Chain Crisis
Anzu Robotics announced the discontinuation of its Raptor drone series after persistent component shortages halted production. The line, launched in 2024 as a U.S.-focused alternative to DJI, saw rapid demand driven by NDAA 2025 considerations, which depleted inventory faster than...
German Grocery Retailer REWE Deploys Cimcorp Solution for New Automated Fulfillment Center
German retailer REWE has opened an automated fulfillment center in Oranienburg, deploying Cimcorp’s robotic handling and Warehouse Control System to manage fresh produce distribution. The facility serves over 370 supermarkets and 580 shops in the Berlin region, processing roughly 29,000...
Making the Warehouse a Better Place to Work
Warehouse automation promises easier picking and safer loading, yet it alone cannot solve the talent crunch. Industry leaders argue that career growth, cross‑training, and clear development pathways are essential to retain workers. Honeywell highlights training on new technology as a...
Delivery Robot Asks Human to Press Traffic Signal Button
Serve Robotics unveiled a sidewalk delivery robot that pauses at a traffic signal and asks a passerby to press the crossing button on its screen. The robot displays a "Thank you" message and a brief light show after the human...
Mass General Brigham Evaluates Emerging Healthcare Technologies
Mass General Brigham is actively scouting emerging health technologies, with AI‑assisted robotics at the forefront. The system envisions robots handling specimen transport, medication delivery, and post‑operative equipment sterilization to ease staff workload and reduce sharps injuries. A limited COVID‑era pilot...
Ready To Free Your Team From Floor Cleaning?
Tennant has introduced the X6 ROVR, an autonomous mid‑size floor scrubber designed for high‑traffic facilities. The robot features a 26‑inch cleaning path, up to six hours of runtime on a lithium‑ion battery, and 75,000 sq ft coverage per solution tank. Powered by 3D...
The Economic Impact of Robotaxis on Ridesharing
The 2026 Gridwise Analytics report finds robotaxis are eroding ridesharing volume and driver earnings in markets where they operate. Trips per hour and average ride duration have dropped in cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco, leading to lower...
Medtronic Completes First Hugo Case in the US
Medtronic performed the first U.S. Hugo robotic surgery—a prostatectomy at the Cleveland Clinic—shortly after receiving FDA clearance. The system, already CE‑marked in Europe, is being installed at Duke University Hospital and Atrium Health, marking its initial U.S. footprint. CEO Geoff...
Humanoid Robots: Key to Lasting Military Peace
Both Phantom and I went on @MorningsMaria to discuss @foundation_robo and our collaboration with DoW and Ukraine and why I think deploying humanoids in the military is the best way to ensure lasting peace in our lifetime https://t.co/TuHl4XfYqo
SS&C Blue Prism: On the Journey From RPA to Agentic Automation
SS&C Blue Prism is guiding customers from traditional robotic process automation (RPA) toward agentic AI automation. The firm highlights the limitations of rule‑based RPA for handling unstructured, context‑driven data and showcases its emerging platform that embeds large‑language‑model agents into workflows....
An Inside Look Into DARPA’s RACER Program
DARPA’s RACER program is advancing high‑speed autonomous vehicles that operate in unstructured off‑road terrain without relying on maps or GPS. The initiative has field‑tested modified Polaris RZR and Textron M5 platforms across the Mojave Desert, Camp Roberts, and Fort Hood....