Today's Robotics Pulse
Chinese startup Spirit AI tops global AI robot leaderboard, beating Nvidia
Spirit AI’s embodied intelligence model, Spirit v1.6, achieved a score of 1,924 on the RoboArena benchmark, surpassing Nvidia’s Cosmos3‑Nano‑Policy. The company also disclosed a ¥1.5 billion (≈$222 million) funding round to accelerate its robotics AI platform.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OneRobotics acquires Nanoleaf for $40M
Scientists Develop Advanced Low-Damping Impedance Control for Collaborative Robots
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Liverpool introduced an adaptive jerk control (AJC) method built on a biased sliding surface to achieve low‑damping, high‑stiffness impedance control for collaborative robots. The biased sliding surface continuously characterizes force‑position coupling, allowing real‑time estimation of force offset errors. The AJC exponentially attenuates these errors, widening the stable impedance parameter range. Laboratory tests showed markedly better force‑tracking accuracy and contact stability than existing approaches.
Kollmorgen Advances Linear Motor Safety and Performance with SafeMotion™ Monitor Firmware Upgrade
Kollmorgen released SafeMotion™ Monitor firmware version 3.0, extending functional‑safety support to linear motors and axes. The upgrade adds EnDat 2.2 safe feedback compatibility to AKD2G drives, AKM2G and AKMA servo motors, enabling dual‑channel positioning and faster data cycles. SMM 3.0 also secures...
Nord Modules Expands AMR Ecosystem With KUKA Collaboration
Nord Modules announced a collaboration with KUKA, adding the robotics giant to its Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) ecosystem. The partnership launches the Nord Pallet Mover top module for KUKA KMP1500P, offered in three variants—PM800, PM1000 and PM1200—tailored to Euro, US...
This Humanoid Is Ready to Bring You a Toothbrush
Fauna unveiled Sprout, a $50,000 child‑sized humanoid robot designed for hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. The robot combines lightweight mechanics, expressive eyebrows and built‑in large language model capabilities to understand natural‑language requests, such as fetching a toothbrush. Sprout ships with...
Vention Raises $110M to Accelerate Physical AI Deployments in Manufacturing
Vention Inc., a Montreal‑based industrial automation firm, announced a $110 million Series D round to accelerate its “physical AI” strategy. The funding will expand its Zero‑Shot Automation platform, add AI‑driven tools, and support a four‑playbook growth plan focused on enterprise customers, AI...
9 Self-Service Tech Trends to Watch
At the Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show, Blue Sky Robotics CEO Steven King outlined nine AI‑driven self‑service trends reshaping retail and hospitality. While fully autonomous robots remain years away, computer vision, digital agents, edge computing, cobots, biometrics, predictive modeling,...
Beyond Cobots: Adaptive Robots for Dynamic Industrial Environments
Flexiv introduced its Rizon series, a line of adaptive industrial robots that blend AI-driven decision‑making with industrial‑grade force control. The robots can sense forces as low as 0.03 N, allowing delicate handling of unpredictable objects. Their Elements graphical interface lets users...
Essential ML Resources for Robotics Professionals
A curated list of resources about Machine Learning for Robotics 📍 [Bookmark or you’ll fever find this post again] Machine Learning is becoming a common technique to address robotics tasks. This repository intends cover this usage from a broad point...
TikTok Developing World Models for Robotics—Watch This
Of course @tiktok_us is building world models to run robotics, and other things. An effort to watch.
Interview: Demis Hassabis @ Sources Live, Davos
In this live Davos interview, DeepMind CEO Demir Hassabis outlines upcoming developments for Gemini 4, including its integration with Apple’s Siri, and discusses the broader roadmap toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). He highlights gaps that still need to be solved for...
From Shoe Box to Smart Robot: A Maker’s Journey to Autonomy
Maker Survy transformed a shoe‑box prototype into an autonomous outdoor robot, showcasing a step‑by‑step journey from concept to functional device. He began with a simple motorized box, then added sensors, a Raspberry Pi, and a smartphone for GPS and vision through...
LUCID Launches Helios2 Wide Chroma, a Factory-Calibrated IP67 RGB-D Camera
Lucid Vision Labs has launched the Helios2 Wide Chroma, a compact, factory‑calibrated RGB‑D camera that merges a 12.2 MP Triton RGB sensor with its Helios2 Wide Time‑of‑Flight 3D imager. The IP67‑rated unit offers a 108° × 78° field of view and delivers perfectly...
AAA20 Group Debuts Cobot Palletizer for Food and Protein Processing
AAA20 Group will unveil the CP-66-WD wash‑down collaborative palletizer at the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta. The IP69K‑rated cobot is built for food and protein processors, especially beef plants, and can be power‑washed like standard equipment. Offered through...
Unpredictable Movements of Autonomous Robots Can Increase Human Discomfort
Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology discovered that autonomous robots moving unpredictably trigger sustained human discomfort, as measured by elevated arousal and skin‑conductance responses in a VR passing scenario. Predictable straight‑line motion caused initial arousal that habituated over repeated encounters,...
State of Robotics Industry Report 2026
The Robot Report’s State of Robotics Industry Report 2026 marks an inflection point as the sector moves from speculative demos to reliable, real‑world deployments. It surveys the full robotics ecosystem—industrial automation, mobile units, humanoids, and autonomous vehicles—while highlighting advances in...
Meet the Soft Humanoid Robot that Can Grow, Shrink, Fly and Walk on Water
Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology unveiled GrowHR, a soft humanoid robot that can inflate its limbs to more than triple their length and deflate to shrink to 36% of its original height. The robot’s bone‑mimetic, air‑filled chambers...
Robotic Packaging Cuts Labor, Costs, and Complexity
High-speed food packaging only makes sense if automation actually changes the economics. At Anı Bisküvi A.Ş., a robotic box-filling system from Robentex now runs two lines at a combined 800 products per minute. They moved to a tray-and-lid concept instead...
Benefits of 3D Guidance in Industrial Robots
Industrial robots are shifting from pre‑programmed, 2D‑guided motions to dynamic 3D vision systems that provide six degrees of freedom tracking. This depth perception eliminates costly mechanical fixtures, allowing robots to adapt to random part placement and receive software‑driven updates in...
Why EVs and Robots Are Suddenly Everywhere
Electric vehicles and robots have shifted from niche concepts to everyday fixtures as battery costs, AI capabilities, and sensor technology converged with stricter emissions rules and labor shortages. Automakers now treat software as a core vehicle feature, while logistics firms...
Soft Robotic Probe Enhances Fetal Monitoring Techniques
A new soft robotic probe designed for fetal monitoring offers a flexible, skin‑like interface that conforms to the maternal abdomen, delivering continuous, high‑fidelity heart‑rate data. The device incorporates stretchable piezoelectric sensors and wireless telemetry, achieving up to 30% better signal...
Optimizing Railway Infrastructure for Mining Using High-Resolution Drone LiDAR Survey Data
High‑resolution drone LiDAR surveys are reshaping railway infrastructure planning for mining projects. In the Northern Cape manganese mine, the dense point‑cloud enabled engineers to pinpoint track positions, elevations, and surrounding obstacles with centimeter accuracy. The rapid, safe data capture reduced...
Skylift UAV Delivers UK Aviation First with Landmark BVLOS Drone Trials in the Solent
Skylift UAV completed the United Kingdom’s first coordinated BVLOS drone operations across the congested Solent waterway, operating under a CAA‑approved Airspace Change Proposal. The June‑July 2025 trials, run from Fort Cumberland, involved multiple aircraft delivering medical supplies to the Isle...
FORT Robotics Launches Wireless E-Stop Pro: Real-Time Wireless Safety for Complex Industrial Environments
FORT Robotics unveiled the Wireless E‑Stop Pro, a safety‑certified wearable that lets operators trigger an emergency stop from up to 200 m away. The device uses long‑range Bluetooth to maintain reliable connections in radio‑dense warehouses and plants, and it meets SIL 3...
Get Real Drive Data Instantly via OPC UA
🎥 OPC UA instead of guesswork – access real drive data Everyone talks about data – but how do you actually access process data from modern drives? In my new video, I show you hands-on how to easily access process...
Lianhe Sowell International Group Ltd Announces $200M Plan for Industry Robotics Headquarters in the UAE
Lianhe Sowell International Group (Nasdaq:LHSW) announced a $200 million plan to build a specialized industry robotics headquarters in the United Arab Emirates. The facility will combine R&D, manufacturing and global sales, targeting applications such as automotive spray‑painting, hazardous environments, underwater operations...
Article Intro - AI in Surgery
A systematic review of 188 studies examined artificial intelligence for surgical scene understanding (SSU) in minimally invasive abdominal procedures. The analysis found that most research relies on small, single‑center datasets, with 59% concentrating on laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Validation practices are weak—only...
Pickit 3D Launches Major Release of Its 3D Robot Vision Solution
Pickit 3D unveiled its Pickit 4.0 platform, a major upgrade to its 3D robot vision solution. The release introduces four modular licensing options, up to 61 % faster detection, native multi‑camera support, and new high‑definition cameras delivering 0.1 mm accuracy. A refreshed software...
A Spinning 3D Printer Creates Air-Powered Soft Robots that Curl, Twist, and Grip
Harvard and Stanford researchers unveiled a rotational multimaterial 3D‑printing process that embeds asymmetrical pneumatic channels inside elastomeric filaments in a single continuous operation. By co‑extruding a photocurable urethane acrylate and a fugitive Pluronic ink through a rotating nozzle, they can...
SEB Analysts Say 2026 Marks Shift From Virtual to Physical AI
SEB analysts forecast that 2026 will mark a decisive shift from purely virtual AI to AI embedded in physical capital goods such as autonomous vehicles, drones and humanoid robots. The steep drop in AI usage costs in 2025 has broadened...
XTI Aerospace to Host Town Hall Highlighting Strategic Inflection Point Following the Drone Nerds Acquisition
XTI Aerospace (Nasdaq:XTIA) will hold an investor town hall on February 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST to outline its post‑acquisition strategy after buying Drone Nerds in November 2025. Management will detail how Drone Nerds’ UAS platform and customer base give XTI clearer revenue visibility...
Scanifly and IronRidge Integrate Drone-Based PV Design with Racking Layouts
Scanifly has launched a direct API integration with IronRidge, linking its drone‑derived PV layout data to IronRidge’s Design Assistant. The connection automatically transfers panel placements into the racking and bill‑of‑materials (BOM) workflow, removing the need for manual data entry. Contractors...
Genesis: Open Physics Platform for General-Purpose Robotics AI
A generative world for general-purpose robotics & embodied AI learning. Genesis is a physics platform designed for general-purpose Robotics/Embodied AI/Physical AI applications. 📍GitHub: https://lnkd.in/dEB_9zxC ——- Weekly robotics and AI insights. Subscribe free: scalingdeep.tech
Humanoid Robots May Undermine Human Social Comfort
Why the rise of humanoid robots could make us less comfortable with each other | Live Science https://t.co/BrKuj630Y8 #humanoidtech #humanoid #robot #Robotics #AI #TechRevolution #TechInnovation #ArtificialInteligence #AI @AlbertoEMachado @Eli_Krumova @postoff25 @Khulood_Almani @anand_narang @NutritiousMind @baski_LA @TanyaSinha_ @devaang @AlAmadi1 @jeancayeux @enilev @efipm @mvollmer1...
Retail’s Supply Chain Divide: Who Survives – and Who Won’t
Retail margins are tightening, making supply‑chain efficiency a make‑or‑break factor. Supply‑chain specialist Peter Jones splits the sector into "haves" – retailers that have invested in automated, next‑generation warehouse technology – and "have‑nots" still reliant on manual pick‑and‑pack processes. The COVID‑driven...
PhD Students: Register Now for CMU 3‑Minute Thesis Competition
Attention Ph.D’s!🚨🔔 Registration for the CMU 3 Minute Thesis Competition ends next week. All Ph.D students regardless of year are welcome to compete. Get started below 👇👇 https://t.co/yXFM6UMc0q https://t.co/dsVieQDeWI
Origami-Inspired Robot Arms Enable Button Pressing, Heavy Printing
A recent Science #Robotics study describes an interlaced origami-based structure that enables mobile robots to extend arms to press elevator buttons or form frames to support heavy 3D printing systems. https://t.co/fgD4ZjcnPp https://t.co/M4GVUcZKYH
Jan. 25, 2004: Opportunity Lands on Mars
On January 25, 2004 NASA’s Opportunity rover touched down on Mars after a dramatic “six minutes of terror” descent involving parachutes, retrorockets, and an airbag‑cushioned landing. The rover bounced 26 times before settling inside Eagle Crater, an ideal scientific site that allowed...
Number of the Day - 20 Million Patients
Intuitive Surgical announced that more than 20 million patients have undergone procedures using its da Vinci surgical system over the past 25 years. The milestone underscores the platform’s longevity and its penetration across a range of specialties worldwide. Since its 2000 launch, the...
Hadrian Raises Funding for Automated Manufacturing, Bringing Valuation to $1.6B
Hadrian, an AI‑powered factory builder for aerospace and defense, announced a new funding round that lifts its valuation to $1.6 billion. The capital, led by T. Rowe Price and backed by a16z, Founders Fund and other investors, will fund rapid factory expansion,...
XELA Robotics Unlocks Enhanced Automation for Humanoid and Industrial Robots
XELA Robotics showcased its uSkin 3D tactile‑sensing system at CES 2026, demonstrating how full‑hand touch perception can boost manipulation for humanoid and industrial robots. The elastomer‑based sensors capture contact force, object shape, and motion across fingertips, phalanges, and palms, surpassing traditional...
Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind Announce AI Partnership Focused on Humanoid Robots
Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind unveiled a research partnership at CES 2026 to embed DeepMind's Gemini Robotics foundation models into the Atlas humanoid platform. The collaboration aims to equip Atlas with advanced visual‑language‑action capabilities, enabling it to tackle a broader set...
Neura Robotics Showcases New Humanoid, Quadruped, and AI Platform at CES 2026
Neura Robotics used CES 2026 to unveil its next‑generation humanoid 4NE1, a smaller 4NE1 Mini, and a new quadruped robot, all running on the Neuraverse AI platform. The Neuraverse is positioned as a shared operating layer that lets robots exchange learned skills...
Technology Innovation Institute Launches Abu Dhabi Centre for Frontier Technologies with WEF
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) announced a partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to launch the Abu Dhabi Centre for Frontier Technologies, unveiled at Davos 2026. The Centre will join WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Global...
Curated Open‑Source Robotics Projects to Accelerate Innovation
Open Source Robotics A curated collection of high-quality open source robotics projects, tools, and software to propel the robotics community forward. https://lnkd.in/dEhrHz2V —- Weekly robotics and AI insights. Subscribe free: scalingdeep.tech
SmartRay Demonstrates ‘Breakthrough AI-Powered Weld Inspection’ System
SmartRay showcased its AI‑powered JOSY weld inspection system at the EY Innovation Hub in Stuttgart. The system integrates hardware with Tool Path Generation software from Wandelbots and Grid Dynamics, creating a closed‑loop workflow that generates inspection paths directly from CAD...
Nowaste Logistics Advances Automation with Cognibotics Robot Picking Cell
Nowaste Logistics, a Swedish third‑party logistics provider, has placed a second order for Cognibotics' robot picking cell after a successful pilot. The cell integrates with Nowaste’s AutoStore system from Swisslog and uses Sics.AI’s vision alongside Cognibotics’ Juliet & Romeo software‑defined motion platform....
Connecting Machines: How eSIMs Are Shaping the Future of Global Robotic Networks
Robotic fleets are transitioning from isolated units to globally networked agents, and reliable cross‑border connectivity is now a prerequisite. International eSIM technology embeds cellular profiles directly in machines, allowing robots to switch carriers without physical SIM changes. Companies such as...
Great Robotics Requires Low‑ego System Thinking and Co‑design
This is a trait we look for at Sunday as well, for a slightly different reason. In robotics, one can have the best hardware and the best software on paper, while the combination is absolute garbage. Thinking about the system, how your...
Vegvisir Selected by DOK-ING to Integrate Immersive Interface Into Unmanned Systems
Vegvisir has been chosen as the winning bidder in a Croatian public tender to integrate its immersive interface solutions with DOK‑ING’s unmanned ground vehicles. The partnership will embed Vegvisir Remote and the Vegvisir Virtual Command Station into DOK‑ING’s robotic platforms,...
Synchronized Motors: Precision Drives Reliability in Robotics
A pair of synchronized motors moving as one. You know that feeling when a system is so well tuned it almost looks alive? I like watching this… • Perfect timing, no fighting each other • Lower wear because loads stay...