Today's Robotics Pulse
NASA plans spacewalk to repair seized Canadarm2 wrist joint
NASA reported that the ISS’s Canadarm2 robotic arm has seized a wrist joint, stopping its motion after routine work on May 27. A spacewalk on June 30 will replace the faulty joint using a spare stored on the station. The 25‑year‑old arm, operating beyond its design life, remains critical for cargo capture and station maintenance.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Base10 Partners raises $850M for real‑economy automation funds
Keeping the Warfighter Safer: How Textron Systems’ New Integration Expands UAS Capability
Textron Systems has integrated a low‑size, weight, and power (SWaP) LEO beyond‑line‑of‑sight (BLOS) transceiver into its Aerosonde unmanned aircraft system. The new module enables proliferated LEO (pLEO) SATCOM, allowing the drone to operate beyond traditional line‑of‑sight constraints. This expands mission flexibility, supporting long‑range ISR and distributed operations while reducing reliance on expensive GEO satellite links. The upgrade also streamlines the ground control station, cutting weight and improving deployment speed.
Precision Motion Control Solutions Trusted by OEMs for 25 Years
Midwest Motion Products (MMP) marks its 25th anniversary as a leading OEM supplier of precision motion‑control hardware, including DC motors, gearmotors, and controllers. The company differentiates itself with “Lightning‑Fast” same‑day delivery of standard planetary gearmotors and a #1 rating for...
MMP D22-376D-24V GP52-408 (Brushed 24V DC Gearmotor Capable of Producing up to 443 In-Lbs Continuous Torque with an Output Speed...
Midwest Motion Products introduced the MMP D22-376D-24V GP52-408, a brushed 24 V DC gearmotor delivering up to 443 in‑lbs continuous torque at 10 RPM. The unit is compact—under 2.5 in diameter and 9 in long—and carries an IP54 protection rating. Midwest emphasizes rapid availability, offering...
MMP D33-455F-36V GP81-068 (Brushed 36V DC Gearmotor Capable of Producing up to 245 In-Lbs Continuous Torque and 1079 In-Lbs Peak...
Midwest Motion Products (MMP) introduced the D33-455F-36V GP81-068, a brushed 36 V DC gearmotor delivering up to 245 in‑lb continuous torque and 1,079 in‑lb peak torque at 47 RPM. The compact unit measures under 3.5 in diameter, 10 in length, weighs 13 lb, and carries an IP54...
Drone Production Hits Automotive-Scale Standardization, Faces Complexity Limit
Modern drone production. An assembly line in China shows how far drone manufacturing has been industrialized. Conveyor systems move the airframes between stations. Each worker performs a narrowly defined step, closer to poka-yoke than to classic workshop assembly. • Highly...
Buildroid AI Expands Simulation-First Robotics Platform to U.S. Sites
Buildroid AI is launching its simulation‑first robotics platform across U.S. construction sites in Q1 2026, leveraging NVIDIA Omniverse digital twins to pre‑test workflows. The San Francisco startup offers a robotics‑as‑a‑service model that integrates over 40 robot types, beginning with block‑laying robots...
Pudu Robotics Launches PUDU T150 to Broaden Access to Light-Payload Industrial Automation
Pudu Robotics unveiled the PUDU T150, a 150 kg payload industrial delivery robot aimed at light‑load material transport in factories and warehouses. The robot emphasizes rapid, plug‑and‑play deployment, requiring no floor modifications and completing mapping in under ten minutes. Equipped with...
Humanoid Deploys NVIDIA Technologies to Power Advanced Humanoid Robots
UK‑based Humanoid has integrated NVIDIA’s Jetson Thor, Isaac Sim, and Isaac Lab into its HMND 01 Alpha robots, enabling both wheeled and bipedal platforms to run advanced foundation models at the edge. Leveraging a simulation‑first workflow, the company reduced prototype development from the typical...
Humanoid Takes Seven-Month Path to HMND 01 Alpha
London‑based startup Humanoid delivered its HMND 01 Alpha robot in just seven months, slashing the conventional 18‑24‑month hardware cycle. The company leveraged NVIDIA Isaac Lab, Isaac Sim and a simulation‑first pipeline that can train and deploy new locomotion or manipulation...
Robot Talk Episode 139 – Advanced Robot Hearing, with Christine Evers
Claire interviews Associate Professor Christine Evers of the University of Southampton about her work advancing robot hearing. Evers is embedding insights from human auditory processing into deep‑learning audio models, shifting away from massive internet‑scale networks. Her bio‑inspired approach emphasizes compute...
Trump’s Transportation Secretary Duffy & FAA Administrator Bedford Announce Two New Designated Sites for Testing Drones and Other Unmanned Aircraft...
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced two new unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the first additions in nearly a decade....
Maren-Go Autonomy Engineer
Maren‑go Solutions Corp, based in Vancouver, WA, is hiring an Autonomy Engineer to own critical functions of its autonomous airfield operating system. The role will define operational design domains, build testing pipelines, and lead field validation for defense‑grade robotics deployments....
Episode 139: Advanced Robot Hearing - Christine Evers
In this episode, Claire Asher talks with Associate Professor Christine Evers about how robots can interpret their environment using sound, focusing on bio‑inspired machine listening that mirrors human auditory processing. Evers explains her work on integrating auditory neuroscience insights into...
AI Empowers PLC Engineers, Shifts Skills to System Thinking
🚀 Will AI replace PLC programmers – or make them more powerful than ever? 👉 As one of the beta testers for the TIA Portal Copilot, I’ve already gained deep hands-on experience. It gave me very clear insights into how...
Robotics' Real Bottleneck: Infinite Real World, Not Models
If you think Physical AI is “just train a policy and ship it,” you’re about to waste months. If you work on robotics, this one is worth bookmarking‼️ The bottleneck is not the robot. It’s the world. Again: you do...
SMD Strengthens Position in Emerging Asian Offshore Wind Market
SMD has secured a multi‑vehicle contract that includes its custom hard‑ground trencher and the Quantum EV, the first electric work‑class ROV sold in Asia’s offshore wind sector. The deal marks a milestone as the region pushes to triple its renewable energy...
Borouge Boosts Performance and Competitiveness’ with ‘Industry-First’ AI Autonomous Operations at Ruwais Facility
Borouge announced the successful completion of an AI‑powered autonomous operations proof of concept at its Ruwais petrochemical complex, developed with Honeywell. The live‑production trial demonstrated up to 20% efficiency gains, a 20% reduction in downtime, and cost savings of up...
Goya’s Latin American Products Gain Capacity with a Pallet Shuttle System in Toledo
Goya, Europe’s leading distributor of Latin American foods, has upgraded its Toledo warehouse with Mecalux’s semi‑automated Pallet Shuttle system. The new infrastructure comprises five 8‑meter‑high racking blocks capable of storing roughly 3,000 pallets and handling over 2,200 SKUs. By automating...
Australian Tech Firm CubePilot Secures Long-Term Role in US Drone Supply Chain
Australian firm CubePilot has secured a long‑term exemption from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s national‑security covered lists, confirming its flight controllers and navigation modules as trusted hardware through 2027. The exemption solidifies CubePilot’s presence on the Pentagon’s Blue UAS list,...
Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Announces Exemption of Certain Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and UAS Critical Components From FCC...
The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced that, following a Department of War (DoW) determination, certain uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and critical components are removed from the Covered List. The exemption applies to UAS and components on the...
FCC Updates Covered List to Exempt Certain DronesFrom Restrictions, Releases Additional FAQs
The FCC announced an update to its Covered List, exempting certain uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and critical components from national‑security restrictions until Jan. 1 2027. The exemption applies to items on the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS Cleared List and those...
Autonomous Systems in Mining and Agriculture Vehicles
Off‑road autonomy has outpaced passenger‑car efforts because mines and farms offer fixed routes, low speeds, and private‑land control, allowing reliable, incremental deployment. In mining, autonomous haul trucks from Komatsu, Caterpillar and others boost safety and throughput while delivering clear ROI....
Rollo Robotics Secures €3.7M Pre-Seed Round Led by FoodLabs and PROTOTYPE to Mature Monowheel Technology
Rollo Robotics, an Estonian deep‑tech startup, announced a €3.7 million pre‑seed round led by FoodLabs and PROTOTYPE. The funding will accelerate the maturation of its proprietary gyroscopic stabilization system for the world’s first stable autonomous monowheel security robot. Rollo aims to...
Neocis’ Yomi Platform Completes over 100,000 Osteotomies
Neocis announced that clinicians have performed over 100,000 osteotomies using its Yomi robotic platform, marking a significant adoption milestone. The company also confirmed the first successful cases with Yomi S, its second‑generation system featuring a smaller footprint and longer arm....
Chef Launches Piece-Picking Capability to Automate Individual Food Items in Meal Assembly, Produce, Meat Packing, and Baked Goods
Chef Robotics unveiled a piece‑picking capability that lets its AI‑driven robots handle individual food items such as chicken breasts, pork chops, sauce cups and baked goods. The system uses RGB‑D cameras and real‑time segmentation to determine each piece’s orientation and...
Doosan Launches Systems for Depalletizing, Repair, and Finishing
Doosan Robotics showcased an AI‑powered depalletizing system at CES 2026, leveraging NVIDIA cuMotion for real‑time motion planning, 3D vision and text recognition. The company also unveiled its Scan & Go autonomous solution, which earned two CES Innovation Awards for AI...
Humanoid Robots Go for Knockout in High-Tech Vegas Fight Night
Humanoid robots stepped into a ring at the Ultimate Fighting Bots showcase on the fringe of CES in Las Vegas, delivering a mixed‑martial‑arts style spectacle. Piloted by humans using motion‑sensing game controllers and real‑time camera tracking, the bots mirrored their...
Robots Now Charge Wirelessly by Stepping Onto Stand
Figure 03 is capable of wireless inductive charging Charging coils in the robot’s feet allow it to simply step onto a wireless stand and charge at 2 kW In a home setting, this means the robot can automatically dock and recharge itself...
Circular Economy in Electronics: Extending Hardware Life
The electronics sector faces a paradox of mounting e‑waste and chronic semiconductor shortages, prompting a shift toward circular practices in industrial automation. Extending the life of PLCs, drives, and I/O modules through refurbishment can cut acquisition costs by 30‑50% and...
Japan Science and Technology Agency Develops NVIDIA-Powered Moonshot Robot for Elderly Care
Japan’s Science and Technology Agency is advancing its Moonshot program to field AI‑driven caregiving robots by 2050. The AIREC family, including the mobile Dry‑AIREC and data‑focused AIREC‑Basic, integrates multiple NVIDIA GPUs and Jetson Orin NX modules for edge AI processing....
The Strategic Value of Legacy Components in Automation
Manufacturers are confronting an "Obsolescence Dilemma" as legacy PLCs, HMIs, and drives remain essential on the shop floor. While AI‑driven robotics and IIoT promise growth, total system overhauls trigger costly downtime, software rewrites, and staff retraining. The article argues that...
Mach Industries Introduces Dart™, a Scalable Counter-UAS System Designed to Defeat Adversarial Swarm Threats
Mach Industries unveiled Dart™, a next‑generation counter‑UAS system built to defeat Group 1‑3 drone threats, including coordinated swarms. The platform combines an in‑house FMCW ground radar with low‑cost interceptors to deliver end‑to‑end detection, tracking, command‑and‑control, and engagement. Designed for forward operating...
Trimble and Volatus Aerospace Elevate Precision and Safety in BVLOS Drone Deliveries
Trimble announced that Volatus Aerospace has integrated its PX-1 RTX positioning solution into its BVLOS medical‑supply drone service in Canada. The PX-1 RTX provides real‑time, centimeter‑level GNSS‑inertial positioning and true heading, meeting Transport Canada and Nav Canada corridor requirements. This...
Securing the Skies: Detecting and Responding to Drone Threats - Logan Harris, CEO Spotter Global
In this episode, Logan Harris discusses the escalating threat posed by drones and how Spotter Global’s compact radar and Remote ID solutions are being deployed to safeguard critical infrastructure and large public events. He explains the evolution from military‑focused surveillance...
Top 5 Global Robotics Trends 2026 – International Federation of Robotics Reports
The International Federation of Robotics outlines five pivotal trends shaping 2026, led by AI‑driven autonomy that enables predictive maintenance and adaptive logistics. Convergence of IT and OT is boosting real‑time data exchange, while humanoid robots are gaining traction for flexible,...
CES 2026 | Linkerbot: 80% Market Dominance, Thousand-Unit Monthly Output
At CES 2026, Linkerbot announced it now controls 80% of the global high‑DOF dexterous robotic‑hand market and is the sole producer delivering thousands of units each month. Its new Linker Hand line includes the 370 g O6 model that can grip...
From Theory to Factory: Europe’s AI Industrialization Challenge
🎙️ In this episode, I talk with Prof. Dr. Marco Huber , Professor for Cognitive Production Systems at the University of Stuttgart : Marco shares his journey from a middle-class upbringing with no academic role models to becoming a leading...
Robotics & Automation News Launches In-Depth AMRs vs AGVs Trend Analysis
Robotics & Automation News has released its first long‑form market report, “AMRs vs AGVs: A 2026‑2030 trend analysis for mobile automation.” The 44‑page study examines whether autonomous mobile robots are displacing automated guided vehicles or if both follow distinct economic...
Free Comprehensive Mobile Robotics Course From Freiburg Experts
Learn mobile robotics from one of the strongest academic groups in the field. The University of Freiburg offers a full course on mobile robotics by Prof. Dr. Wolfram Burgard, one of the pioneers of probabilistic robotics and SLAM. Topics covered:...
Join New Autonomous Humanoid Soccer League – Apply by Jan 31
⚽Call for Participation: Humanoid Soccer League (HSL) The former Humanoid League and Standard Platform League into one exciting new competition focused on fully autonomous humanoid robots. 🗓️ Application Dates: Pre-application: Jan 10. Deadline: Jan 31 https://t.co/vStw7x0wyO https://t.co/JwV2aNGRy5
See the Latest Advancements in Precision Motion Control and Nanopositioning Automation
Physik Instrumente (PI) unveiled a suite of next‑generation precision motion‑control and nanopositioning solutions aimed at high‑tech manufacturing. The offerings target fast‑focusing, photonics array alignment, laser processing, semiconductor testing, and high‑resolution microscopy. PI emphasizes scalability for silicon photonics chip production, AI‑driven...
Breaking Bottlenecks: Physical AI Gains Momentum
Lots of signs, including from our in-house labs, that we’re starting to break through many of the bottlenecks that have held back physical ai.
RealMan Robotics Showcases Embodied Intelligence Infrastructure at CES 2026
RealMan Robotics unveiled its embodied‑intelligence infrastructure at CES 2026, highlighting ultra‑light humanoid robotic arms, integrated joint modules, and the Global Labor Network powered by RealBOT wheel‑foldable robots. The arms deliver a 5 kg payload, 1.8 m/s speed, and a 50,000‑hour mean‑time‑between‑failures, while joint...
Goya Expands Spanish Warehouse Capacity with Mecalux Pallet Shuttle
Goya Foods’ European arm has upgraded its Spanish distribution centre with a semi‑automated pallet shuttle from Mecalux, adding roughly 3,000 pallet slots across five 7.9‑metre high racking blocks. The system accelerates inbound and outbound movements, cutting handling time and errors...
Grasshopper Wings Inspire Gliding Robot Design
Researchers at Princeton and the University of Illinois studied the hindwings of the American grasshopper to inspire untethered gliding robots. Using CT scans they 3D‑printed wing prototypes that varied in corrugation, shape, and smoothness. Tests in water chambers and free‑flight...
MIT Offers Complete Visual Navigation Course for Robotics
A full MIT course on visual autonomous navigation. If you work on robotics, drones, or self-driving systems, this one is worth bookmarking‼️ MIT’s Visual Navigation for Autonomous Vehicles course covers the full perception-to-control stack, not just isolated algorithms. What it...
Steel, Sensors and Silicon: How Caterpillar Is Bringing Edge AI to the Jobsite
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ATDev Develops Reflex to Bring Robotics and AI to Rehabilitation
Assistive Technology Development (ATDev) unveiled Reflex, a sub‑5‑lb wearable robot that guides knee rehabilitation through embedded sensors and remote monitoring. The startup has progressed from a university class project to securing venture capital—including a $200,000 SkyDeck check in 2022, a...
Universal Robots and Robotiq Showcase Next-Generation Palletizing Solution at CES 2026 in Collaboration with Siemens
Universal Robots, Robotiq and Siemens unveiled a next‑generation palletizing solution at CES 2026, pairing the UR20 collaborative robot with Robotiq's PAL Ready cell and Siemens' new Digital Twin Composer software. The system demonstrates real‑time photorealistic digital‑twin visualization alongside live hardware, using...
MagicLab Made Its Debut at CES, Accelerating Global Development
MagicLab made its first appearance at CES, unveiling three flagship robots: the full‑size humanoid Gen1, the high‑dynamic biped Z1, and the head‑tail coordinated quadruped MagicDog. Gen1 demonstrated multi‑unit collaboration in a home‑appliance plant, featuring 42 active degrees of freedom and...