Today's Robotics Pulse
U.S. Army awards AeroVironment $14.6M contract for VAPOR® CLE UAV
AeroVironment secured a $14.6 million production contract from the U.S. Army for its all‑electric VAPOR® Compact Long Endurance (CLE) unmanned aircraft system, supporting the Medium Range Reconnaissance program under the Company‑Level Directed Requirement Small Uncrewed Aircraft System, Tranche 2.
NTT Builds Remote Digger Foundations
NTT Group partnered with Japanese builder Taisei to remotely operate heavy construction equipment using its Innovative Optical and Wireless Network All Photonic Network (IOWN APN). The trial in February linked two sites via private 5G and 60 GHz WiGig, allowing a single operator to control three machines in real time. NTT highlighted the low‑latency, jitter‑free connectivity as essential for stable, unmanned construction. The demonstration aims to address labor shortages and long hours in the sector by enabling remote, high‑precision operation.
Digit Showcases Next‑generation Workplace Robotics
New robotic worker 'Digit' paves way for new generation of robots in the workplace https://t.co/Tlk3BDqsFb via @YouTube #humanoidtech #humanoid #robot #Robotics #AI #TechRevolution #TechInnovation #ArtificialInteligence #PhysicalAI @AlbertoEMachado @Eli_Krumova @postoff25 @Khulood_Almani @anand_narang @NutritiousMind @baski_LA @TanyaSinha_ @devaang @AlAmadi1 @jeancayeux @enilev @efipm @mvollmer1 @Nicochan33 @RagusoSergio...
Fully Automated Chinese Factories Operate Without Lights
China’s Dark Factories: So Automated, They Don't Need Lights | WSJ https://t.co/N4Cy1Fj6wz via @YouTube #darkfactory #factory #automation #robot #robotics #warehouse #ecommerce #onlinesales @lexfridman @KirkDBorne @Ronald_vanLoon @erikbryn @antgrasso @sallyeaves @Nicochan33 @HaroldSinnott @mvollmer1 @marcusborba @CatherineAdenle @vinod1975 @YuHelenYu @ingliguori @fogoros @ylecun @TerenceLeungSF @SourabhSKatoch @wil_bielert...
Why Commercial Drones Move Slowly While Military Drones Transformed Warfare Overnight
The article contrasts the rapid evolution of military drones with the sluggish adoption of commercial drones. In war zones, risk‑tolerant environments and urgent mission value accelerate development, allowing cheap off‑the‑shelf quadcopters to become decisive tools in Ukraine, Gaza, and the...
Red Cat Wants 3D Printed Drone Boats for On-Demand Delivery
Red Cat, a U.S. startup, plans to mass‑produce autonomous drone boats using large‑format 3D‑printed hulls. The company will adapt Ukraine’s naval drone technology for on‑demand logistics, partnering with 3D‑print service Haddy to fabricate near‑net‑shape hulls. While 3D‑printed boats have existed...
What Makes Robots Feel Alive? Human-Robot Interaction Expert Sarah Sebo Explains
Human‑robot interaction scholar Sarah Sebo explains that perceived agency and experiential cues are key to making robots feel alive. She warns that near‑human appearance and voice can plunge users into the uncanny valley, while speech timing mismatches also hurt perception....
Episode 151: Robots to Study the Ocean - Simona Aracri
In this episode, host Claire Asher talks with Simona Aracri of Italy's National Research Council about cutting‑edge robots designed for extreme oceanic environments—from polar seas to glacial lakes. Aracri explains how their interdisciplinary team merges marine engineering and physical oceanography...
Bureaucracy and Phantom Sightings: The Truth Behind the Dutch Drone Panic
In late 2025 the Netherlands experienced a wave of anxiety over alleged drones hovering over military bases, airports and other critical sites. Freedom‑of‑information documents released by AD show that despite hundreds of public reports, authorities never located a single confirmed...
Case Study: Underground Digitalisation at Rampura Agucha
Hindustan Zinc is digitising its flagship Rampura Agucha underground mine in Rajasthan, deploying automated haul trucks, remote‑monitoring sensors, and low‑emission power systems. The initiative links equipment to a central control platform, enabling real‑time performance analytics and predictive maintenance. Early results...
Telefonica Launches 5G Drone Service in Spain
Telefonica Spain has launched an end‑to‑end 5G drone service that combines remote piloting, a “drone‑in‑a‑box” hardware platform, and edge‑enabled software for industrial and public‑sector clients. The offering is managed from the T_Space facility in Madrid and leverages 5G network slicing,...
Pentagon Requests $54.6 B for Drone Warfare Unit, 243‑Fold Budget Jump
The Department of Defense has asked Congress for a $54.6 billion budget for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) in FY 2027, a 243‑fold rise from the $225 million allocated in FY 2026. The surge reflects a strategic pivot toward low‑cost, expendable drones after...
Crack Detection in Stainless Steel Tanks Using Robotic Technology
Ensuring the structural integrity of stainless‑steel tanks is vital for chemicals, pharma and food processors, yet traditional visual and NDT inspections are time‑consuming and often require vessel shutdowns. Recent advances in robotic inspection allow remote‑controlled units equipped with ultrasonic, laser...
ARK Invest Leads $50 Million Series B in Irish Drone Delivery Pioneer Manna
ARK Invest spearheaded a $50 million Series B round for Irish drone‑delivery startup Manna, pushing total capital to $110 million. The financing will fund U.S. expansion, add 400 high‑skill jobs, and intensify competition in the fast‑growing last‑mile logistics market.
China Accelerates Humanoid Rollout with UniX AI's Panther and New 10,000‑Unit Factory
Chinese robotics firms are moving from prototypes to commercial scale. UniX AI introduced Panther, a dual‑arm service robot for homes, while Leju Robotics and Dongfang Precision opened a factory capable of producing a humanoid every 30 minutes, targeting 10,000 units...
Bear of the Day: AeroVironment (AVAV)
AeroVironment (AVAV), a designer of uncrewed aircraft systems and related software, is grappling with intense competition and a heavy reliance on U.S. government contracts. The company reported third‑quarter earnings of $0.64 per share, missing the consensus by 6%, and analysts...
U.S. Firm Develops Interceptor Drone with AI Sound Targeting
Talon Avionics of Boise unveiled SECTR, an autonomous counter‑drone platform that combines AI‑driven acoustic sensing with radar to detect, classify and engage hostile drones in under one second. The modular station can launch up to 100 lightweight interceptors, each weighing...
Lyreco Automates French Logistics Hub with Exotec Skypod Robots in €25 Million Upgrade
Lyreco has completed a €25 million (≈$27 million) upgrade of its Villaines‑la‑Juhel logistics hub, adding a new 3,000 m² facility and more than 100 Exotec Skypod robots. The French site handles 60% of Lyreco’s 50,000 daily parcels, and the automation streamlines outbound sequencing,...
Silex, Edge Impulse Team on Edge AI Development
Silex Technology and Edge Impulse have teamed up to integrate Edge Impulse’s end‑to‑end AI development platform with Silex’s EP‑200Q system‑on‑module, which runs on Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QCS6490 processor. The joint solution bundles a Wi‑Fi 7 driver and AI acceleration to simplify the...
Latvia Confirms Ground Drone Procurement From Three Local Firms
Latvia’s Ministry of Defence announced on April 10, 2026 that it has signed contracts with three domestic firms—Brasa Defence Systems, Natrix and LV‑Teh—to supply unmanned ground systems for the National Armed Forces. The agreements cover delivery, support, repair, modernization and grant the...
Top UK Drone Startup Wins Pentagon Test, Yet Departs Britain
Yesterday a Russian warship escorted sanctioned tankers through the English Channel, unchallenged. Today we're about to lose one of the most exciting defence startups in the country to America. > A small British team just topped the Pentagon's own Drone Dominance...
New Pentagon Memo Complicates DJI Drone Ban Reversal
The Pentagon released a memo reaffirming its opposition to any reconsideration of the FCC’s “Covered List,” which bars foreign‑made drones and critical components from U.S. sale. The memo cites both classified and unclassified intelligence, including a classified annex submitted to...
Ringbot: Star Wars‑inspired Monocycle Balances, Recovers, Hits
This is Ringbot, a Star Wars - inspired monocycle robot developed by Kim Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2024. It uses a circular wheel and two legs with independent modules to move, balance, and control direction. It can avoid...
Students Build AI Robot That Tracks and Shoots Moving Balls
Students Design #AI-Powered #Robot That Picks and Shoots Balls in Motion by @lukas_m_ziegler #Robotics #EmergingTech #TechForGood #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/NVNAG7ZvIA
Attabotics Returns with a Clearer Path Forward
The episode explores the resurgence of Attabotics, a high‑density robotic fulfillment system, after its bankruptcy and its new partnership with Lafayette, a long‑standing automation integrator. Guests Bruce Robbins (founder of Lafayette), Art Eldridge (SVP of Sales & Software at Attabotics),...
Philippine Navy Develops Prototypes of Autonomous Logistics Drones
The Philippine Navy has signed an agreement with Cebu Technological University to build two autonomous logistics platforms – a Hybrid Marine‑Air Vehicle (HMAV) and a Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS). Both prototypes aim to improve inter‑island transport, disaster response and...
ClearSpace Launches Robot to Clean Space Debris
ClearSpace Unveils #Robotic Spacecraft to Capture and Remove Dead Satellites by @spaceandtech_ #SpaceTech #AI #Robots #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/cmG85VPICD
Ukraine in Talks with Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain on Security Cooperation, Zelenskiy Says
Ukraine is negotiating security cooperation with Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, aiming to share its drone‑defence expertise. President Zelenskiy highlighted recent 10‑year agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar and a deal with the UAE, after deploying over 200 experts who have...
Royal Navy Expands Autonomous Underwater Fleet via New Teledyne Marine Contract
Teledyne Marine has secured a UK Ministry of Defence contract to supply autonomous ocean‑observing systems for the Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Data Gathering program. The deal provides Sentinel and Slocum gliders along with APEX profiling floats and full support services,...
Cleveland Police Put More Drones on the Beat
Cleveland Police has rolled out a Drone as First Responder (DFR) system, enabling drones to be launched from weather‑proof boxes in as little as 90 seconds. Operators control the aircraft from the control room, providing live aerial footage to guide...
Portugal Jumps on the Drone Train
Portugal’s army announced the creation of dedicated drone units for offensive strike missions and anti‑drone defence, following its first combat‑drone exercises during the Strong Impact 2026 multinational maneuvers. The exercises, held with French, Romanian and Spanish forces, demonstrated strike‑drone capabilities and...
Meet the Swiss Founder Building Robots that Make Crêpes
Swiss startup Maus Robotics, founded by 28‑year‑old Robert Hennig, has built an automated crêpe‑making robot that can serve a fresh crepe every 90 seconds. The prototype, developed during Hennig’s EPFL PhD, costs roughly $5,400–$6,500 in hardware and uses a patented...
What Is Cognitive Automation? 5 Examples to Transform Your Business
Cognitive automation augments traditional workflow tools with AI capabilities such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, allowing systems to interpret unstructured data and make decisions. Unlike rule‑based robotic process automation (RPA), it learns patterns and adapts over...
Robot Masters Mobility, Balance, and Self‑recovery
Multi-Modal #Robot Shows Off Incredible Mobility, Balance and Fall Recovery by @IntEngineering #Robotics #AI #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/4VjYvCcDvN
3D‑Printed Robot Arm Demonstrates Precise Pick‑and‑Place
3D Printed Robot Arm Pick and Place Testing #3dPrinted #Robot #STEM #Robotics #Arduino #engineering #BlackWomenInSTEM #NoireSTEMinist #NationalRoboticsWeek #BlackSky #STEMSky #BlackSTEMSky #BlackWomenInSTEM #BlackInSTEM #AcademicSky #AcademicChatter #WomenInSTEM https://t.co/TrXj9dXq5V
Tag Values Updating Late Even Though Communication Is Healthy
Operators sometimes see SCADA tag values lag a few seconds even though PLC‑SCADA communication shows no errors. The delay typically stems from configuration choices such as overly long scan rates, PLC programs that update variables on slow cycles, or network...
Ukrainian Drone Unit Strikes Russian Gas Tanker From Libyan Base, Expanding War’s Reach
Ukrainian drone operators, deployed under a secret agreement with Libya’s Tripoli government, damaged the Russian‑flagged Arctic Metagaz LNG carrier on March 3. The strike, launched from a military facility in Tripoli, underscores a widening maritime dimension of the Ukraine‑Russia war and raises...
NATO Pushes for Cold‑Weather Drone Tech to Guard Arctic Frontiers
NATO officials announced a renewed drive to acquire inexpensive drones that can operate in extreme Arctic cold, citing gaps in situational awareness and rising Russian and Chinese activity. Experts warned that battery performance, sensor icing and lack of spare parts...
Syncere’s $1,500 ‘Laundry‑Folding Lamp’ Faces Skepticism as a Doomed Robotics Venture
Startup Syncere announced Lume, a lamp‑shaped robot priced at $1,500 that can fold shirts and make beds, promising shipments within eight weeks. Industry observers question whether consumers will pay for such niche home‑automation, citing past failures and the high expense...
Study Shows Public Assigns Racial Biases to Humanoid Robots by Job Role
Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 Americans and discovered that participants consistently chose robot colors that mirrored human racial stereotypes for different occupations. The bias intensified when a human worker of a matching race was shown alongside the robot, highlighting a...
Commission Okays Drone Regulation Reforms
Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) approved four draft notifications on April 7 to broaden drone spectrum use, raise technical standards, and tighten operational oversight. The new rules replace visual‑line‑of‑sight limits with provisions for beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) missions, logistics, surveillance and...
Robotics Is Key to Lower Costs, Faster Deliveries, Says Amazon CEO
In his 2025 shareholder letter, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy highlighted robotics as a core lever to cut costs and speed deliveries. The company now runs more than 1 million robots in fulfillment centers and has acquired RIVR and Fauna Robotics to...
PickNik Releases MoveIt Pro 9 to Improve AI-Driven Robotics in Variable Environments
PickNik launched MoveIt Pro 9, adding AI‑driven scan‑and‑plan capabilities that let industrial robots perceive and adapt to variable environments in real time. The update introduces AI perception filtering, point‑cloud alignment, automated contour extraction, and collision‑aware motion planning. Early adopters such as Autowash,...
GIC to Show Tech to Boost Efficiency, Ergonomics at MODEX 2026
Global Industrial Co. (GIC) will showcase roughly 50 new material‑handling products at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, emphasizing efficiency, ergonomics and safety. The lineup includes a mobile robot stretch‑wrap machine, an electric pallet jack, a hydraulic self‑dumping hopper, Cat lift tables,...
Ex‑Pentagon Official Explains LUCAS Drones' Rise to Indispensability
Former Pentagon official Michael C. Horowitz, who pushed for the creation of LUCAS drones, provides unique insights into how they became what CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper told me are an "indispensable" weapon of war. https://t.co/d8E8tnI1tv
Ukraine Is Winning the Drone War with Strike Campaign Behind Russian Lines
Ukraine has pivoted to a mid‑range drone strike campaign, targeting assets 20‑300 km behind Russian lines and conducting roughly 365 strikes over the past year. Under the leadership of Robert “Magyar” Brovdy, the Unmanned Systems Forces were unified and equipped...
America's Shahed-136 Clone Emerges as Indispensable War Weapon
How America’s Shahed-136 Clone Became An “Indispensable” Weapon Of War Michael Horowitz, who pushed for the LUCAS drone program while at the Pentagon, offers unique insights into its genesis and future. https://t.co/DC5BtHgsGK
Meet Abi, the AI-Powered Robot Companion for Senior Care
Andromeda Robotics unveiled Abi, a 4‑foot, brightly colored AI companion robot designed for senior living facilities. Abi leads group activities such as dance, tai chi, and music quizzes, while also offering one‑on‑one interactions in up to 90 languages and remembering...
Low‑Voltage Artificial Muscles Power Untethered Soft Robotic Fish
Scientists have developed #dielectric elastomer actuators, or artificial “muscles,” that can operate at low voltages while still producing high output to drive #untethered, soft robotic fish movements. Learn more in Science #Robotics: https://t.co/zAb0uHec2c https://t.co/d7qaKanQr1
Leveling up Industry 4.0
The March/April 2026 EDN issue spotlights the next wave of Industry 4.0, highlighting event‑based vision, wide‑bandgap power electronics, smart motor‑control ICs, edge AI, and new cybersecurity mandates. Event‑based sensors reduce latency and data load, while SiC and GaN devices boost efficiency...
MODEX 2026: Peak Technologies Introduces Peak Automation Intelligence
Peak Technologies launched Peak Automation Intelligence at MODEX 2026, an AI‑powered platform that delivers real‑time visibility and automated data capture across warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing operations. Built on machine‑vision, smart optics and mobile computing, the solution tracks every pallet,...