Today's Robotics Pulse
Spirit AI tops global robot AI leaderboard, secures $222M funding
Chinese robotics startup Spirit AI’s embodied intelligence model, Spirit v1.6, achieved the highest score of 1,924 on the RoboArena benchmark, overtaking Nvidia’s Cosmos3‑Nano‑Policy. The company also announced ¥1.5 billion (≈$222 million) of funding to accelerate its technology.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Shifters raises $10.2M seed round
Do You Trust Me? A Framework for Making Networks of Robots and Vehicles Safer
Harvard researchers introduced “cy‑trust,” a quantitative trust metric that lets autonomous robots and vehicles evaluate data from peers before acting. The framework assigns each data source a trust score between 0 and 1 using onboard sensors, lidar, radar and signal‑processing of wireless messages. Lab experiments with cooperative (blue‑team) and adversarial (red‑team) robots showed that trust scoring preserves consensus even during Sybil attacks that spoof multiple identities. The authors argue that embedding cy‑trust into policy is essential as fleets of self‑driving cars, truck platoons and warehouse robots expand.
Terabase Energy Invests in Automation and Engineering to Streamline Solar Construction
Terabase Energy’s upgraded Terafab V2 system has completed field testing and is now ready for commercial deployment, using AI‑assisted robotics to assemble and place solar panel‑tracker modules on‑site. The automated line can process assemblies in two‑minute cycles, potentially delivering 20 MW...
Open‑Source Robot Dog Built with Just Six Servos
I built an open source really simple Robot Dog with only 6 servos, full video link in bio. #testing #mechanical #robotics #3dprinted #arduino
Chinese Satellite with Robotic 'Octopus Arm' Passes Key Refueling Test in Orbit — Making Longer-Lived Space Assets More Likely
China’s experimental Hukeda‑2 satellite demonstrated a major in‑orbit refueling capability by using its octopus‑like robotic arm to dock with a target port on the same spacecraft. The test, conducted on 24 March, marks the first self‑docking refuel maneuver since the Shijian‑25...
DP World Issuing £36M Contract to Construct London Gateway Automated System
DP World has launched a £36 million (≈$46 million) tender to build Boxbay, a high‑bay automated storage system for empty containers at its London Gateway terminal. The 55‑metre‑tall structure will cover roughly 323 m × 159 m, requiring over 5,000 precast piles, 15,000 tonnes of steel and...
Journalist Sues FAA Over Drone No Fly Zone Designed to Prevent Filming ICE
Minnesota photojournalist Rob Levine and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have filed a lawsuit against the FAA over a temporary flight restriction that bars drones within 3,000 feet of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities and mobile...
Humanoids: Real Reasoning or Just Pattern Matching?
Humanoids look impressive, but are they reasoning or just pattern matching? Gill Pratt’s take might change how you see current demos. https://spectrum.ieee.org/humanoid-robots-gill-pratt-darpa?share_id=9330907
AI Models Fail at Robot Control without Human-Designed Building Blocks but Agentic Scaffolding Closes the Gap
Researchers from Nvidia, UC Berkeley, Stanford and CMU introduced CaP‑X, an open‑access framework that evaluates how large language models control robots via self‑written code. Testing twelve frontier models—including Gemini‑3‑Pro, GPT‑5.2 and Claude Opus 4.5—across seven manipulation tasks revealed that without high‑level...
Watering Smarter, Not More: A Modern-Day Robotic Divining Rod
University of California‑Riverside researchers have created a robotic system that maps soil moisture at the individual tree level in citrus orchards. By measuring electrical conductivity and integrating data from existing moisture sensors, the robot generates detailed moisture maps that guide...
Strawberry Farming Leverages AI and Robotics
MISUMI Group has partnered with U.S. vertical‑farming specialist Oishii Farm to provide AI‑enabled robotics and mechanical components for its Ametalas indoor strawberry operation. The collaboration uses MISUMI’s extensive catalog and its Fictiv subsidiary to supply precision parts that automate climate...
Kardex Provides WEG with Improved Warehouse Performance and Small-Parts Inventory via AutoStore System
Kardex installed a high‑density AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system at WEG Electric Corp’s Duluth, Georgia headquarters to address growing small‑parts inventory without expanding the building footprint. The solution includes 14,000 bins, seven R5 robots and three picking ports, all...
SANY Robotics Debuts Electric Forklift Lineup at LogiMAT 2026, Secures Over 600 Orders in Europe
SANY Robotics unveiled its full electric forklift lineup at LogiMAT 2026 in Stuttgart, marking its first European market entry. The showcase featured a three‑wheel lithium‑ion counterbalance model for narrow aisles and cold storage, plus the Blue Electric Forklift Fleet with...
IAutomation Expands Automation Solutions with Festo Across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast
iAutomation announced it has become an authorized reseller of Festo’s pneumatic and electric automation products throughout the Mid‑Atlantic and Southeast United States. The partnership adds Festo’s high‑performance components to iAutomation’s portfolio, enabling the distributor to offer expanded engineering, panel‑building, and...
When Automation Fails: Using Root Cause Analysis to Fix “Broken” Algorithms
Automation failures can cripple stakeholder presentations, exposing the myth that algorithms are untouchable black boxes. The article argues that Lean Six Sigma’s DMAIC framework can be applied to digital processes, treating algorithms as end‑to‑end workflows with suppliers, inputs, transformations, outputs,...
March Land Forces Roundup: A New War Confronts the Old Drone Problem
The United States and Israel launched a series of strikes against Iranian nuclear and missile facilities in late February. Iran responded with a wave of missile and uncrewed aerial system attacks aimed at Israeli and U.S. interests throughout the Gulf,...
Exclusive: Anvil Robotics Raises $5.5M to Build ‘Legos for Robots’ Platform For Physical AI Teams
Anvil Robotics, an eight‑month‑old San Francisco startup, announced a $5.5 million seed round led by Matter Venture Partners. The company offers a modular, open‑source robotics platform—dubbed “Legos for robots”—that lets physical AI teams assemble custom robots for $1,900 to $10,000 and...
Baidu Robotaxi Glitch Halts Over 100 Driverless Cars in Wuhan, Passengers Stranded
A system malfunction forced over 100 Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis to stop on Wuhan's ring road, stranding passengers for up to two hours. Police confirmed the glitch, while Baidu has yet to explain the cause, raising fresh safety concerns for...
Power Corner: Analog Devices’ Etienne Moulin on the Convergence of Robotics and Automotive Power Requirements
Analog Devices’ high‑performance power team, led by Etienne Moulin, highlights the growing overlap between robotics and automotive power architectures, especially the shift to 48‑V systems. The company’s Silent Switcher technology delivers LDO‑level regulation with buck‑regulator efficiency, achieving up to 96%...
Building Trust From the Ground Up: How Drone Operators Are Winning Over the Public
Commercial drone operators are confronting public skepticism by adopting proactive community‑engagement strategies, transparent data practices, and visible professionalism. Industry leaders stress early stakeholder meetings, clear communication of flight purpose, and the use of uniforms and signage to signal legitimacy. Police...
Norway Revitalises Effort to Acquire a Tactical-Class UAV with $103 Million Competition
Norway’s Defence Material Agency has relaunched a procurement for a tactical‑class unmanned aerial vehicle, issuing a pre‑qualification notice on 31 March 2026. The framework agreement is valued at up to NOK 1 billion (approximately US $103 million) for a four‑year term, with options to extend...
DJI Reality: This New Free Tool Could Change How You Share Drone Data
DJI has launched DJI Reality, a free 3D model viewer built into its Terra platform. The tool supports mesh, point clouds and the emerging 3D Gaussian Splatting format, allowing instant exploration of massive datasets without login or costly software. It...
Back to School: Robots Learn From Factory Workers
Czech startup RoboTwin has introduced a handheld, no‑code system that lets factory workers teach industrial robots new tasks by simply demonstrating the motion. The device captures movements in about a minute and converts them into robot programs, opening automation to...
China’s 7‑Ton CY‑8 Drone Completes First Flight, Boosting Heavy‑Lift UAV Capabilities
China’s Beijing Northern Changying UAV Technology successfully conducted the inaugural flight of its Changying‑8 (CY‑8) cargo drone, a 7‑tonne payload platform with a 1,850‑mile range. The test in Zhengzhou validates the drone’s short‑runway performance and marks a milestone in heavy‑lift...
U.S. Deploys $35,000 LUCAS Drone in Combat, Marking First Large‑Scale Use of Low‑Cost UAVs
The United States has field‑tested the Low‑Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a one‑way attack drone priced at $35,000, in combat operations for the first time. Admiral Brad Cooper praised the system as “indispensable,” highlighting a new tactical emphasis on...
Metso Launches Robotic Split Strip for Optimised Cathode Stripping in Copper Operations
Metso has launched the Outotec® Robotic Split Strip, a compact, robot‑driven system for separating cathode sheets from plates in copper electrorefining. The solution combines hydraulic precision with flexible robotics, replacing bulky mechanical split‑strip machines and allowing easier installation and maintenance....
Why U.S. Gatling Guns Are Not Stopping Iran’s Shahed Drones
The U.S. Army’s land‑based Centurion C‑RAM, a $4 million, 24‑ton Gatling‑type point‑defence system, fires 20 mm M940 rounds at up to 4,500 rpm to intercept incoming threats. While videos show successful downing of Iranian Shahed drones, the system’s 1,500‑round magazine, $168 per round...
How Disney Imagineers Are Using AI and Robotics to Reshape the Company’s Theme Parks
Disney announced the opening of World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris, now rebranded as Disney Adventure World, featuring a robotic Olaf and a high‑tech nighttime show that blends drones, fountains, fire and water walls. The park benefits from its close...
DJI Pushes Drones Beyond Cameras with AI Competition
DJI has launched the Enterprise Drone Onboard AI Challenge 2026, inviting developers to build AI models that run directly on its Matrice 4 drones or the Manifold 3 onboard computer. The competition, open until May 10, 2026, offers hardware bundles and public recognition for...
Quantum Frontline Industries Sends First Batch of Drones to Ukraine
Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI) has completed its first production run of Linza tactical drones and begun deliveries to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The drones are manufactured in Munich under a German‑Ukrainian “Build with Ukraine” co‑production model, marking the shift from...
Flikweert Expands Capacity of Optical Sorting Robot QualityGrader
Flikweert Vision has upgraded its optical sorting robot QualityGrader with a second ejection unit and a wider 1.5‑metre model, enabling three‑stream sorting and higher throughput. The new version can process roughly 30 tonnes per hour, compared with the previous 1‑metre variant....
Drones Using AI to Spot Explosive Dangers and Help Keep Soldiers Safe
The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) completed a multi‑week trial where AI‑powered drones identified and classified replica mines for the British Army’s 33 Engineer Regiment. The system proved capable of rapid model retraining to recognise emerging threat types...
Mobile AM Robots to Roam Factory Floors
Researchers introduced a closed‑loop control framework that enables mobile additive manufacturing robots to print while navigating dynamic factory floors. The system tightly couples real‑time motion planning, obstacle avoidance, and material deposition, allowing the robot to adjust its path without stopping....
Why the World’s First Pure-Play RTLS Integrator, LocaXion, Chooses Redpoint When It Comes to Forklift Safety
LocaXion, the first pure‑play RTLS and Digital Twin integrator, chose Redpoint for its safety‑grade real‑time location system. Redpoint’s edge‑based, downlink‑TDOA architecture delivers deterministic positioning across warehouses up to 4 million square feet and tens of thousands of forklifts, AGVs and AMRs....
Xer Technologies Validates 2.5-Hour Flight Endurance & 7 Kg Payload Capacity
Xer Technologies AG has validated its X8 multicopter platform, achieving 2.5 hours of continuous flight while carrying a 7 kg payload. This marks a more than two‑fold increase over the previous 3 kg capability, enabling heavier sensor suites on a single mission. The...
Sonardyne Navigation Technology Chosen for ecoSUB AUV Survey Operations
Sonardyne’s compact SPRINT‑Nav U navigator has been selected by Njord Survey for ecoSUB’s autonomous underwater vehicles, delivering survey‑grade positioning to low‑logistics AUV platforms. The integration enables parallel operations that cut vessel dependency, logistics costs, and overall project timelines. Initial deployments...
China Leads Humanoid Robot Race; Standard Model at Stake
Humanoid robotics has shifted to China. Over 150 companies now compete, and Agibot alone shipped 5,100 units in 2025 for 39% global share. Startups like Galbot have raised $1B+ from backers tied to Stanford, Tsinghua, Meituan, and CATL. Manufacturing speed, AI talent, and...
AI Humanoid Girlfriend “Melody” Speaks Multiple Languages
Meet Melody—The #AI-Powered, Multilingual Humanoid Girlfriend by @MarioNawfal #Robotics #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #MI #ML #Innovation https://t.co/DFAIoGFBSh
Uber and WeRide Deploy Fully Driverless Robotaxis in Dubai, Valued at $150 M
Uber and Chinese autonomous‑vehicle maker WeRide have launched a fully driverless robotaxi service in Dubai, operating without a human safety operator. Uber’s 5.82% equity stake in WeRide is now worth roughly $150 million, underscoring the company’s push to scale autonomous mobility...
Zhejiang University Unveils Shape-Shifting Ring Drone
Shape-Shifting Ring #Drone Developed by Zhejiang University by @tweetciiiim #Engineering #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology #Tech https://t.co/34emv3WOvT
New Robotic Mowers Use Tech to Simplify Lawn Care
The latest robotic lawn mowers tap into new technology to streamline one of the most time-consuming chores. https://t.co/QRK59vDZJ3 https://t.co/1TQDne9c18
MLB’s Robotic Umpire Triggers Coach Ejection and Fan Frenzy
During a Minnesota Twins‑Baltimore Orioles game, MLB’s newly deployed Automated Ball‑Strike (ABS) system prompted Twins manager Derek Shelton to be ejected after he challenged a computer‑driven call. The incident has sparked a wave of fan commentary and raised questions about...
NAUT Delivers Scalable Plug‑Play Ocean Autonomy
NAUT Brings Scalable, Plug-and-Play Autonomy to the Oceans via @WevolverApp #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation #Tech https://t.co/qABhfBXmYT
Black Panther II Robot Dog Near‑Human Running Speed
MirrorMe’s Black Panther II: The #Robot Dog That’s Almost Faster Than Humans via @XRoboHub #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation https://t.co/562s1NVnf3
Nomadic Raises $8.4M to Streamline Video Data for Autonomous Vehicles
NomadicML announced an $8.4 million seed round at a $50 million post‑money valuation, led by TQ Ventures with participation from Pear VC and Jeff Dean. The funding will accelerate its AI‑driven platform that converts raw vehicle footage into structured, searchable data for...
Mid‑Air Drone Refueling via Power‑Line Charging
Power-Line Charging #Drone: Aerial #Robotics That Refuel Mid-Air by @x_viral_vibes #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation #Tech https://t.co/zqevt1jIFP
Proportional Feedback Control: Street Robotics Made Accessible
NoireSTEMinist teaches us about proportional feedback control as part of robotics for the streets. #STEM #Engineering #Professor #STEM #Robot https://t.co/LYuLerwMaR My STEM Is For The Streets https://t.co/Q5xhJY1zNW
$1.2M Project to Deploy AI Robots for Road Repair
An industry‑research partnership worth $1.2 million, involving Charles Darwin University, Civiltech Solutions and the Additive Manufacturing CRC, is developing an AI‑driven robotic system to detect and repair road cracks with minimal human input. The solution integrates LiDAR scanning, artificial intelligence, robotics...
Drones Reveal AI-Driven, Accelerating Defense Innovation Cycle
As much attention is now being paid to Iran's drone capabilities, I still think it's lost on most market participants the broader implications of that capability. It's something I dissect in depth in my new report on "Defense Innovation" (https://t.co/rRtYxEUTE9)....
Locked Drone Frequencies Risk Jamming, Undermine Effectiveness
This is a potentially significant issue with the adoption of cheap UAS. Some UAS provided by Western companies to Ukraine only worked on a specific frequency, and the companies did not allow Ukrainians to change it or make other modifications....
Giant Robots Leap From Cartoons Into Real-World Engineering
#WhatsNext? Giant robots have made the transition from cartoons to reality. (Interesting Engineering) #Robotics https://t.co/6wYtrtzCdf