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
Ukraine Says Its 'Red' Team Forces Beat NATO's 'Blue' Team Forces in Every Combat Scenario During Recent Naval Drone Drills
Ukraine’s red team, equipped with home‑grown Magura V7 naval drones, won all five combat scenarios in a NATO‑led drill off Portugal. The exercise simulated attacks on ports, convoys and a frigate, demonstrating the drones’ ability to conduct ISR, mine‑countermeasure and direct‑fire missions. NATO acknowledged that it had previously underestimated the threat posed by uncrewed surface vessels. The drill highlights Ukraine’s rapid drone innovation and its growing influence on allied maritime doctrine.
Drones Threaten B‑52 Fleet, Prompt Urgent Hardening
I have spent a good part of my career just getting people to believe this was actually happening. Now we are here. With 15 drones, you can lose roughly 1/4 of the B-52 force as it sits idle on the...
U.S. Army Awards XTech Win to ABRIS DG Unmanned Support Vehicle
ABRIS DG’s UNEX unmanned ground vehicle was chosen as one of five winners in the U.S. Army’s XTech Edge Strike Ground Competition in Vilseck, Germany. The victory secures a ten‑year contract on the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate marketplace through...
LHMC Installs Medical Automation Software
Able Innovations has partnered with Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) to launch the ALTA Platform, a robotic patient‑handling system, as the first U.S. deployment of the technology. The platform automates lateral patient transfers, lowering caregiver injury risk while boosting...
SANY Signs Major Electrified Fleet Deal with Holcim Including 20 Autonomous Mining Trucks
SANY Group and Holcim have signed a Letter of Intent worth 100 million CHF to roll out electrified construction equipment over the next five years. The deal includes delivery of 100 electric units and deployment of 20 autonomous mining trucks across...
Kuka Expands KR Cybertech Range with New Mid-Payload Robots and Controller
Kuka has added two mid‑payload robots to its KR Cybertech line, offering 25 kg and 35 kg capacities while keeping the same compact footprint. The models feature a redesigned IP67‑rated wrist for higher rigidity and precision, and both are AI‑ready and ISO 10218:2025 compliant....
Ukraine Downs Russian Ka-52 Helicopter with FPV Drone
Ukrainian forces reported that an FPV drone destroyed a Russian Ka‑52 attack helicopter near Pokrovsk, supported by video and photos. The strike was credited to the 59th Separate Assault Brigade, which uses low‑cost, first‑person‑view drones as improvised strike platforms. The...
UiPath Fusion 2026 - if Your Data Isn't Ready, Your Agents Aren't Either
Chris Ashley of UiPath warned that agentic AI can only succeed when companies truly understand how decisions are made. Organizations that invested in cross‑functional process modeling and data maturity are deploying bots faster than peers still mapping workflows. He emphasized...
China Supplies 90% of Global Humanoid Robots by 2025
Is China going to be dominant in Physical AI? 🤔 In 2025, Chinese companies shipped nearly 90% of the world’s humanoid robots.
New Specs Emerge on Mysterious Russian Interceptor Drone
Ukrainian defense analyst Serhii Beskrestnov disclosed technical details of Russia’s Yolka interceptor drone, a short‑range, daylight‑only system designed for kinetic engagement of hostile UAVs. The drone can travel up to 200 km/h, operates within a 3‑kilometre radius, and tolerates wind speeds...
Cyngn Brings Autonomous Forklift Models Into Isaac Sim
Cyngn announced that its high‑fidelity autonomous forklift models are now integrated into NVIDIA’s Isaac Sim, an open‑source simulation platform for autonomous systems. The models, exported as Functional Mock‑up Units, exchange two‑way data with Isaac Sim’s virtual surfaces, mirroring real‑world dynamics....
NVIDIA Expands Open AI Models for Agents, Robotics and Science
NVIDIA announced an expanded suite of open‑source foundation models targeting agentic AI, physical robotics, and life‑science research. The Nemotron 3 family now includes Ultra, Omni, and VoiceChat variants that combine language, vision, and audio for advanced AI assistants, while Cosmos,...
Drone Delivery’s Breakthrough Moment Has Arrived
Matternet has launched pilot drone deliveries for Dave’s Hot Chicken in Southern California and for NHS hospitals in London, showcasing both food and medical logistics. The FAA’s pending Part 108 rule would lift the line‑of‑sight requirement, enabling larger autonomous fleets. Retail...
How Chicago Robot Tutors Are Teaching SEL Effectively, without Pretending to Be Human
University of Chicago researchers partnered with Chicago Public Schools to test robot tutors in fourth‑grade SEL lessons. The experiment compared robots that used fictional, emotion‑laden dialogue with robots that spoke factually and admitted they had no feelings. Both robot groups...
Uber Commits $1.25 B to Rivian for 50,000 Robotaxis by 2031
Uber announced a $1.25 billion investment in Rivian and a plan to field up to 50,000 unsupervised robotaxis by 2031. The deal includes an initial $300 million commitment and the purchase of 10,000 R2 SUVs, with options for 40,000 more, targeting 25...
China Dominates Humanoid Robot Market with Volume Production
The humanoid robotics race is already uneven. In 2025, Chinese companies accounted for nearly 90% of global shipments. Unitree and AgiBot alone delivered over 10,000 robots combined, while U.S. players like Tesla, Figure, and Agility Robotics each shipped only around 150 units. That gap tells a...
Nebius Teams with Nvidia to Build Cloud for Robotics and Physical AI
Nebius, an AI‑focused cloud provider, has teamed up with Nvidia to launch a managed platform that spans the entire physical‑AI lifecycle—from large‑scale GPU training and physics‑accurate simulation to edge inference. The solution leverages Nvidia’s Physical AI Data Factory Blueprint, OSMO...
XCath Integrates NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare to Advance Telerobotic Endovascular Systems
XCath is integrating NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare into its autonomous telerobotic endovascular platform, creating digital twins of the robot, treatment devices, and patient vasculature. The digital‑twin rehearsal lets surgeons practice on a patient‑specific 3‑D model before the actual mechanical thrombectomy,...
Humanoid Robots Now Cleaning Real Homes
It's happening: Humanoid Robots are officially joining house cleaning crews in real homes🤖🧹 https://t.co/eQXlmTqokb #housecleaning #humanoidtech #humanoid #robot #Robotics #AI #TechRevolution #TechInnovation #ArtificialInteligence #PhysicalAI @SpirosMargaris @PawlowskiMario @mvollmer1 @gvalan @ipfconline1 @LaurentAlaus @Shi4Tech @Fisher85M @kalydeoo @Ym78200 @Nicochan33 @chboursin @3itcom @Fabriziobustama @sallyeaves @helene_wpli @ahier @rwang0...
Dozens of Drones Swarm Bomber Base in Multiple Waves
Re-upping this because apparently there were multiple waves of more than a dozen drones over one of our bomber bases last week. 😬
Amazon Acquires Zurich Stair‑Climbing Robot Maker Rivr to Boost Last‑Mile Delivery
Amazon has bought Swiss robotics startup Rivr, known for its four‑legged, stair‑climbing delivery robot, in a deal whose financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition builds on Amazon’s prior $22.2 million seed investment and positions the e‑commerce giant to expand autonomous...
Living-Cell Robots Gain Self-Contained Nervous Systems
Robots Made From Living Cells Get Upgraded With Their Very Own Nervous Systems https://t.co/ctQ64b45O4 https://t.co/ye1TV6VwCn
Automation Predates Bezos; It Reshapes, Not Eradicates Jobs
A lot of morons believe this press release because Jeff Bezos has a lot of money. Automating manufacturing has been going on since the printing press in the 1400s. It will continue to happen, Bezos or not. And it will...
Techman’s Humanoid Robot Astonishes GTC 2026 Crowd, Redefining Industrial Robotics
Techman Robot unveiled the TM Xplore I, a wheeled‑base humanoid, at Nvidia's GTC 2026, showcasing Physical AI that can see, think, and act. The robot runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor edge module and employs a Vision‑Language‑Action model for real‑time perception,...
Robots Learn Tasks by Aligning Goals, Not Mimicry
A new Science #Robotics study demonstrates that robots can reproduce movements demonstrated by peers by aligning their abilities with the task’s objective, instead of just copying motor movements directly. https://t.co/m5xuGh7Y84 https://t.co/r9IjoFauN4
Pocket-Sized Quadruped Robot Packs Big Capabilities
Tiny but Mighty: A Pocket-Sized Quadruped #Robot via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/Lc8Ncpqx7B
Wind-Powered Robot Could Enable Long-Term Exploration of Hostile Environments
Researchers at Cranfield University unveiled WANDER‑bot, a low‑cost 3D‑printed robot powered entirely by wind. By using a Savonius turbine and Jansen linkage, the robot converts ambient airflow into locomotion, removing the need for batteries. The fully printable design allows on‑site...
Robotic System Turns Trucks Into Mobile Drone Bases
#Robotic Takeoff and Landing System to Transform Trucks into #Drone Mobile Bases via @ZappyZappy7 #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/j3oIWV4AOM
Exp
Robot dogs priced at $300,000 a piece are now guarding some of the country’s biggest data centers | Fortune https://t.co/Lvw8vtIYdx
MRMC Names CP Communications Its Official U.S. Rental, Sales Partner
CP Communications has been named the official U.S. rental and sales partner for Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC). Through its subsidiary Red House Streaming, the firm has installed MRMC’s robotic camera systems in its new Studio C in St. Petersburg, Florida. Studio C...
Adaptive Bipedal Robot Handles Unexpected Tasks Seamlessly
Even when caught off guard, a bipedal humanoid #Robot that handles tasks while adapting via @ZappyZappy7 #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML #Innovation https://t.co/1M6j6Nslks
Zipline Revolutionizes Global Delivery Using Autonomous Drones
How Zipline Is Transforming Global Delivery with #Autonomous #Drones by @zipline #SupplyChain #Automation #Logistics https://t.co/9ugQN3qYXp
Smarter, Faster, and More Human: AI System Helps Robots Outpace Their Human Teachers
Georgia Tech researchers introduced Speed‑Adaptive Imitation Learning (SAIL), a system that lets robots execute learned visuomotor tasks faster than the human demonstrations they were trained on. By dynamically adjusting motion speed while preserving accuracy, SAIL achieved three‑to‑four‑fold speed gains across...
China’s Futuristic Automated Greenhouses Redefine Modern Farming
China’s Automated Greenhouses Are So Advanced, They Seem From the Future by @ShangguanJiewen #AgriTech #Robotics #Innovation #Technology #TechForGood https://t.co/hWVomBphd2
Humanoid Robots Begin Building Their Own Successors
The Self-Manufacturing Future: Humanoid #Robots Building Robots by @Robo_Tuo #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/k7xqPnlFgJ
What the US Could Learn From Asia’s Robot Revolution
Asia is outpacing the United States in robot adoption, with South Korea boasting the world’s highest robot density—932 units per 10,000 manufacturing employees—and Japan expanding robots into service and care roles. Cultural factors such as shamanist reverence for inanimate objects...
Spot Robot Uses AI to Precisely Stack Heavy Tires
Boston Dynamics’ Spot Masters Whole-Body Manipulation — Using AI to Drag, Roll, and Stack 15 kg Tires with Precision by @rai_inst #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/ArlFIQZCVB
Fast Online RL Upgrades Π-06 with 15‑minute Data
Back in Nov we developed Recap and trained π*-06 with RL. Now, we developed a fast *online* RL method that improves π-06 with as little as 15 min of robot data for precise tasks, using "RL tokens" exposed by our...
NATO Tests Drone Interception Systems in Latvia
NATO launched its first testing, evaluation, verification and validation (TEVV) campaign for unmanned aircraft systems and counter‑UAS technologies at Latvia’s Sēlija Military Training Area from March 9‑13, 2026. The exercise gathered defense‑industry firms from NATO members, Ukraine, operational users and government officials...
AI Revolution Redefines Business Through Robotics, Says Nvidia
The state of robotics. With the Head of Robotics and Edge Computing Ecosystem @ Nvidia. Amit Goel. Just one of dozens of interviews I've done this week for https://t.co/2BjIVhqvR4 who is having me cover the change that AI is bringing to all...
Boston Dynamics Reveals Enterprise Humanoid Design Balance
Form & Function of Enterprise Humanoid Design | Boston Dynamics https://t.co/DmwMv6MmIt 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 @FrRonconi @Shi4Tech @sallyeaves @LaurentAlaus...
How Uncrewed Rotary Platforms Are Shaping Approaches to Contested Logistics
The defense sector is accelerating development of uncrewed rotary aircraft to support logistics in contested environments. Airbus leads the effort with its MQ‑72C, built for the U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Logistics Connector demonstration. These UAVs are derived from existing crewed...
Open‑Source 3D‑Printed Robotic Hand Costs $2K
This robotic hand can be 3D printed by anyone and assembled in under 8 hours. Researchers at ETH Zurich created the Orca hand, fully open-sourced with artificial bones and tendons. For context, advanced robotic hands cost over $100,000 and require constant maintenance... Orca...
Humanoid Robot Demos Thrive only in Controlled Labs
This is one reason I'm suspicious of most humanoid robotics companies today. I've seen lots of canned demos in perfect or near perfect conditions. Very very few in uncontrolled settings that were even the slightest bit impressive.
Flexiv Raises Evergreen Funding From Invus to Accelerate Global Adaptive Robot Rollout
Flexiv announced a new strategic investment led by Invus, the evergreen capital firm with $12 billion in assets, to fund R&D and a global sales‑service network. The round, which included existing backers, underscores market confidence in Flexiv’s force‑sensing, embodied‑AI robots that...
New Creation Outshines Dancing Humanoids From Same Pioneers
Absolutely incredible work. This is a lot more impressive than dancing humanoids (and it's from the folks that pioneered the dancing humanoid).
How the US Copied a Cheap Iranian Kamikaze Drone and Used It to Bomb Iran
The United States reverse‑engineered Iran’s cheap Shahed loitering‑munition drone to create the Low‑Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (Lucas). By December 2025 a squadron of Lucas drones was operating in the Middle East, targeting Iranian sites. Each Lucas unit costs roughly...
Achieving New Heights: Luke Bell and the Antigravity Series Propulsion
DIY drone pioneer Luke Bell set a new endurance benchmark by flying his 3D‑printed quadcopter for 3 hours 31 minutes 6 seconds using a T‑MOTOR MN1005 motor paired with G40 × 13.1 propellers. The power package delivered high thrust with negligible heating, showcasing the efficiency of T‑MOTOR’s...
Ondas’ Sentrycs Supports Airspace Protection at World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos
Ondas Inc.’s Sentrycs subsidiary deployed its Cyber‑over‑RF (CoRF) solution within Swisscom Broadcast’s DroneDefence system to protect the lower airspace at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos. The technology delivered continuous detection, identification and electronic mitigation of rogue drones while...
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Biomimetic Drone Patrolling Our Coastlines in the Guise of a Seagull
Guard From Above unveiled the Seagull Evo, a sub‑1.5 kg fixed‑wing drone that replicates a seagull’s silhouette and flight dynamics for covert maritime surveillance. The platform carries electro‑optical or infrared payloads, flies up to 59 minutes, and can launch by hand...