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
A Multi-Armed Robot for Assisting with Agricultural Tasks
Researchers at West Virginia University introduced a force‑aware manipulation system for agricultural robots, enabling one arm to safely move plant branches and expose hidden flowers or fruit for a second arm. The method combines an RRT*‑based planner with a geometric heuristic and real‑time force feedback that triggers online replanning when thresholds are exceeded. In 50 trials across five branch poses, the approach achieved a 78% success rate while cutting peak interaction forces from over 100 N to under 40 N. The work paves the way for more delicate, multi‑arm tasks such as pollination, pruning, and harvesting.
Robot Executes Spider‑Man’s Impossible Stunts
Spider-Man’s Jaw-Dropping Stunts Are Pulled Off by a #Robot by @lukas_m_ziegler #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/BYEUYjGkx8
Why Nozzle Choice Determines Commercial UAV ROI More Than Platform Specs
Commercial UAV spraying profitability hinges more on nozzle selection than on drone specifications. Field trials show ultra‑low‑volume (ULV) nozzles improve canopy deposition by 20‑35%, reducing chemical use and repeat passes. Mismatched nozzles increase drift risk, eroding 15‑25% of expected savings...
Agibot Stages Robot-Led Live Show to Demonstrate Humanoids Operating at Scale
Agibot staged “Agibot Night,” the first fully robot‑led live gala streamed to millions. The 60‑minute show featured humanoid robots performing dance, magic, comedy and music, while also collaborating with humans and quadruped robots. The event demonstrated large‑scale coordination across Agibot’s...
Expensive Drones Aren’t Foolproof, Costly Shahed Attacks Persist
Reality check: a ~$20k drone does not have a 100% success rate. @wilendhornets's numbers indicate that Shaheds can be stopped with ~95% effectiveness for ~$2k/shahed. So a single successful shahed attack actually costs ~$400k. Drones augment missiles. They don't replace them.
Robots Gain Touch Sensation with TactileAloha
TactileAloha: Empowering #Robots with the Sense of Touch by @IntEngineering #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #EmergingTech #Innovation https://t.co/7zgVBwX9ig
Segway Navimow Robotic Lawn Mowers Earn TÜV Certification for Minimal Lawn Impact
Segway Navimow’s X420 and i206 AWD robotic lawn mowers have secured TÜV Rheinland’s Lawn Care certification, the first for any robotic mower. The certification confirms Level 2 minimal lawn impact after a simulated year of high‑frequency mowing. Both units demonstrated exceptional...
X Square Robot and 58.com Pilot Home Cleaning Robot Service in Shenzhen
X Square Robot and 58.com have launched China’s first home‑cleaning robot service in Shenzhen, offering a hybrid solution that combines autonomous robots for repetitive chores with human cleaners for complex tasks. The pilot aims to gather real‑world performance data and...
Michael Robbins Testifies Before Congress on Risks of Chinese Robotics and AI
Michael Robbins, CEO of AUVSI, testified before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee warning that China is executing a state‑backed plan to dominate the global robotics and physical AI market. He argued that massive subsidies enable Chinese firms to flood markets...
Profitable Practices: Robotics and Automation Help Greenview Holsteins Tackle Labour Challenges
In this episode of Profitable Practices, fourth‑generation dairy farmer Steve Youngbluff of Greenview Holsteins explains how his family farm uses Lely milking robots, a Vector feeding robot, and other automation to overcome labor shortages and boost profitability. The robots provide...
Kawasaki Develops Collaborative Drone System
Japanese defense giant Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced development of a Collaborative Support Aircraft (CSA) program, exploring two unmanned platforms: a missile‑like system and a conventional UAV‑type aircraft. The concepts are designed for launch from ground, naval vessels, and airborne carriers...
Mitsubishi Heavy Integrates Hivemind AI Into Drone
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries completed flight demonstrations of AI‑powered mission autonomy for its ARMD UAV using Shield AI’s Hivemind Enterprise platform. The full development cycle—from AI design and training to hardware integration and flight—was finished in just eight weeks. Demonstrations took...
Royal Netherlands Navy Receives 12 V-BAT Drones
After extensive testing, the Royal Netherlands Navy has purchased twelve V‑BAT autonomous drones from Shield AI. The drones, fitted with radar and high‑resolution cameras, provide long‑duration, high‑altitude maritime reconnaissance and can operate without satellite connectivity. Control units are being installed...
Hesai Joins Nvidia Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab
Hesai Technology has joined Nvidia’s Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab, the first ANSI‑accredited facility for testing AI‑driven physical systems. The partnership obliges Hesai to evaluate its LiDAR platforms against a unified framework covering functional safety, cybersecurity and AI compliance. Hesai,...
The Buyer's Journey for Warehouse Automation
The episode explores the warehouse automation buying journey from three angles: iAutomate’s CEO Christoph Buchmann explains how the process truly begins with identifying a problem and validating automation as the right solution; Staples Canada’s Mert Selchuk describes a data‑driven, internal...
Tourist Drones Disrupt 83 Flights, Trigger Military Action in Vietnam
In Da Nang, Vietnam, illegal tourist drones caused major disruptions, halting 83 flights over a week during the Lunar New Year. A 25‑year‑old Chinese visitor was seized with a DJI Mavic 3 Pro, and several other foreign tourists have been caught. Drones were flying...
Robotic CT Pushes Boundaries for Inspecting Complex Composite Structures
Omni NDE has upgraded its Robot CT system at the AIMM Center, adding a UR20 cobot, a 130 kV X‑ray source and a 43 × 43 cm detector. The enhancements boost payload to 25 kg and enable two‑micron resolution scans of three‑metre composite parts. Integrated Iris software...
Glencore-Owned Raglan Achieves Autonomous Haulage Milestone at Anuri
Raglan Mine, owned by Glencore, marked a milestone when its first autonomous haul truck successfully discharged ore at the Anuri underground operation in Quebec. The unload was executed from a remote control centre 14 km away using Sandvik’s AutoMine® platform, which...
Videosoft to Showcase Long-Range Drone Video Streaming at XPONENTIAL Europe 2026
Videosoft Global will demonstrate its long‑range video streaming platform at XPONENTIAL Europe 2026, showcasing a 1,000 km beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) drone flight from Klagenfurt, Austria to Düsseldorf, Germany. The live demo uses an AIR8 medium‑lifter equipped with Gotonomi’s Velaris multi‑link module, a...
AI-Powered Robot Learns How to Harvest Tomatoes More Efficiently
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers unveiled an AI‑driven robot that evaluates the “harvest‑ease” of each tomato before attempting to pick it. The system blends image recognition with statistical analysis to select optimal picking angles, achieving an 81% success rate in field...
Skild AI Teams with ABB, Universal Robots and NVIDIA to Deploy Omni‑Body Robot Brain
On March 16, 2026, Skild AI announced a strategic partnership with ABB Robotics, Universal Robots (a Teradyne subsidiary), and NVIDIA in Pittsburgh to ship its omni‑bodied Skild Brain to production lines, including high‑precision assembly for NVIDIA Blackwell systems at Foxconn....
Universal Robots and Scale AI Unveil UR AI Trainer, Imitation‑Learning Platform
On March 17, 2026, Universal Robots and Scale AI announced the UR AI Trainer at Nvidia’s GTC conference, introducing an imitation‑learning platform that lets operators guide robots while automatically capturing synchronized motion, force, and visual data. The launch, highlighted by...
NVIDIA Launches Physical AI Tools, Expands Robotics Partnerships at GTC 2026
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) that the company is rolling out new Physical AI simulation frameworks, Cosmos foundation models and the Isaac GR00T suite. The launch also unveiled an expanded ecosystem of partners—including ABB...
RoboForce Raises $52 Million Series B to Scale Physical‑AI Robots for Industrial Labor
On March 17, 2026, robotics startup RoboForce announced a $52 million Series B funding round led by YZi Labs with participation from Jerry Yang, Myron Scholes, Gary Rieschel and Carnegie Mellon University. The capital will accelerate its physical‑AI robot foundation model, scale...
U.S. Navy Awards $71 Million to Gecko Robotics for Autonomous Ship‑Scaling Inspections
On March 17, 2026 the U.S. Navy announced a five‑year, $71 million IDIQ contract with Pennsylvania‑based Gecko Robotics to field its AI‑driven hull‑scaling robots on 18 ships in the Pacific Fleet. The work, slated to begin within nine months, will cover...
Saildrone and Woolpert Deploy Autonomous Surface Vessel for NOAA Seafloor Mapping
Saildrone and Woolpert have teamed up to collect high‑resolution bathymetric data for NOAA around the Mariana Islands using a 20‑meter autonomous surface vessel, the Saildrone Surveyor. The unmanned platform began mapping a 13,000‑square‑nautical‑mile area of the northwestern Pacific this month,...
Robots and AI Are Tackling some of the Biggest Challenges in Construction
The U.S. construction industry generates about $2.1 trillion annually, yet over three‑quarters of projects face delays due to fragmented monitoring and a skilled‑labor shortage. Virginia Tech and Procon Consulting have created “Mario,” a coordinated system of robots, drones, AI sensing, and computer...
New Igus Modular Autonomous Mobile Robot Platform Is Easy to Configure and Deploy
igus unveiled the ReBelMove Pro, a modular autonomous mobile robot designed for rapid, code‑free deployment across industrial settings. The compact AMR reaches 6.5 mph, lifts 550 lb, and can tow nearly 2,000 lb while mapping 2,150 sq ft in under three minutes using LIDAR, 3D...
Compostable Robot Endures over 1 Million Uses Before Becoming Plant Food
A joint research team from Seoul National University, Sogang University and Johannes Kepler University Linz has created a fully biodegradable soft robot that can endure over one million actuation cycles and then decompose into safe compost. The device uses a...
Evolve Dynamics Appoints Paul Finn-Kelcey as Chief Product Officer to Scale British Uncrewed Systems
Evolve Dynamics has hired former Dyson product leader Paul Finn‑Kelcey as its inaugural Chief Product Officer. The move is aimed at industrialising the company’s small uncrewed aerial systems—FOXE, WOLFE and SKY MANTIS 2—for the British Armed Forces and NATO allies. Finn‑Kelcey will...
Autonomous Navigation of Microrobots in Complex Flows Demonstrated for the First Time
Researchers at Leipzig University have, for the first time, demonstrated that synthetic microswimmers can autonomously navigate complex fluid flows by using their own body shape as a sensor. The team employed reinforcement‑learning algorithms coupled with real‑time optical control, enabling particles...
Humanoid Robots Are Coming, Just Not to Cook Your Dinner (At Least Not Yet)
Humanoid robots are generating buzz at IFA and CES, but the near‑term kitchen solution appears to be countertop cooking devices rather than bipedal machines. Startups such as Posha and Nosh are building appliances that combine multi‑step cooking intelligence with automated...
Booster K1: Rugged, Balanced Robot at Quarter Price
Loving the Booster K1 robot 🤖 It moves + balances very well and is super rugged (it’s survived the bushes already). Also has a fully open API to train and upload your own policies - all at << 1/4 cost...
First NATO Support and Procurement Agency(NSPA) Call-Off Orders Placed for Parrot ANAFI UKR Micro-UAV Systems
Parrot announced that NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has issued its first call‑off orders for the ANAFI UKR micro‑UAV, with deliveries scheduled for Q1 2026 in batches of 100‑500 units and potential scaling to thousands. The initial orders serve the Finnish...
ZenaTech Develops Low-Cost, Single-Use Autonomous Interceptor Drone for ZenaDrone’s Counter-UAS System for US Defense, Middle East, and Ukraine Use
ZenaTech announced that its ZenaDrone unit is developing Interceptor‑P1, a low‑cost, single‑use autonomous VTOL drone designed to physically intercept hostile UAVs. The expendable interceptor targets the cost asymmetry in modern warfare, offering a cheaper alternative to missiles and laser systems....
Advantech and FORT Robotics Collaborate to Advance Safe Physical AI on MIC-735
Advantech and FORT Robotics announced the MIC‑735, an industrial‑grade edge AI system built on NVIDIA’s IGX Thor platform and powered by the IGX T5000 module. The solution embeds functional safety through NVIDIA Halos and FORT’s Nano Safety Controller Pro, delivering up to 2,070 FP TFLOPS...
Ecorobotix Reaches Milestone: 1,000 ARA Ultra-High Precision Sprayers Sold Worldwide
Swiss ag‑tech firm Ecorobotix announced that it has sold 1,000 ARA ultra‑high precision sprayers worldwide over the past five years. The AI‑driven machines deliver a 6 × 6 cm treatment footprint, cutting herbicide use by up to 95% compared with conventional broadcast spraying....
BlueBotics Bridges the Gap Between AGVs and AMRs with the Launch of SmartPass
BlueBotics introduced SmartPass, an add‑on to its ANT software suite that equips AGVs and AMRs with configurable obstacle‑avoidance while keeping them on virtual paths. The function lets robots take the shortest detour around blockages, then return to their predefined route,...
Research Round-Up: Off-Road Autonomy and Multi-Robot Collaboration
Recent research showcases Clearpath Robotics platforms powering advances in off‑road autonomy, precision agriculture, and swarm construction. The University of Rochester used a Warthog to validate the TSEASL planner, achieving smoother, more stable forest navigation. UC Riverside deployed a Jackal in...
NVIDIA GTC 2026: Universal Robots, Scale AI Launch Imitation Learning System to Accelerate AI Model Training
Universal Robots and Scale AI unveiled the UR AI Trainer at NVIDIA GTC 2026, a system that captures high‑fidelity force, torque and vision data to train AI models directly on production‑grade robots. The trainer uses a leader‑follower configuration to record...
Brightpick Launches Gridpicker for High-Throughput Fulfillment
Brightpick unveiled Gridpicker, a high‑throughput fulfillment system that merges a dense grid storage framework with AI‑driven mobile manipulators built on its Autopicker platform. The solution promises up to twice the throughput per square meter of traditional shuttle ASRS and claims...
Braided Robotic Hands Cut Costs, Enable Rapid Customization
This robotic hand can weave itself together in minutes. Allonic developed a process that "braids" robot bodies around a 3D-printed skeleton in a single automated step. The tech draws from the textile industry, using braided fibers instead of traditional mechanical joints and...
LLMs Safe in Code, Dangerous when Controlling Robots
Theory: We don't let LLMs control robots and operate freely in the physical world (yet?) because they'd fall all the time, break everything, and cause massive damage. But in software the falling and the massive damage are invisible, so it's fine. https://t.co/HMltzq20lp
Humanoid Military Robots Deployed to Ukraine for Battlefield Testing
US robotics startup Foundation sent two Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots to Ukraine in February for battlefield testing. The robots, 5'9" tall and weighing 175‑180 lb, are tasked with reconnaissance to evaluate performance under combat conditions. This marks the first known front‑line...
NVIDIA GTC 2026: Vention Debuts Rapid Operator AI for Autonomous Bin Picking
Vention unveiled Rapid Operator AI at NVIDIA GTC 2026, a turnkey system that automates deep bin picking in unstructured environments. Built on the Generalized Robotic Industrial Intelligence Pipeline (GRIIP) and integrated with NVIDIA Isaac models, the solution delivers up to...
Gig Workers Paid to Film Chores for Robot Training
Gig workers are getting paid to film their daily chores to train robots 🤖 https://t.co/3zBLxxppUy https://t.co/7xw9dpgPYB
DJI’s “Fantastic Beginner Drone” With 4K Video and Sub-249g Weight Drops to Lowest Ever Price
DJI has reduced the price of its Neo 2 beginner drone to £199, the lowest it has ever been on Amazon. Weighing just 151 g, the drone stays under the 249 g regulatory threshold, allowing more flexible flying permissions. It offers 4K video...
Körber Teams With NVIDIA to Bring AI Simulations to Warehouses
German automation leader Körber has partnered with NVIDIA to embed AI‑driven simulation tools into warehouse operations. Using NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform, the two companies will create digital twins that let users model layouts, workflows, and new automation before physical changes. The...
Deploying Robots Without Failure Protocols Risks Chaos
Robot “goes rogue” in a restaurant. That’s not the story. The story is this: We’re deploying robots into human spaces without clear failure protocols. Shutdown. Training. Accountability. That’s governance. #RoboticsSafety #AIGovernance https://t.co/xRipns0kSR
Former PLA J‑6 Drones Now Stored as China Advances
In this case, I think it is more likely that these are J-6 drones formerly used by the PLA that have since been withdrawn and are now stored. Chinese drones have moved on…