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
The Future Of Warehouse Inventory Is Flying | Fast Five Shorts
The episode discusses Kroger's deployment of Corvus Robotics' autonomous inventory drones, called Corvus 1, in sub‑freezing warehouse environments to perform cycle counts without human intervention. Hosts Chris and Jen highlight how the drones operate without Wi‑Fi, markers, or infrastructure changes, delivering weekly inventory visibility and improving accuracy. They emphasize the safety benefits of removing employees from dangerous freezer conditions and note the operational efficiencies gained. The conversation draws on Chris's personal experience working in cold‑chain freezers, underscoring the practical advantages of the technology.
Video‑trained Robots Achieve Ten‑fold Faster Control
What if robots learned from watching videos instead of being programmed? That's the bet Rhoda AI just made with $450 million. Most robot companies teach machines "what things are." They use vision-language models trained on internet images and text, then fine-tune...
Dallas, Texas Is a Drone and 3D Printing Place to Be
North Texas, particularly the Dallas suburbs, has quietly become a national hotspot where drone manufacturing and 3D printing intersect. Companies such as Eagle NXT, Shield AI, and Delta Black Aerospace are scaling operations in Allen, Frisco and McKinney, using additive manufacturing for rapid...
Drones Revolutionize Wildfire Fighting, Saving Firefighters' Lives
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲. 🚁🔥 I’ve been following how robotics is entering emergency response, and drones are starting to change the way wildfires are fought. Instead of sending crews directly into dangerous areas, drones can now: → reach hotspots much faster → drop water...
Video-Generated Robot Control Achieves Complex Tasks with Minimal Data
Learning from robot data? Standard. Direct Video-Action Models (DVA) is different: treat robot control as video generation, then translate the generated video into actions. Built by Rhoda AI , the system pre-trains causal video models from scratch and can run...
FEATURE: Japan Opens "Sky Paths" For Drones to Inspect Power Lines
Japan is establishing government‑approved "sky paths" for drones to patrol and inspect power‑line networks, targeting a 40,000 km corridor by fiscal 2035. Early routes already cut inspection time from over eight hours with two workers to about three hours with a...
Stretchable Metal‑Polymer Wires Enable Flexible Future Electronics
𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗪𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸. 👏 Researchers in China have developed a Metal-Polymer Conductor (MPC) by combining elastic polymers with liquid metals like gallium and indium. The result is quite remarkable. A circuit that can: → stretch → twist → fold → bend repeatedly …and still conduct electricity. Traditional...
Size Doesn't Matter in 3D‑Printed Robot Battles
Does size matter for combat robots that are 3D Printed? I don’t think so. @accucomponents brings some serious robot fighting into sanjaymortimerfoundation 2026 #robotics #3dprintinglife #3dprinting
Tesla's 'Fleet' Of Unsupervised Robotaxis In Texas Appears To Have Been Cut From 8 Cars To Only 4
Tesla’s unsupervised robotaxi fleet in Austin has shrunk from eight vehicles to roughly four, according to the Robotaxi Tracker. The reduction follows a series of safety incidents, including repeated failures to stop at active railroad crossings and a crash rate...
Canvas Robot Perfectly Maps, Sprays, and Sands Walls
Meet Canvas: The #Robot That Maps, Sprays and Sands Walls to Perfection by @Canvas_Build #FutureTech #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology #Tech https://t.co/RR8e3KPhii
Drones Aim to Detect and Extinguish Wildfires Early
What if we could use technology to identify wildfires, then extinguiwh them before they spread? That’s what Crossfire, a research team, is trying to accomplish with drones. There’s a multi-million dollar contest awarding the best wildfire-dousing tech. #wildfire #drones #tech #fire
Travis Kalanick Debuts Plan for ‘Gainfully Employed Robots’
Travis Kalanick, Uber co‑founder, has unveiled Atoms, a rebranded version of his real‑estate firm City Storage Systems. Atoms will develop “gainfully employed robots” for the food, mining and transport sectors, leveraging CloudKitchens’ ghost‑kitchen platform. The venture expands beyond culinary automation...
Robotic Surgery Expands Into AI-Enhanced Precision
Robots’ potentials have been a fascination for humans and have even led to a booming field of robot-assisted surgery. Surgical robots assist surgeons in performing accurate, minimally invasive procedures that are beneficial for patients’ recovery. The assistance of robots extend beyond incisions...
Professor Demonstrates Color‑Tracking Robotics on Pi Day
#Nori #AI #Avatar #Robotics #Engineering #Professor teaches color tracking #PiDay #HappyPiDay #NoireSTEMinist #STEM #Robot https://t.co/h3RK0ZadpM https://t.co/EnFpCj55pr
AMC Robotics and HIVE Announce Collaboration to Advance AI-Driven Robotics Compute Infrastructure
AMC Robotics (NASDAQ: AMCI) announced a strategic collaboration with HIVE Digital Technologies (TSXV: HIVE) to use HIVE’s GPU‑accelerated AI compute infrastructure for its expanding robotics development. The partnership already powers the Kyro™ quadruped robot, demonstrated at the Tokyo Security Show...
Musk Vows Annual Optimus Releases; 3 in Summer, 4 by 2027
@elonmusk plans to release a new humanoid robot every year. Optimus 3 begins production in the summer, while Optimus 4 designs are completed by 2027. https://t.co/S88tvfrRF8
Humanoid Robots Master Shaolin Kung Fu
Steel Meets Shaolin: Humanoid #Robots Take on Kung Fu by @reborn_agi #AI #MachineLearning #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #ML #Technology https://t.co/I35FGdpylV
After Ukraine, FPV Drones Could Take on Arctic Warfare
First‑person‑view (FPV) drones that proved decisive in Ukraine are now being field‑tested in the Arctic by Norway and the United States during NATO’s Cold Response 2026 exercise. Norway awarded a $9.4 million contract for the American‑made Skydio X10D, equipping its long‑range...
Cracking the 5 Roadblocks to Robot Commercialization
How robot companies can overcome 5 barriers to commercialization, by Jeff Mahler, savvy and experienced CTO of @AmbiRobotics: https://t.co/mMsBCfLGIA https://t.co/qvdhagmht5
Bio‑Robotic Cockroach Swarms Boost Search‑and‑Rescue
SWARM Biotactics Develops Bio-#Robotic Cockroach Systems for Next-Gen Search and Rescue Missions by @_fluxfeeds #Robots #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/zKyPr367vG
UAS Operator Camcopter® S-100
Schiebel Group, a global leader in unmanned helicopters, is recruiting EU‑based UAS operators for its Camcopter® S‑100 platform. Candidates will undergo a two‑week training program in Austria before being deployed on short‑term (3‑6 months) or longer‑term (12 months) contracts worldwide, including land and...
Adaptive AI Enables Safe Robot Operation Anywhere
On-Site #Robot Intelligence: Adaptive #AI for Safe Operation in Unknown Environments via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #Transportation #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/ADI0dkqYWf
FBI Warns of Potential Ship‑launched Armed Drones
Drone Attacks On U.S. From The Sea Are A Known Possibility An FBI alert about the possibility of armed drones launched from a ship reflects real dangers even if the immediate threat is not credible. https://t.co/CbwY1nAmJR
Ed Mehr on Transforming Manufacturing at Machina Labs
In this episode, host Mike Oitzman and editorial director Gene Dimitri discuss highlights from Automation World 2026 in Seoul, noting Korea's massive robot density, the mix of domestic and international exhibitors, and the strategic importance of government support. The conversation...
Submit IROS2026 Workshop/Tutorial Proposals by March 16
📚 Call for Workshops & Tutorials for #IROS2026! Lead an interactive session or tutorial on emerging robotics research. 🗓 Due Mar 16 🔗 https://t.co/3Qb7wQEhFG
VinMotion Unveils Motion 2 Humanoid for Logistics
Motion 2 Arrives: VinMotion’s Next-Gen Humanoid for Industrial #Logistics by @CyberRobooo #AI #Robotics #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/CnBlyhQFdf
New Chip Lets Robots See in 4D by Tracking Distance and Speed Simultaneously
Researchers have created a silicon chip that integrates a 61,952‑pixel focal‑plane array capable of both emitting and receiving FMCW LiDAR signals, delivering 4D imaging that captures distance and speed simultaneously. The prototype generated detailed 3D point clouds at ranges from...
Elon Musk’s Digital Optimus Could Transform AI Interaction
For the Tesla community: What could @elonmusk do with a "Digital Optimus" that he announced he is working on this week? https://t.co/ULTS8YhPms
Use Task‑specific Robots, Not Humanoids, for Lab Automation
Bingo. Couldn't agree more with @travisk here -- humanoid robots aren't right for the scientific lab either. You want the specialized robot best suited for the job at hand. We learned that at @ginkgo the same way, by...
Dermalogica Deploys Corvus Robotics Inventory System
Dermalogica, the professional skincare brand, has installed Corvus Robotics’ Corvus One aerial inventory drones at its Carson, California distribution center. The AI‑driven system autonomously scans the warehouse 52 times a year, a 600 % rise over the previous manual cycle‑count process...
Ukraine Bans Export of Shahed Interceptor Drones
Ukrainian Companies Prohibited From Exporting Shahed Interceptor Drones Waves of Iranian Shahed drone attacks across the Middle East have spurred widespread interest in Ukrainian interceptors. https://t.co/HIO47E6I2c
Sensofusion Unveils Portable Drone Factory in Shipping Container
Sensofusion has today announced the Tactical Drone Factory: a fully self-contained interceptor drone manufacturing facility built inside a standard shipping container. Shipping worldwide in May (export restrictions apply). https://t.co/h8FszYdeAo https://t.co/RgZ7xuuGiT
Medical Logistics Drone Delivery Test for Rotunda Hospital with Manna
Manna Air Delivery partnered with Rotunda Hospital to simulate a drone‑based transfer of blood and critical supplies to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, showcasing the feasibility of rapid aerial logistics in Dublin. The test mirrors UK NHS trials where drone delivery...
MIT Cheetah Sets New Standard for Agile Robotics
MIT Cheetah: The Agile Quadruped #Robot Redefining High-Performance Legged Locomotion by @IntEngineering #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/mjWx6COYxN
French Engineers Launch Ultra-Stable Drone for Precise Flight
French Engineers Unveil Ultra-Stable #Drone System Redefining Aerial Precision by @tweetciiiim #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/IY8Yj4jYwY
This 300-Mile Cargo Drone Is Moving Closer to Deployment
Elroy Air has been chosen for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, becoming the sole cargo‑focused participant among air‑taxi developers. Its Chaparral autonomous VTOL drone can transport up to 300 pounds over roughly 300 miles using a hybrid‑electric powertrain...
Why Physical AI Is Becoming Manufacturing’s Next Advantage
Manufacturers are moving beyond traditional automation toward physical AI—systems that can sense, reason, and act in real‑world factory settings. The shift emphasizes intelligence and trust rather than mere cost‑cutting, positioning AI as a collaborative teammate for human operators. Microsoft and...
AI Robot Leverages 3D Maps to Locate Lost Items
An AI search robot uses 3D maps and internet knowledge to find lost items 🤖 https://t.co/8s2JBU3308 https://t.co/pQCM9RdV1a
U.S. Army Tests Polaris Autonomous Ground Vehicles in Germany
The U.S. Army’s xTech|Edge Strike: Ground competition in Germany showcased autonomous variants of Polaris’s MRZR D4, RANGER XD 1500 and RZR XP 1000, integrated by Dataspeed, Forterra and Overland AI. The demonstrations focused on logistics, reconnaissance and casualty‑evacuation missions, proving that commercial off‑road platforms can be...
Robotic Arms in Modern Industry: How Automated Gripping Systems Are Changing Production
Robotic gripping arms are becoming standard fixtures on modern production lines, delivering repeatable precision for tasks such as milling, drilling, and component placement. Sensors and encoders monitor every movement, eliminating the variability of manual handling. The technology now spans automotive...
Women in Robotics 2026 Awarded by International Federation of Robotics
The International Federation of Robotics announced the 2026 Women in Robotics award, honoring 11 women from Asia, Europe and the Americas for pioneering work in robotics and AI. The award comes as global industrial robot installations are forecast to exceed...
Chef Vs. Robot
In this episode, Planet Money explores the rise of robot chefs, pitting an automated wok robot named Robbie against a seasoned human chef, Chef Fong, in a taste‑test showdown. The segment showcases the robot’s speed and consistency while highlighting the...
Blowflies' Optimized Sensor Mechanics Inspire Robotic Flight
A new Science #Robotics study shows that blowflies are evolutionarily tuned to optimize signal transfer from mechanical input to flight control sensors, which could inform future robotic designs. https://t.co/HQUR8LdubY https://t.co/e3hD64YDeM
Zephyr Drone Simulator Integrates NIST Payload Delivery Test Method for Public Safety Training
Zephyr Drone Simulator (ZDS) has incorporated a NIST‑validated payload‑delivery and retrieval test method into its platform, offering public‑safety drone pilots a standardized training and evaluation tool. The methodology, co‑developed by DRONERESPONDERS, NIST, OMADA Group, and CERRA, provides data‑driven performance benchmarks...
Intercepting Shahed and Other Strike UAVs — a New Stage in the Evolution of Air Defense Technologies
Drone Fight Group, Bat Drones and Ukrainian maker PG Robotics have begun serial production of the Angel Spire interceptor drone, aimed at neutralising Shahed‑type loitering munitions and other hostile UAVs. The platform can cruise between 150 and 290 km/h and reach targets up...
SEALSQ and Parrot Expand Partnership to Secure Drones with PQC
SEALSQ Corp and Parrot SA are expanding their partnership to embed post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) into Parrot’s next‑generation professional drones. The collaboration will integrate NIST‑approved CRYSTALS‑Kyber and CRYSTALS‑Dilithium algorithms at the semiconductor level, building on existing SEALSQ secure elements in the...
FORTNA Offers OptiSweep to Automate Sortation
FORTNA introduced OptiSweep, an automated sorter close‑out solution that pairs its proprietary software with Geek+ autonomous mobile robots. The system retrieves orders from sorter divert points and delivers them to goods‑to‑person stations, handling 4,000‑34,000 units per hour. By replacing manual...
AI Robotics Unicorn Sharpa and NVIDIA Bridge the Simulation Gap for Dexterous Robot Training
Sharpa, a unicorn AI robotics firm, announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to close the simulation gap for training dexterous robots. The joint effort produced Tacmap, a high‑fidelity yet fast simulation framework that uses a shared geometric representation and will be...
Reply at NVIDIA GTC: Digital Twins and Physical AI Driving the Next Stage of Industrial Value Creation
Reply showcased at NVIDIA GTC how digital twins and physical AI can unlock new industrial value. The company demonstrated a self‑learning edge AI platform that validates and retrains models on connected robots, leveraging NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac Sim. Joint presentations...
Sitma Introduces PackHub, a Compact Automated Bagging System for Faster Order Fulfillment
Sitma unveiled PackHub, a compact automated bagging system that streamlines order fulfillment by automating bag feeding, orientation, and labeling. The unit’s 500‑bag hopper and precision friction feeder can cut packaging time by up to 50% per order while preserving a...