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
Latvian Company Develops Battlefield Logistics Vehicle
Latvian Brasa Defence Systems showcased its UNHUMAN unmanned ground vehicle at Finland’s Griffin Tech Days 2026, operating in Arctic temperatures as low as –27 °C. The 110‑kg robot can transport up to 200 kg of supplies, equipment or casualties and run for roughly 10 hours on a single electric charge, reaching speeds of 13 km/h. Designed for frontline logistics, the platform can also be fitted with a remote weapon station, sensors or communication gear and is built for mass‑production and easy maintenance. The company is seeking international partnerships and sees civilian crisis‑response applications.
Ai2: Building Physical AI with Virtual Simulation Data
Ai2 unveiled MolmoBot, a suite of robotic manipulation models trained exclusively on synthetic data generated in the MolmoSpaces simulation environment. The open‑source stack includes 1.8 million procedurally created trajectories, delivering a 79.2% success rate on real‑world pick‑and‑place tasks—more than double the...
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Grubhub announced a three‑month pilot with Dexa to deliver food via drones from Wonder’s Green Brook location in New Jersey, marking the state’s first FAA‑certified commercial drone food delivery. Eligible customers within a 2.5‑mile radius can order through the Grubhub...
NATO Deploys AI‑Controlled Cockroach Drones for Recon
NATO is testing live cockroaches as AI-powered spy drones. Incredible AI engineering, but also something I kinda wish I hadn't learned about: > Swarm Bio-tactics wired real cockroaches with electronic backpacks containing AI hardware, radios, cameras, and microphones. > Cockroaches are steered by...
Rivian Spin-Out Mind Robotics Raises $500M for Industrial AI-Powered Robots
Mind Robotics, a Rivian spin‑out, closed a $500 million Series A round co‑led by Accel and Andreessen Horowitz, lifting its valuation to roughly $2 billion. The funding follows a $115 million seed round, bringing total capital raised to $615 million since its November 2025 launch. The...
Presenting 3D‑
I’m speaking at #NSBE2026 PCI workshop on robotics and AI with my 3d printed and cardboard robots #ai #robot #stem #engineering #professor NoireSTEMinist.com Black In Engineering blackinrobotics NSBE
FBI Warns Iran Could Launch Short‑range Drones on West Coast
Not the news I like to read, but don't these drones have a much shorter range?
E-Stops, Safety Controllers and Sensors Require Planning and Coordination
The article stresses that emergency stops, safety controllers, and sensors must be designed with coordinated planning rather than ad‑hoc additions. Dual‑channel redundancy and low‑voltage signaling ensure a single failure triggers a safe halt, while over‑specifying safety can provoke workarounds that...
Avatar Leads Street Robotics Lessons for STEM Inclusion
#Noire #Robotics #Engineering #Professor #AI #Avatar teaching robotics to the streets #STEM #STEAM #Robot #Robots #NoireSTEMinist https://t.co/CNWBdQg1uv
Robots Now Sewing Blue Jeans for Trillion‑Dollar Fashion Industry
#WhosNext? Clothing workers? These #Robots Make Blue Jeans for the Trillion-dollar Clothing Industry. (Thomas net) #Robotics https://t.co/YeWCNIrzXX https://t.co/FNscVLNemn
Windracers ULTRA to Be Deployed in Greenland for Glacier Surveying
Windracers ULTRA will be deployed in June 2026 as part of the GIANT programme to collect climate data in northwest Greenland. The heavy‑lift drone can carry over 150 kg and fly up to 2,000 km, enabling autonomous mapping of floating ice‑shelf bases...
U.S. Government Growing Interest in Robotics
On March 10 the U.S. Department of Commerce hosted a roundtable with leaders from robotics, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and investment to chart how the United States can scale Physical AI‑enabled robotics. The discussion covered domestic supply‑chain strengthening, talent pipelines, digital...
Hidonix Is Now a Defense Company
Hidonix Industries announced a strategic shift from commercial applications to a primary focus on defense and public safety, leveraging its spatial intelligence, human‑centric AI, and robotics expertise. The company will target defense operators, emergency responders, and mission‑critical missions requiring precise...
Canopii Looks to Succeed Where Past Indoor Farms Have Not
Portland‑based Canopii has built a fully autonomous robotic greenhouse that can grow up to 40,000 pounds of herbs and specialty greens per year using only a single water spigot and standard household electricity. The company raised about $3.6 million, largely from...
HOJ Innovations’ New AMR Division Adds to Its Inventory Management Software History
HOJ Innovations, a Utah‑based warehouse inventory software veteran with over 60 years of experience, announced the launch of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) division in late October 2025. The new hardware arm integrates directly with its WarehouseOS platform, leveraging a...
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Faraday Future delivered its Master robot and a pilot Aegis robot to Texas‑based NS Federation, marking the company’s second EAI robotics delivery after a home‑sharing operator. The rollout introduces two new application scenarios—Robot & Vehicle + Education and Robot & Vehicle + Performance—targeting schools,...
Hybrid AI Planner Turns Images Into Robot Action Plans
MIT researchers unveiled VLM‑guided formal planning (VLMFP), a hybrid AI system that converts a single image into executable robot action plans. The approach couples a vision‑language simulator (SimVLM) with a generative model (GenVLM) to produce PDDL files for classical planners,...
UK Moves Forward with Project Beehive, Plans 20 New Uncrewed Surface Vessels
The Royal Navy will acquire 20 uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) under Project Beehive, with a £10.25 million contract awarded to Kraken Works. The agreement, decided on 5 March 2026, moves into signing by 23 March and execution through 31 March 2027. Delivered at Technology Readiness Level...
The Download: Pokémon Go to Train World Models, and the US-China Race to Find Aliens
Niantic Spatial, a spin‑out of Pokémon Go creator Niantic, is turning the game’s massive crowdsourced map data into a real‑world model that can ground large language models and give delivery robots centimeter‑level navigation. The firm hopes this will enable autonomous vehicles...
Uber Partners with Zoox for Robotaxi Rides via App
NEWS: Uber has reached an agreement with Zoox to make rides available through the Uber app on the Zoox purpose-built robotaxi starting in Las Vegas this summer and expanding to LA next year. Story and details @TheTerminal with @natlungfy This is...
The DJI Drone Everyone’s Been Waiting for Gets a Launch Date
DJI announced the Avata 360, an 8K flagship 360° drone, with a public unveiling scheduled for March 26. The aircraft merges true spherical video capture with high‑speed FPV flight, featuring a dual‑lens system that can record native 8K 360 footage and switch...
New Partnership to Offer Smart Robots for Dangerous Environments
ADLINK Technology and Under Control Robotics have entered a strategic alliance to develop general‑purpose, bipedal robots for hazardous industrial environments. The collaboration merges ADLINK’s DLAP edge AI platform, built on NVIDIA Jetson Thor, with Noble Machines’ autonomy and whole‑body control software,...
Ambi Robotics Introduces AmbiVision for AI Vision in Distribution Centers
Ambi Robotics unveiled AmbiVision, an AI‑powered vision module that extends its AI Skill Suite for distribution centers. The software adds cognitive OCR, item identification, pose estimation and defect detection, working with any compatible camera system. Leveraging 250,000 hours of production...
US Unveils Lucas, a Drone Matching Shahed's Weight Class
The U.S. has a drone that punches in the same (financial) weight class as the Iranian Shahed. Everybody, meet LUCAS. #shahed #drone #iranwar #geopolitics https://t.co/hoDkzlZII0
Pokémon Go Data Powers Precise Navigation for Delivery Robots
How Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world https://t.co/LRmataUBKU https://t.co/cQ8zvuMnlC
What It Takes to Clear a Million Crimes a Year with Flock Safety's CEO
In this episode, Garrett Langley, CEO of Flock Safety, explains how his company transformed neighborhood security by deploying license‑plate‑reading cameras, AI‑driven analytics, and drones that integrate with 911 calls to create a real‑time crime‑clearance operating system. He recounts the origin...
Australia Orders 40 Additional Bluebottle USVs
The Australian government has approved a $176 million contract with Ocius Technology to procure 40 additional Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessels, raising the navy’s fleet to 55 units. The solar‑, wind‑ and wave‑powered USVs provide long‑endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance across the...
Drones Crash Near Dubai Airport Amid Persistent Iran Crisis
Two drones fall in vicinity of Dubai airport as Iran crisis shows no sign of easing https://t.co/EoSJYIF1uu
Silver‐enhanced Photoresponsive G‐C3N4/Ag Janus Microrobots With Negative Photogravitaxis Efficient Antibiotic Degradation
Researchers have created silver‑enhanced g‑C3N4/Ag Janus microrobots that move upward against gravity when illuminated, a behavior termed negative photogravitaxis. The silver coating improves charge carrier separation, suppressing recombination and boosting photocatalytic activity. This three‑dimensional propulsion increases mass transfer, enabling the...
Greenfield Robotics Unveils Next-Generation Robots for Precision Weed Control and Crop Management
Greenfield Robotics unveiled a new generation of Botony robots featuring tracked locomotion, heavier cutting decks and motors, and a weight increase to roughly 500 pounds. The machines are modular, supporting weeding, foliar feeding and future cover‑crop seeding attachments, and can...
This Sensor Lets DJI Drones Detect Methane and Toxic Gases
AIRINS introduced new multi‑sensor configurations for its Sniffer4D Nano2+ gas detection system, enabling DJI enterprise drones to monitor up to ten gas parameters in a single flight. The solution pairs AI‑driven analytics with lightweight sensors to map methane, hydrogen sulfide,...
Droidup Introduces Moya, Ultra‑Realistic Humanoid Robot
Droidup #Robotics Unveils Moya, a Next-Gen Lifelike Humanoid by @CyberRobooo #AI #Robots #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/4CwkYmLNsI
Australian Drones Replant Tens of Thousands of Trees
#WhosNext? Tree planters? Australia is using #Drone technology to restore ecosystems by planting tens of thousands of trees in fire-damaged regions. (Engineering Brains) #Robotics #Drones #Automation https://t.co/Nd8ChX7OC2
‘Battle Lab’ to Produce Standard Plans for Air Base Counter-Drone Defense
Air Combat Command has tasked the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks AFB to run the Point Defense Battle Lab, a series of monthly 2026 exercises that will test counter‑small‑UAS technologies. The lab issued two RFIs—one for detection, identification and...
Capra Robotics Launches Versatile Mobile Robot for Industry
Capra #Robotics Unveils Advanced Mobile #Robot Platform for Industrial and Urban Operations via @WevolverApp #Robots #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/41tg2cKAKb
HLabs Launches US‑made Plug‑and‑play Robot Electronics
HLabs (@hlabs_) is making plug-and-play electronics and actuators for robots domestically in the USA. These products abstract away all of the complexity in designing and controlling a robot's electronics. Congrats on the launch, @paulcjh_! https://t.co/8p6LYROywW https://t.co/ZR99xbi75C
Garuda Selects Airbus Flexrotor to Expand Its UAS Leasing Portfolio
Airbus Helicopters and Garuda Technologies have signed a contract to deliver up to 18 Flexrotor uncrewed aerial systems. Garuda will integrate the high‑endurance Flexrotor into its leasing portfolio, offering both dry and wet lease options for civil and parapublic missions...
Dual‑arm Robot Pours Precisely Despite External Disturbances
Dual-Arm #Robot Achieves Precision Pouring Under External Disturbance via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #Technology #RPA #Innovation #Automation https://t.co/r3i9TQmap1
China Leads EVs, Must Not Win Robot Race
We let China DOMINATE the EV race, but we CANNOT let them win the humanoid robot race. https://t.co/U68foKXVA0
Poultry Processing Robotics Advances with ChicGrasp
Researchers at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station unveiled ChicGrasp, a dual‑jaw robotic gripper that learns to grasp, lift, and hang chicken carcasses by imitating human motions. The system employs a diffusion‑policy imitation‑learning algorithm and camera perception, achieving an 81% success...
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/cnlGAcOc1Q
Swapped 3D‑printed Arm for Metal, Automating Plate Dispensing
I got tired of futzing with the huggingface printable arm so I ordered a metal one from china. Gonna make it dispense into well plates via a peristaltic and later a universal pipettor module holding my old Gilsons or cheapo...
Finally, A Solution to the Driver Shortage: Humanoid Robots
Autonomous vehicle adoption has lagged behind the growing driver shortage in logistics. Osmosis.AI unveiled a proof‑of‑concept where its AI platform, trained on proprietary data, was transferred to a humanoid robot that successfully navigated a company parking lot. The demonstration suggests...
Wireless EMG Bionic Hand Achieves Independent Finger Control
Wireless EMG-Controlled Bionic Hand with Independent Finger Movement by @CyberRobooo #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/7zrAgN3ahU
Toyota’s “Walk Me” Wheelchair Climbs Stairs with Tentacle‑like Legs
Toyota’s “Walk Me” Wheelchair Uses Tentacle-Like Legs to Conquer Stairs by @MarchUnofficial #Robotics #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/OcGrj7j3dc
Windracers Sets New Safety Benchmark with World-First BARS Status for Heavy-Lift Drones
Windracers, a British dual‑use heavy‑lift drone firm, has become the first heavy‑lift operator worldwide to earn Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) Green status, confirming compliance with the Flight Safety Foundation’s rigorous safety criteria. The certification covers its flagship ULTRA platform,...
Spot 5.1 Transforms Robot Dog Into AI Security Inspector
Spot 5.1 Upgrade Turns Boston Dynamics’ #Robot Dog Into an #AI-Powered Security and Inspection Beast by @BostonDynamics #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/PajvbqFswT
C1: PHYBOT's Friendly Humanoid Robot for Senior Care
Meet C1: PHYBOT’s Cute Humanoid Robot Designed for Senior Care by @CyberRobooo #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML #MI https://t.co/O0VKdDW73H
Eyes in the Sky: The French Drone Redefining Remote Surveillance
Boreal SAS unveiled the BOREAL ISR, a sub‑25 kg fixed‑wing drone that relies exclusively on satellite communications, freeing it from traditional radio‑frequency constraints. The platform launches via catapult, can be readied by two operators in under 30 minutes, and delivers eight hours...
Waterproof Autonomous Drone Camera Works Anywhere
A Waterproof #Autonomous Flying Camera for Any Environment via @ZappyZappy7 #Innovation #TechForGood #EmergingTech #Tech https://t.co/IRkTmCfcgz