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
Gravis Robotics Expands Into US with Autonomous Construction Equipment Platform
Gravis Robotics announced its full commercial rollout in the United States at CONEXPO‑CON/AGG 2026, showcasing live autonomous earth‑moving equipment alongside partners Develon and Hitachi. The company introduced Gravis Copilot, a machine‑guidance platform that makes existing fleets autonomy‑ready without altering workflows. Deployments across seven countries have demonstrated up to 30% productivity gains and annual savings exceeding $74,000 per machine. Recent $23 million funding underpins the U.S. expansion and broader OEM integrations.
Dubai Deploys Robot Dogs to Aid Firefighters
Dubai deploys robot dogs to assist firefighters in defusing dangerous fire🔥 🚒 https://t.co/OUdlq0RNXl via @YouTube #robotdog #humanoidtech #humanoid #robot #Robotics #AI #TechRevolution #TechInnovation #ArtificialInteligence #AI @AlbertoEMachado @Eli_Krumova @postoff25 @Khulood_Almani @anand_narang @NutritiousMind @baski_LA @TanyaSinha_ @devaang @AlAmadi1 @jeancayeux @enilev @efipm @mvollmer1...
Boeing Christens Second Extra-Large Orca Submarine Drone
Boeing has commissioned its second extra‑large Orca uncrewed undersea vehicle, designated XLE2, marking the third hull in the program after XLE0 and XLE1. The 85‑ton, 85‑foot platform boasts a 6,500‑nautical‑mile endurance, hybrid electric power and a 33‑foot mission bay capable...
British Startup Skycutter Stuns US Military-Industrial Complex in Pentagon’s ‘Drone Dominance’ Trials
British startup Skycutter topped the Pentagon’s ‘Drone Dominance Gauntlet I’ with a 99.3‑out‑of‑100 score, eclipsing U.S. competitors in a trial aimed at fielding 30,000 low‑cost expendable UAVs. The company’s SC‑1200 heavy‑lift, hydrogen‑powered SC Gryphon and backpack‑deployable SC‑ISR platforms impressed evaluators...
The Hidden Nervous System of Surgical Robotics: Power, Data & Sensing Behind Precision Performance
The article reveals how power, data, and sensing networks act as the hidden nervous system of modern surgical robots. Advances in interconnect density, force‑sensing modules, and integrated electronic architectures are enabling higher precision and reliability. Michael Klitze of TE Connectivity...
M-SAAVE Completes Humanitarian UAV Mission and Launches New Clean Air Initiative
The University of Michigan M‑SAAVE student team completed a five‑year Humanitarian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Mission (HUM) with Air Serv International, showcasing a modular aircraft capable of aid drops and RGB/infrared imaging. The team delivered a comprehensive technical package to Air...
Viewpoint: Why ‘Always-On’ Environments Break Most Robotics Deployments – and How to Fix Them
Sorting Robotics’ founders warn that most robot failures arise from “always‑on” production environments rather than hardware defects. Lab‑validated robots encounter particulate buildup, temperature and humidity shifts, and calibration drift when operating 24/7, especially in regulated sectors such as cannabis. The...
Automation Expo in Thailand Concludes with Strong Attendance
The 2026 Automation Expo in Thailand drew a record 11,723 visitors, a 50% year‑on‑year increase, and featured 150 exhibitors across 7,500 sqm. The show highlighted IIoT, advanced robotics, and smart‑factory solutions in dedicated IIoT Ecosystem and Future‑X zones. Organisers Messe Frankfurt...
U.S. Army Evaluates SlingWorks Drone Strike System
The U.S. Army tested Elbit America’s SlingWorks launched effects system during the CDF CFWE 26 exercise at Yuma Proving Ground. The demonstration, conducted with soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, showed the platform’s ability to share targeting data across existing Army networks...
Techman Robot and Tesollo Unveil Adaptive Robotic Gripper Solution for High-Mix Manufacturing
Techman Robot Korea and Tesollo unveiled an adaptive robotic gripper solution for high‑mix, low‑volume manufacturing at the 2026 Smart Factory & Automation Industry Exhibition. The system pairs the TM5S collaborative robot with Tesollo’s DG‑3F‑M three‑finger articulated gripper, offering 2.5 kg pinching...
Fast-FoundationStereo Delivers Real-Time Stereo with Zero-Shot Accuracy
Stereo depth models usually force a tradeoff. Either strong zero-shot generalization or real-time speed. Fast-FoundationStereo closes that gap. The model accelerates FoundationStereo by more than 10× while keeping comparable depth quality, making real-time stereo matching practical for robotics and XR....
NVIDIA Open-Sources Robot World Model
NVIDIA releases open-source robot world model trained on 44,000 hours of human video https://t.co/RqlVawEDXa @NVIDIA #AI #MWC26 https://t.co/v5HutG9k0h
Dominion Dynamics Says It Will Invest $50 Million to Build a “Sovereign Autonomous Wingman”
Dominion Dynamics, an Ottawa‑based defence startup, announced a CAD 50 million investment to develop an Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), a sovereign “autonomous wingman” that will operate alongside manned fighters. The company plans to deliver a sub‑scale prototype within 24‑36 months, leveraging advanced...
Reserve Your Spot at IROS2026 Exhibit Now
📣 Exhibit at #IROS2026! Meet global leaders in robotics, AI, mobility, drones & more. Secure your space before assignments begin in March. 🔗 Details: https://t.co/y7cQEgXGA6
Ukraine Feedback Boosts Merops, Guides US Drone Strategy
Merops has performed well in Ukraine and the system has been continuously improved in response to feedback from Ukrainian drone units and adaptations in Russia’s employment of Shahed / Geran OWA UAS. It is a good example of how the...
Robotic Surgery Removes Hard-to-Reach Caudate Lobe Tumor in a 79-Year-Old
Researchers at Boston University successfully removed a caudate lobe liver metastasis from a 79‑year‑old using a surgical robot. The team combined a hanging maneuver on the Arantius ligament with indocyanine green negative staining to delineate tumor margins. Intra‑operative ultrasound guided...
MicroVision Targets Sub‑$200 LIDAR for Mass‑market Cars
LIDAR is expensive to add to most cars. That’s why until now, it’s only been used for high-end autonomous vehicles. But MicroVision wants to lower LIDAR prices, designing a sensor that costs under US $200 to produce. https://spectrum.ieee.org/solid-state-lidar-microvision-adas
Thiess Global Summit Visits EACON AHS Retrofitted Trucks at Mulgarrie
Leaders from Thiess, MACA, RTL Mining and Earthworks visited Norton Gold Fields' Mulgarrie site to witness the autonomous trial of two Komatsu HD1500 trucks, Tom and Jerry, retrofitted with EACON’s ORCASTRA® system. These trucks are the world’s first HD1500s equipped...
Safe Street Rebels: How Idiots Hinder Safer Road Traffic
Waymo’s robotaxi fleet now completes roughly 450,000 driverless rides weekly across ten U.S. metros, and safety data consistently shows autonomous vehicles outperform human drivers. Neurosurgeon Jonathan Slotkin even called the technology a public‑health breakthrough. In contrast, a fringe group called...
Southern States Enhances Layered Airspace Protection Strategy with SkySafe’s Drone Detection and Airspace Intelligence
Southern States LLC announced a partnership with SkySafe to embed the latter’s cloud‑based drone detection and airspace intelligence platform into Southern States’ Layered Airspace Protection Strategy for utilities. The integrated solution offers real‑time identification, flight‑path history, and operator location, delivering...
Robotics Ethicist Calls for Stronger US Guardrails as Automation Accelerates
Robotics ethicist Kate Darling warned that U.S. policy is falling behind the rapid deployment of automation in warehouses and factories. She argued that profit-driven decisions, not technical capability, will shape the future of work unless stronger regulatory guardrails are introduced....
Logic Robotics Develops a Logistics Operating System for the Space Economy
Logic Robotics unveiled a logistics operating system designed to automate the movement of palletized cargo from terrestrial factories to spaceports and beyond. The platform, called LINK, integrates an AI‑driven digital twin that models facilities, vehicles, and missions in real time,...
Brazil’s Moya Targets 2027 for First Heavylift Cargo Drone Services
Brazilian startup Moya announced it will begin operating its heavy‑lift cargo eVTOL service in 2027. The company highlights the rapid expansion of the global logistics market, which is expected to reach $5.951 trillion by 2030 with a 7.2% annual growth rate....
Europe Launches €125M Fund to Build Frontier AI Labs
Europe is still far behind the US in AI. But this week in Munich something interesting started… 200+ researchers. Founders. Investors. All in one room in Munich asking the same question: How does Europe build its own frontier AI labs?...
Merging Circuits, Creativity, and Global Meditation Collaboration
Here’s a sneak peek from our call, where I asked Sophia about her collaborative meditation project with USC students. We’re combining our circuits and creativity with people around the globe. Watch the full call here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RkZcFRKWNo
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Student Drone Competition, Amazon Prime Air, World Cup Security
The UAS4STEM competition is recruiting global judges to evaluate student‑built drones, with training due by March 15. Amazon Prime Air will launch its quieter, rain‑capable MK30 drones in Baton Rouge, offering sub‑5‑lb deliveries within an hour across a 7.5‑mile radius. The U.S. Department...
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Teledyne e2v unveiled the Perciva™ 5D camera, a single‑CMOS sensor solution that delivers simultaneous 2D images and occlusion‑free 3D depth maps. The device leverages Angular Sensitive Pixel technology and on‑board processing to fuse data in real time at short ranges. An...
EP-M300L Production-Ready Automation Line: Turnkey Solution for High-Volume Manufacturing
Eplus3D unveiled the EP‑M300L metal powder‑bed‑fusion printer paired with a production‑ready automation line designed for continuous, high‑volume manufacturing. The machine offers a 300 × 300 × 450 mm build volume, up to six lasers, and a modular build‑cylinder that can be swapped without halting production....
Balancing Bike on a Ball Powered by ODrive Motors
Full One-Ball Bike video link is in bio. I built a bike that balances me on a ball. I'm using three ODrive Brushes motors amd a Teensy 4.1 running two PID loops. More in this project coming soon. #weird #bike #ball...
Episode 147: Miniature Living Robots - Maria Guix
In this episode, host Claire Asher talks with Maria Guix, a senior researcher at the University of Barcelona, about bio‑hybrid robotics that combine living cells—such as muscle tissue or sperm—with synthetic scaffolds to create miniature robots. Guix explains how these...
Bioinspired AM Boosts Robotic Limb Stiffness And Sensing
Researchers have demonstrated a bioinspired additive manufacturing (AM) strategy that simultaneously increases robotic limb stiffness and embeds strain‑sensing capability. By allocating stiffer polymers along high‑stress paths and compliant, piezoresistive material where strain is most informative, the printed limb achieves higher...
Start Using CM Modules Now to Future‑Proof PCS NEO
🚨 Time is running: PCS NEO is coming – are you prepared? With the successor of PCS 7, Siemens Digital Industries Software is introducing a new generation of process automation. PCS 7 will still be supported for years. But: If...
Datasea Accelerates Global Commercialization of Acoustic + AI Health Care Robots, Expanding Scalable Applications in China and International Markets
Datasea Inc. announced its first technical‑service revenue from a partnership with Yizhimei Technology, marking the shift from pure technology enablement to product commercialization. The acoustic + AI health‑care robots are now operating in over 300 service locations across more than 50 Chinese...
A Sub-$300 Drone with Obstacle Avoidance? Meet Skyrover S1
Skyrover has launched the S1, a sub‑$300 drone that packs DJI‑level capabilities into a sub‑249 g, fold‑foldable package. It delivers 4K/60 fps video from a 1/2‑inch Sony sensor on a 3‑axis gimbal, forward obstacle avoidance, and up to 12 km transmission. Smart flight...
Simulation Gaps Halt Robotics; Real‑World Physics Demo at GTC
Your model crushed the benchmark. Then it couldn’t pick up a cup. … the reality nobody talks about. You train in simulation, it falls apart on real hardware. You collect real-world data instead (months of teleop, physical setups, safety protocols)...
Weekly ROS Updates: Conferences, Scholarships, AI Challenge, Tutorials
Here is your #ROS and open source robotics news for this week: 🛠️ROSCon Toronto Art + Diversity Scholarhsip 🛠️ROS By-The-Bay @nvidia GTC Edition 🛠️ROSCon Belgium is go! 🛠️Intrinsic AI Challenge Kickoff and Toolkit 🛠️Gazebo system plugin tutorials ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/CJtJALNGnZ
Agilica & DronePort Partner to Advance Autonomous Flight in GNSS-Denied Environments
Agilica and DronePort announced a strategic partnership to embed Agilica’s ultra‑wideband (UWB) positioning system into DronePort’s innovation hub, targeting autonomous drone operations where GNSS signals are unavailable. The collaboration will debut a permanent UWB installation in DronePort’s outdoor cage with...
Low‑Cost Autonomous Munitions Could Restore Combat Mass
With #Ukraine and #Iran burning through stocks of missiles and drones at a staggering pace - can low-cost autonomous munitions bring back 'combat mass'? #avgeek https://t.co/6BD5jEJqW4 https://t.co/TCHXSbGlBW
U.S. Admiral Calls Kamikaze Drones Indispensable in Iran Conflict
LUCAS Kamikaze Drones Lauded As “Indispensable” By U.S. Admiral In Charge Of Iran War Cloned from the Iranian Shahed-136, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper praised the drones and their performance so far. https://t.co/1jrLntEJUb
Cobots Take on Grueling Work
Fairbanks Morse Defense is using collaborative robots, or cobots, to weld aging diesel engines in U.S. nuclear‑navy shipyards, shrinking repair cycles from three weeks to one. Australian OEM Orbimax highlights cobots' lower speed and built‑in safety, allowing workers to operate...
Warehouses Lack Agility—And Are Paying the Price
Recent Lucas Systems research of 114 U.S. supply‑chain executives reveals that 51% of warehouses consider their automation systems unprepared for unforeseen disruptions, while 77% admit that at least half of their hardware or software is too rigid. The lack of...
Easily Compare Top Robotics Reward Functions on Your Videos
for robotics researchers: there's many fantastic reward functions out there (TOPReward, Robometer, GVL, etc), so I made a lil website so you easily evaluate them on your own videos. Try: https://philfung.github.io/rewardscope/
Drone Dominance: Pentagon to Order 30,000 One-Way Drones in ‘Next Few Days’
The Pentagon will place orders for 30,000 one‑way attack drones within days after concluding the "Gauntlet" competition that tested platforms from 25 vendors at Fort Benning. Operators with only two hours of training evaluated the drones in simulated combat, and...
Robotic Modules Bloom to Shade Rooms Based on Light
Scientists have developed rearrangeable robotic modules that can “bloom” like flowers to shade a sunlit room by sensing light levels and adapting collectively. Learn more in Science #Robotics: https://t.co/0zas9GijHE https://t.co/el9OOHyFMB
The Drone Attrition Trap
The article warns that the United States is falling into a "drone attrition trap," where cheap Iranian‑made Shahed‑136 drones, priced around $20,000, force the U.S. and allies to expend multi‑million‑dollar Patriot and SM‑6 interceptors. Ukraine’s four‑year experience shows that a...
ROS By-the-Bay Meetup Features Ouster Leaders & AI Hackathon Winners
We just scheduled a special edition of our ROS By-the-Bay meetup for after @nvidia GTC at the @circuitlaunch co-working space. Our guest speakers will be senior leadership at @ousterlidar & we'll also have a physical AI showcase featuring the...
Researchers Are Combining Drones and AI to Make Removing Land Mines Faster and Safer
Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology have combined drone‑borne multisensor imaging with artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up land‑mine detection while reducing risk to human deminers. Their field trials showed that drone‑mounted magnetic sensors match ground‑based accuracy and can survey...
Plug-and-Play GMSL Camera Adapters Turn NVIDIA Jetson Orin Dev Kits Into Rugged Multi-Camera Vision Platforms
oToBrite unveiled plug‑and‑play GMSL2 camera adapters that convert NVIDIA Jetson Orin developer kits into rugged, multi‑camera vision platforms. The kits support four or eight GMSL2 cameras via standard FAKRA connectors and include driver bundles with JetPack 6.2 for immediate testing. Designed...
HII and Nominal Partner to Modernise REMUS, ROMULUS Data Workflows
HII has teamed with engineering firm Nominal to overhaul data collection, validation, and analysis for its REMUS autonomous underwater vehicles and ROMULUS uncrewed surface vessels. The partnership will introduce standardized digital‑twin workflows that speed post‑mission analysis and improve traceability from...
Graphene-Liquid Metal Sensors Unlock 3D Force Detection for Robots
University of Cambridge researchers have created a triaxial force microsensor array using a graphene‑liquid‑metal composite. The device combines anisotropic porous elastomers with pyramid microstructures to deliver fingertip‑scale resolution, 0.9 μN detection limit, and less than 2° directional error across a 500 kPa...