Poland Marks First Flights of ZEUS Unmanned Aircraft
Poland’s Ekolot Aerospace & Defense completed the inaugural test flights of its ZEUS unmanned aircraft, demonstrating stable, autonomous operation in conventional take‑off and landing (CTOL) mode. The modular platform, developed with Spain’s UAV Navigation‑Grupo Oesía, can be reconfigured for VTOL or CTOL missions, supporting take‑off weights from 100 kg to 350 kg and payloads up to 150 kg. Endurance ranges from 12 to 24 hours depending on configuration, and the system incorporates advanced navigation that can operate without GNSS signals. These flights mark the first operational validation of a versatile, long‑duration UAV designed for remote or contested environments.
US Navy Picks Robot Sub “Mothership” To Unleash Underwater Drone Swarms
The U.S. Navy has chosen Anduril Industries’ Dive‑XL autonomous submarine for its Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) initiative. The 27‑foot, free‑flooding design serves as a “mothership” that can launch smaller AUVs such as Copperhead and Seabed Sentry. Its modular payload...
MODEX 2026 Preview: AI, Robotics & Supply Chain Innovation Take Center Stage
MODEX 2026, scheduled for April 13‑16 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center, will host over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 200 free educational sessions focused on AI, robotics, and supply‑chain digital transformation. The agenda features high‑profile keynote speakers such as...
RSI Europe – FPV Drone Operator
RSI Europe, a fast‑growing Lithuanian defense tech firm, announced a vacancy for a Product Operator focused on its FPV drone systems. The role combines client training, after‑sales support, and direct feedback to product engineers, requiring extensive drone expertise and multilingual...
Delivery Drones Cleared for Flight over Populated Cities in Brazil
Brazil’s civil aviation authority (ANAC) approved a national framework allowing beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) delivery drones to operate over densely populated areas. The rule lets Speedbird Aero’s DLV‑2 A25 fly over zones with up to 5,000 people per square kilometre and the...
Simple Motor Networks Mimic Human Muscle Behavior Under Increasing Load
Scientists at the University of Bristol have built a tabletop network of simple electric motors that self‑organize into coordinated traveling waves, reproducing the load‑dependent recruitment seen in human muscle. The motors interact only through a shared backbone, creating mechanical feedback...
Turkish Firm Develops New-Gen Kamikaze Drone Boat
Turkey’s state‑owned defense firm MKE unveiled the PİRANA kamikaze unmanned surface vessel, a low‑cost, high‑speed USV designed for naval strike missions. The craft can travel over 40 knots, carry a 100‑kilogram warhead and operate up to 200 nautical miles, either solo or...
Airbus Is Fitting AI War Drones for the German Air Force with First Flight Due in 2026
Airbus is integrating its European MARS mission system, featuring the MindShare AI, into two Kratos Valkyrie combat drones for the German Air Force. The first flight is targeted for late 2026, with full operational capability expected by 2029. The Valkyrie...
AI-Evolved Adaptable Robot Is Almost Impossible to Destroy
Northwestern University researchers leveraged AI‑driven evolutionary algorithms to create a modular "legged metamachine" that can reconfigure itself and keep moving after losing parts. Each Lego‑like module contains its own battery, motor and computer, allowing the assembled robot to crawl, roll,...
Overland AI to Showcase Autonomy Solutions at AUSA
Overland AI will unveil its ULTRA fully autonomous tactical vehicle at the AUSA Global Force exhibition in Huntsville next week. The company ties ULTRA directly to the Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative, which emphasizes early field testing with soldiers. By...
Bluebottle USV to Feature in Australian Navy’s Fleet Review for the First Time
Australia’s Royal Australian Navy will feature the Ocius Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessel in the Exercise Kakadu Fleet Review on 21 March 2026, marking the first time a USV is displayed alongside crewed ships in a formal navy review. The inclusion follows a $176 million...
Perciva 5D Camera: Occlusion-Free 3D Vision for Industrial, Retail, and Robotic Imaging
Teledyne e2v introduced the Perciva 5D camera, a short‑range 3D vision system that combines 2D imaging and depth mapping in a single CMOS sensor. The device uses angular‑sensitive pixel technology and an on‑board neural‑processing unit to deliver real‑time, occlusion‑free depth maps...
A Photojournalist Is Challenging FAA’s Drone Ban over DHS Vehicles
The FAA’s recent Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) FDC 6/4375 bans all drone flights within 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically of Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Department of Homeland Security facilities and mobile assets. Photojournalist Rob Levine, represented by the...
Three Ways AI Is Learning to Understand the Physical World
Large language models struggle with physical causality, driving a surge in "world model" research and billion‑dollar funding rounds from AMI Labs and World Labs. Researchers are exploring three architectural families—JEPA’s latent, real‑time embeddings, Gaussian‑splat 3D scene generators, and end‑to‑end generative...
MISUMI, Oishii Farm Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership
MISUMI Group Inc. has signed a strategic partnership with U.S. vertical farming pioneer Oishii Farm Corporation. Through its recently acquired subsidiary Fictiv, MISUMI will provide mechanical components for Oishii’s Ametalas Farm, leveraging AI and robotics to fine‑tune temperature, humidity, lighting...
C&C Marine Expands 24 Acres, Builds Automated Spool Shop
C&C Marine & Repair announced a 24‑acre expansion of its Belle Chasse facility and the construction of a fully automated spool shop, touted as the most advanced in the United States. The shop will house CNC bending, plasma cutting, blasting,...
AI Aims for Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation
Researchers at Germany’s DFKI unveiled prototype smart wheelchairs equipped with dual lidars, a 3D camera, odometers and an embedded computer, capable of both semi‑autonomous joystick control and fully autonomous navigation via natural‑language commands using ROS2 Nav2. The system integrates external...
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) lets robots create and navigate maps without GPS by fusing LiDAR, cameras, IMUs and wheel encoders. Modern SLAM favors graph‑based optimization, which scales better than early EKF approaches and supports real‑time pose estimation. Loop‑closure detection...
US Army Signals End of Traditional Combat with Drone Shift
The U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division conducted a live‑fire drill at Fort Campbell showcasing drones as the initial combat element rather than mere support tools. Multiple UAV platforms, from the MQ‑1C Gray Eagle to small reconnaissance drones, operated alongside Special...
Drone Pilots Face $100K Fines Under New DOD Crackdown
The Department of Defense, together with the DOJ, DHS, and FAA, has launched a coordinated crackdown on illegal drone operations under the White House Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty. Violations in restricted airspace such as airports, military bases,...
The University of Texas at El Paso Is Gearing up to Build Drone Tech
The University of Texas at El Paso’s Aerospace Center secured a $2 million congressional grant to expand its unmanned‑air‑system (UAS) capabilities. The funding will upgrade the Tornillo and Fabens test sites with enhanced power, computing, networking, radar, and beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) operations....
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
BEUMER and Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML Launch “Enterprise Lab”
BEUMER Group has entered a three‑year strategic partnership with Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML to launch an "Enterprise Lab" dedicated to mobile robotics. The lab, located at Fraunhofer’s Dortmund site, will host five full‑time researchers working alongside...
Generative AI Improves a Wireless Vision System that Sees Through Obstructions
MIT researchers have combined generative AI with millimeter‑wave (mmWave) radar to reconstruct hidden 3D objects and entire indoor scenes. The new Wave‑Former system fills gaps in partial reconstructions, boosting shape‑accuracy by roughly 20 % over prior methods. An expanded system called...
OMRON Introduces Detection Module for Clean Suit Environments
OMRON Electronic Components launched the B5T‑007003 Human Vision Component (B5T HVC‑P2), a compact camera module designed to detect workers wearing clean‑room garments. The device uses specialized firmware to recognize human presence despite protective clothing, supporting multiple viewing angles for flexible...
Power, Precision, and Practical Efficiency
Electric motors drive most industrial motion, accounting for roughly two‑thirds of factory electricity use. Servo systems, unlike fixed‑speed motors, operate across a wide torque‑speed envelope, making a single efficiency rating impossible. Engineers rely on efficiency maps and design practices—right‑sizing, material...