Can Pepper the Robot Be a Good Playmate?
Researchers at Norway’s NTNU examined how the humanoid robot Pepper performs as a playmate in a controlled trash‑can basketball experiment. Participants played both cooperatively and competitively, with variations in who started the game, to measure engagement, motivation and enjoyment. The study found that cooperative modes and allowing humans to start yielded the highest enjoyment, while Pepper’s stiff, overly aggressive behavior caused frustration. The authors conclude that robot design must align pace, role and responsiveness with human expectations to be effective play partners.
France Issues RFI for Future Collaborative Combat UAV with Carrier-Capable Focus
France’s defence procurement agency (DGA) issued a Request for Information on June 4, 2026 for a Collaborative Combat UAV System (CCA) that can operate from aircraft carriers. The RFI calls for unmanned platforms capable of catapult launch, carrier landing and tight integration...
Barcelona-Based THEKER Raises €73 Million Series A to Accelerate AI Robotics Deployment
Barcelona‑based AI robotics startup THEKER announced a €73 million ($85 million) Series A round led by CRV, with participation from Samsung, LVMH, Henkel Ventures and other backers. The capital will speed up deployments with tier‑one industrial operators and expand the company’s software, electronics...
Teradyne Robotics Unveils Wide Range of Production-Ready Physical AI Applications at Automate 2026
Teradyne Robotics used Automate 2026 in Chicago to launch a suite of production‑ready physical AI solutions, including the MiR1200 Pallet Jack and the next‑generation PolyScope X software platform. PolyScope X introduces PLC‑style Logic Programs that let robots run continuous background logic, reducing reliance...
Vivo Robotics Team Wins ICRA 2026 AGIBOT World Challenge Reasoning to Action Track
vivo's PrismBot robotics team captured first place in the Reasoning to Action Track at the ICRA 2026 AGIBOT World Challenge in Vienna, beating a field of 526 teams from 27 countries. The same system also secured a top‑three finish in...
Visual Components Launches New Version of Its Factory Simulation Software
Visual Components has released version 5.1 of its 3D factory simulation platform, adding high‑fidelity physics, 10× faster performance, and the ability to run hundreds of autonomous mobile robots, AGVs and people in a single virtual environment. The update also introduces...
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Blackline Safety and MFE Inspection Solutions have teamed up to mount Blackline’s cloud‑connected portable gas detector on Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. The integrated system streams real‑time gas concentrations, alerts and GPS data to Blackline Live, allowing remote teams to assess...
AI Robot Cleaners Leave the Lab for China's Living Rooms
Chinese household‑help platform 58.com has teamed with robotics firm X Square to offer an AI‑powered cleaning service using the Quanta X1 Pro robot. Priced at 149 yuan (≈ $22) for a three‑hour session, the service is available in Beijing and Shenzhen and has attracted about...
HSE Prepares Guidance for Using Robots Alongside Humans
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is drafting the nation’s first guidance on collaborative robots, or cobots, to help companies safely integrate them alongside human workers. Working with the Regulatory Innovation Office, Automate UK and the Manufacturing Technology Centre,...
Nvidia Unveils Open Humanoid Robot Platform for Robotics Research
Nvidia unveiled the Isaac GR00T Reference Humanoid Robot, an open platform that merges a Unitree H2 Plus robot, Sharpa Wave five‑finger tactile hands, and Jetson AGX Thor computing powered by a Blackwell GPU. The system bundles Nvidia's Isaac GR00T software...
Orqa Unveils MRM2 10AI Tactical Drone for Contested Electronic Warfare Environments at Eurosatory
Orqa unveiled the MRM2‑10AI tactical drone at Eurosatory 2026, targeting contested electronic‑warfare environments. The system combines a hybrid radio‑and‑fiber‑optic communications suite with automatic failover, allowing uninterrupted control under jamming or GNSS disruption. Its new Auto Pilot Board delivers vision‑based terminal...
New Compact Edge AI Platform for Fiber Optics-Controlled Drone Systems
Maris-Tech unveiled an ultra‑compact edge AI platform built on a system‑on‑chip architecture for advanced drone payloads. The solution integrates multimedia and artificial‑intelligence functions, supports low‑cost MIPI cameras, and adds a dedicated fiber‑optic interface for secure, high‑bandwidth, low‑latency video and data...
New Integration Supports Public Safety Drone Operations
AirData UAV’s telemetry platform is now integrated with LeoSight’s LeoCommand software, allowing public‑safety drone operators to stream flight data directly into command centers. The partnership leverages AirData’s record of more than 62 million logged flights across 200+ countries and LeoSight’s coordination...
How Automated Container Gantry Cranes Are Reshaping Port Operations in 2026
Automated container gantry cranes are reshaping port operations in 2026 as manufacturers like Voitto Crane roll out AI‑driven anti‑sway control, IoT‑based predictive maintenance and electric powertrains. These technologies cut cycle times by up to 20%, reduce unplanned downtime by 30%...
Geekplus Installs More than 400 Autonomous Mobile Robots at Multiple Toyota Plants
Geekplus has rolled out 436 moving‑type autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) across multiple Toyota Motor Corporation plants in Japan, with each system hosting roughly 200 units. The deployment tackles acute labor shortages and new truck‑driver regulations by automating in‑plant logistics from...
Robots Are Closing in on Human-Like Judgments, Addressing a Key Challenge in Physical AI
KAIST researchers unveiled Video‑based Optimal Transport Preference (VOTP), a method that lets physical‑AI systems infer human judgment criteria from only a few demonstration videos. By replacing thousands of manually labeled data points with single‑digit video samples, VOTP dramatically cuts the...
VS-210 Hybrid Electric VTOL for Sale on Alibaba for USD45,500.
China’s V‑SPACE announced that its VS‑210 hybrid electric VTOL drone is now listed on Alibaba for roughly USD 45,500. The aircraft offers a 100 kg payload capacity, a 2,800 mm wheelbase for stability, and a maximum take‑off weight of 2,100 kg. Designed for heavy‑lifting...
How to Demystify Triangulation, Structured Light and Time-of-Flight for Vision Sensing
The article outlines how 3D machine‑vision has shifted from bespoke, compute‑heavy setups to factory‑calibrated, plug‑and‑play sensors that output ready‑to‑use point clouds or depth maps. It explains that most industrial 3D imaging relies on triangulation, with time‑of‑flight and LiDAR as the...
CMES Robotics USA, FANUC, and PAC Machinery to Showcase Integrated Robotic Bagging Solution at Automate 2026
CMES Robotics USA, FANUC, and PAC Machinery are unveiling a fully integrated robotic bagging line at Automate 2026 in Chicago. The solution couples CMES’s AI‑driven vision system with a FANUC collaborative robot and PAC’s Rollbag R3200XL bagger, creating a pick‑to‑pack platform that...
Struggling German Auto Supplier Bosch Pivots to Robots
Bosch, the world’s largest auto parts supplier, is pivoting toward humanoid robotics as its traditional automotive business faces weakening demand. The company highlights a booming market for MEMS sensors—projected to exceed $19.2 billion by 2030 with a 4% CAGR—critical for robot...
GENISOM AI Steps Into the Global Robotics Spotlight at ICRA 2026 with Real-World-Ready Robots
GENISOM AI showcased its full‑stack robotics ecosystem at ICRA 2026, highlighting the M1 quadruped and L1‑W hybrid platforms. The company has already produced and delivered more than 10,000 robots for industrial inspection, power‑grid monitoring, emergency response, and education. Its in‑house components,...
X Square Robot Open-Sources XRZero-G0 to Scale Robot Learning with Interfaces, Data Quality and Ratios
X Square Robot has open‑sourced XRZero‑G0, a hardware‑software framework that enables high‑throughput robot‑free data collection using head‑mounted and dual wrist cameras plus a VR interface. The system integrates a closed‑loop Collection‑Inspection‑Training‑Evaluation pipeline that delivers about 85% trainable demonstrations. Accompanying the...
Zoomlion's Humanoid Robot Z01 Shines at KOMATEK 2026, Showcasing Advances in Embodied AI and Industrial Robotics
Zoomlion Heavy Industry unveiled its humanoid robot Z01 at the KOMATEK 2026 exhibition in Istanbul, where the robot performed a Tai Chi routine to demonstrate advanced motion control and human‑robot interaction. The show coincided with more than 40 construction‑machinery displays that together...
Sensory Robotics Launches UL-Certified 3D Virtual Robot Safety System
Sensory Robotics unveiled its UL‑certified SR‑1 system, a 3D time‑of‑flight safety solution that creates an invisible protection zone around industrial robots. The technology lets robots run at full speed, slows them as workers approach, and stops them instantly if a...
DJI Avata 360 vs Avata 2: Which Drone Should You Buy?
DJI’s Avata 360 and Avata 2 represent two divergent paths in the FPV drone market. The Avata 360 adds 8K 360‑degree video, 120 MP photos and omnidirectional obstacle sensing, while the Avata 2 stays lightweight, affordable and beginner‑friendly. Pricing ranges from...
Why Robotics’ Next Leap Relies on Physical Engineering
The robotics field has been dominated by AI‑centric research, assuming larger models will eventually deliver human‑like dexterity. In high‑throughput settings such as Amazon Robotics, most unplanned downtime stems from mechanical wear, thermal drift, misalignment, and fatigue—not software errors. This creates...
Copper One Restarts as World’s First Autonomy-First Copper Mine and Refinery
Mariana Minerals has restarted Copper One in southeastern Utah, positioning it as the world’s first fully autonomous copper mine and refinery. The site now runs haul trucks, drill rigs, inspection robots and refinery controls through a single software platform called...
Ambani-Backed Robot Startup Seeks $100 Million to Lead in India
Addverb Technologies, the Indian robot maker backed by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance, is raising more than $100 million to accelerate its push into humanoid and quadruped robots. The company, which already serves logistics, electronics and consumer‑goods firms, aims to break into the global...
Partnership to Integrate Tethered Drones Into xRift Autonomous Vehicle
SteerAI has sealed a partnership with tethered‑drone specialist Elistair to embed the Khronos DroneBox into its xRift autonomous all‑terrain vehicle, unveiled at UMEX 2026. The integration adds continuous‑power aerial surveillance, reconnaissance and communications relay capabilities to a platform already designed...
FANUC Cobot Enables Portable Automation for High-Mix Tasks
FANUC America launched the CRX‑3iA, an 11 kg collaborative robot with a 3 kg payload and 692 mm reach, designed for quick redeployment across high‑mix, low‑volume tasks such as welding, assembly and inspection. Its lightweight chassis, magnetic base and automatic angle detection let...
DorsaVi Licences NTU Robotics IP To Expand Into Human-Robot Collaboration
dorsaVi (ASX:DVL) has secured an exclusive worldwide 10‑year licence from NTU Singapore for two robotics IP assets covering real‑time safety control and multimodal data‑collection tools. The deal adds a universal safety‑control framework and an automated data‑gathering methodology to dorsaVi’s existing...
Automation Is Hiring Faster Than Schools Can Graduate Engineers
Automation adoption is outpacing the supply of qualified engineers, creating a widening talent gap across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and other sectors. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects thousands of unfilled engineering roles each year as robots and intelligent systems...
Drone Boat Rescues U.S. Helicopter Crew Shot Down by Iran
A U.S. Apache attack helicopter shot down over the Strait of Hormuz was rescued by the autonomous Corsair drone‑boat, which lifted the two crew members onto a waiting helicopter. The rescue, conducted by Navy Task Force 59, is the first...
MIT Researchers Channel AI to Turn Hand Gestures Into Robot Training Data
MIT engineers have created an ultrasound wristband that records muscle, tendon and ligament movements beneath the skin, turning hand gestures into high‑resolution training data for robots. An AI model translates these images into the hand's 22 degrees of freedom, enabling...
TEKEVER and Sapient Perception Sign MoU to Explore Next-Generation Airborne ISR Sensing
TEKEVER and Sapient Perception have signed a memorandum of understanding at the International Drone Show in Odense to evaluate the integration of Sapient's 10K ultra‑high‑resolution camera system on TEKEVER’s uncrewed aerial platforms. The partnership will conduct flight testing and operational...
Drone Battery Pioneer Calls for Urgent Action to Help UK Innovators Cross the Commercialisation Gap
John Moffat, founder and CEO of The Structural Battery Company, will chair a University of Warwick panel on drone technology at the Silverstone Innovation and Growth Conference on June 16. He warned that the UK’s structural risk aversion hampers the move...
Swarm Aero Selects Honeywell Turboprop for Its New Unmanned Aircraft
Swarm Aero, a California‑based UAV swarm developer, announced that it will power its upcoming Group 5 unmanned aircraft with Honeywell’s TPE331 turboprop engine, with the first engines already delivered. The company has raised a total of $59 million, including a $35 million Series A,...
Pentagon Reveals Preferred Munitions for One-Way Attack Drones
The Pentagon’s $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program announced the winners of its Lethality Prize Challenge, selecting Bravo Ordnance, Kela Technologies, Kraken Kinetics, Mountain Horse Solutions and Northrop Grumman as providers of preferred munitions for one‑way attack drones. Northrop’s Common UAS Payload is...
Pentagon Picks Picket’s Rotating Turret for Counter-Drone Test
Picket Defense Systems has been chosen by the Defense Innovation Unit for Phase II of its Counter‑UAS Close‑In Kinetic Defeat Enhancement program, moving its Inferno RTC rotating‑turret weapon into live testing. The system claims zero aiming latency by continuously sweeping a...
Festo Launches GripperAI Software to Simplify Flexible Robot Handling
Festo unveiled GripperAI, an AI‑driven software that lets industrial robots grasp mixed, unfamiliar items without extensive programming or dedicated vision systems. The platform automatically determines the best gripping point and selects the appropriate end‑of‑arm tool, whether vacuum or mechanical, in...
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At Automate 2026, Güdel demonstrated a new grinding cell that adds vertical lift (TrackMotion Vertical™) and horizontal travel (TrackMotion Floor™) to a single FANUC R‑1000 robot. The combined motion system lets the robot maintain constant pressure and speed across large workpieces,...
OMRON Robotics to Demonstrate Next-Generation Autonomous Mobile Robots at Automate 2026
OMRON Robotics will showcase its next‑generation LD‑150 and LD‑300 autonomous mobile robots at Automate 2026 in Chicago. The new AMRs, slated to ship in Q4 2026, combine higher payloads—150 kg and 300 kg respectively—with a compact footprint, speeds up to 2.1 m/s, and 30‑minute wireless...
B&R Stores Introduces Simbe's Tally Inventory Robot In Stores Across Nebraska
B&R Stores, the family‑owned grocery chain behind Russ's Market and other Nebraska banners, has rolled out Simbe's Store Intelligence™ platform featuring the autonomous shelf‑scanning robot Tally in select Lincoln stores. The robot captures real‑time data on product availability, pricing and...
DSV Partners with Exotec to Modernise Dutch Supply Chain Operations
DSV has equipped its Venlo logistics centre with Exotec’s Skypod system, deploying roughly 100 autonomous robots to handle about 90,000 bins and trays. The goods‑to‑person solution automates picking, box handling and returns processing, boosting storage density and operational flexibility. DSV...
L&T Turns to Automation and Robotics as Construction Faces Manpower Challenges
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is fast‑tracking automation, robotics and digital tools to overhaul its construction business as labor shortages tighten. The company’s order book has swelled to roughly ₹7.5 lakh crore (about $90 billion), up from $36‑$42 billion five years ago, while its workforce grew...
ERC System Unveils Victor, a Heavy-Lift eVTOL Designed to Close Europe's Logistics Gap
ERC System unveiled Victor, a hybrid‑electric heavy‑lift eVTOL capable of carrying up to 250 kg over 300 km at 250 km/h. Presented at ILA Berlin 2026, the uncrewed aircraft targets a critical logistics gap for European defence and commercial operators. Victor’s operating costs...
Powering the Future of Robotics in Europe
Google DeepMind has launched a three‑month accelerator for early‑stage robotics startups across Europe. Based in London, the program gives selected founders access to Google’s AI stack, Gemini robotics models, and mentorship from DeepMind and Google experts. The 15 startups span...
FlyingBasket Heavy-Lift Cargo Drones Cut Mountain Medical Evacuation Times
FlyingBasket’s heavy‑lift cargo drones were field‑tested in the Dolomites as part of the EU‑backed START2 Living Lab, showing evacuation times up to three times faster than traditional ground methods. The trials also recorded a tenfold reduction in patient shock and...
Simulation Tools in the ROS Ecosystem: Testing and Validating Robots Virtually
Robotics developers are increasingly relying on virtual environments to design, train, and validate machines before any hardware is built. The open‑source Robot Operating System (ROS) and its flagship simulator Gazebo have become the backbone of this workflow, enabling startups, universities,...
Human-Centered Autonomous Drone Deployments: A Comprehensive Survey on Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions
Researchers present a comprehensive survey that organizes autonomous drone technology into a deployment‑oriented pipeline, linking sensing, interaction, and evaluation stages. The review covers advances in onboard and distributed sensing, multimodal AI‑driven interfaces, and metrics for performance and social acceptance. It...