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Iván Hernández Dalas: Table tennis robot defeats some of world’s best players – why this has major implications for robotics

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Ace rotates its paddle as it prepares to return the ball back to its human opponent, Yamato Kawamata, during a match in December 2025. Credit: Sony AI. By Kartikeya Walia , Nottingham Trent University A table tennis robot has outperformed elite players in recent evaluations. The robot, called Ace, marks a significant step toward artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can operate in fast, uncertain, real-world environments. In the tests, the autonomous robot won three out of five matches against elite players – competitive athletes with over ten years’ experience and an average of 20 hours weekly training. The robot , developed by Sony AI, lost both matches against players in professional Japanese leagues, but did win a game against one of them. The system is described in detail in a recent paper published in Nature . AI has spent decades mastering games. It has repeatedly outperformed the best humans in everything from complex video games like StarCraft II to chess – where mod...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Robot Talk Episode 156 – Rugged robots for dangerous missions, with Gavin Kenneally

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Claire chatted to Gavin Kenneally from Ghost Robotics about robot dogs for defence, security, and public safety. Gavin Kenneally is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ghost Robotics , a company that has gained a reputation for pushing the boundaries of legged robotics technology. In his current role, Gavin spearheads a team of highly skilled engineers and researchers who share his passion for creating advanced robotics systems. Previously, he was Head of Product at Ghost Robotics, responsible for the mechanical design of the company’s flagship product: the Vision 60 Q-UGV. Gavin has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and has authored six academic papers. View Source
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Anthro Energy partners with EnPower to develop lithium-ion cells in the U.S.

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Anthro and EnPower are combining forces to deliver high-power battery cells. | Source: Anthro Energy, EnPower Anthro Energy and EnPower Inc. this week signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a long-term, multi-phase partnership. The companies plan to jointly develop, manufacture, and scale high-performance lithium-ion cells, which are used in a range of robotics applications. EnPower will combine its U.S.-based electrode and pouch cell manufacturing capabilities with Anthro Energy ‘s Proteus electrolyte platform. The companies said they will support longer mission times, safer system designs, and operation in more demanding environments. “This partnership is about reindustrializing American manufacturing and rebuilding a domestic battery supply chain for the next generation of energy storage,” stated David Mackanic, co-founder and CEO of Anthro Energy. “Through this partnership, we are integrating a paradigm-shifting battery platform with U.S. manuf...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: The Convergence in Perception Systems from Cars to Robots

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Image courtesy of ADI Robots are no longer confined to factory cells or fencedoff environments. Autonomous mobile robots now operate continuously in warehouses and hospitals. Drones are flying longer, farther, and with greater autonomy. Humanoid robots are beginning to work in close proximity to people, navigating shared spaces and responding to unstructured behavior in real time. This new generation of machines shares a common shift: mobility systems are becoming perceptiondriven, computeintensive, and safetycritical. This means the “hard part” is no longer designing a single sensor or a single model in isolation. The real challenge is system-level: ensuring sensing, connectivity, compute, power, and safety operate together reliably under realworld conditions. To address this, the automotive industry shifted toward treating vehicles as distributed nervous systems integrated networks of sensors, edge processors, communications links, and control elements built to behave predictably u...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Developing active and flexible microrobots

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By C Huygelen Leiden researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have created microscopic robots that move without sensors, software, or external control. Instead, their behaviour emerges entirely from their shape and the way they interact with their environment. This class of robots opens up entirely new possibilities for biomedical applications. Close-up of the microrobot. Inspired by nature Inspiration to build these robots came from nature. Kraft: “Animals like worms and snakes constantly adapt their shape as they move, which helps them to navigate their environments. Macroscopic robots similarly use flexibility for their function. However, until now, microrobots were either small and rigid, or large and flexible. We wondered if we could realize small and flexible microrobots in our lab.” Tiny, flexible, and surprisingly capable To find out, they designed a soft, chain-like structure made up of flexibly connected segments, and printed it using a 3D micro...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Comau and OMRON Robotics partner to offer robotics for more industries

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Olivier Welker, CEO of OMRON Robotics, with Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Comau. Source: Comau Two established robot providers are teaming up. Comau SpA and OMRON Robotics yesterday said they have agreed to jointly accelerate the adoption of industrial automation for manufacturer worldwide. The strategic collaboration will focus on high-growth sectors including electronics , semiconductors, medical manufacturing, and light industrial intralogistics . The companies said these markets are continuing to experience strong demand for flexible, easily deployable automation. “Through this collaboration, we are bringing together two complementary portfolios with a shared focus on customer success,” stated Olivier Welker, CEO of OMRON Robotics. “By aligning our expertise in robotics, applications, advanced control, and intelligent automation technologies, we can help manufacturers respond faster to changing market demands. Together, this new collaboration will allow us to deliver more flexible, co...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: 2026 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards

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For 15 years, the RBR50 awards have recognized the world’s leading robotics organizations in terms of technology and business innovation. This year’s cohort includes several repeat winners, as well as first-time honorees, and it is a prestigious list of the leading commercial robotics developers and suppliers from around the world. This download provides profiles of the 2026 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award honorees, as well as a look at past and repeat winners. The Robot Report received numerous nominations, but these 50 businesses, associations, and academic institutions stood out for their new products, use cases, and influence over the wider robotics ecosystem. Organizations that represent and lead that ecosystem are among this year’s honorees. The Association for Advancing Automation is helping Congress recognize the need for a national robotics strategy, and MassRobotics is helping global startups get into the U.S. market. From increasing AI advances to mobile manipulators an...
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