Posts

Iván Hernández Dalas: AIhub coffee corner: Are humanoids the future of embodied AI?

Image
The AIhub coffee corner captures the musings of AI experts over a short conversation. This month we ask whether humanoids are the future of robotics. How has the technology evolved recently, and what can we expect in the years to come? Joining the conversation this time are: Joydeep Biswas (University of Texas at Austin), Sanmay Das (Virginia Tech), Rina Dechter (University of California, Irvine), Ioannis Erripis (AIhub), Sabine Hauert (University of Bristol), Ella Scallan (AIhub), and Marija Slavkovik (University of Bergen). Lucy Smith: There have been huge advancements in humanoid robots over the past couple of years. Today’s topic is particularly timely, as RoboCup 2026 recently took place. I thought it would be interesting to start with an overview of recent developments at RoboCup. Joydeep Biswas: This all started snowballing a couple of years ago, and we suddenly started to see this huge inflection on the capabilities. New humanoid robots were showing up at RoboCup that did...
Read more

Iván Hernández Dalas: ARM Institute consortium grows to more than 500 organizations

Image
The annual ARM Institute member meeting takes place in Pittsburgh. Source: ARM Institute The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, or ARM Institute last week said that that its member consortium has grown to include more than 500 organizations nationwide, with thousands of individual subject matter experts represented within these organizations. The organization collaborates with its consortium and the U.S. government to promote the U.S. as leading nation in manufacturing output through the adoption of robotics and AI. “We are proud to work with our consortium to build a resilient, secure, and bright future for U.S. manufacturing,” stated Jorgen Pedersen , CEO of the ARM Institute. “Our member consortium is the foundation of our Institute and integral to our mission.” “Our members have collaborated with us on hundreds of technology projects, helped us launch major initiatives, including our national workforce resource RoboticsCareer.org , supported manufacturers through th...
Read more

Iván Hernández Dalas: Robot integration brings high-precision production to midmarket manufacturers

Image
High-precision manufacturing was once considered something exclusive to large corporations. However, advances in robotic integration and automated manufacturing have changed this perception. Sophisticated capabilities are becoming accessible to midmarket and smaller operations. This shift has led to a more even competitive landscape. Smaller manufacturers have an opportunity to reach new levels of accuracy and efficiency. Today’s robotic systems can help these producers modernize targeted workflows without overhauling their entire production operations. Robotic innovations drive efficiency for manufacturers The evolution of robotics has led to more democratized precision manufacturing processes. This is evident across industrial robots and agile collaborative robots . Key benefits of these innovations can include: Cost and footprint: The potential for lower investment costs and compact designs can make robotic systems economically viable. It can also simplify integration in...
Read more

Iván Hernández Dalas: Boston Dynamics built Stretch Gen 2 for reliable, consistent performance

Image
The new Stretch features an updated modular design that enables “plug and play” part swaps. | Source: Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics Inc. this week unveiled Stretch Gen 2, the latest generation of its autonomous mobile trailer unloading robot. With over 100,000 operating hours and tens of millions of boxes handled under its belt, the company built the updated robot to maximize uptime and streamline maintenance. Brian Donnelly, the vice president and general manager of logistics robotics at Boston Dynamics, told  The Robot Report that the company has been working on the new version of Stretch for around two and a half years. “When we made the first generation of Stretch, we were focused on trying to get a product out into the market as fast as possible and really get it in customers’ hands and get it operational,” he said. “It was not the easiest to manufacture; there were a lot of components.” “[With Stretch 2], we really were focused on simplification, h...
Read more

Iván Hernández Dalas: Industry experts discuss China blocking SoftBank acquisition of ABB Robotics

Image
ABB Robotics has integrated NVIDIA Omniverse libraries into RobotStudio. Source: ABB Robotics Yesterday, ABB Robotics confirmed to  The Robot Report that China’s Office of the Working Mechanism for Foreign Investment Security Review has blocked SoftBank Group Corp.’s planned acquisition of ABB Robotics. Regulators had expressed concern that data for training artificial intelligence models could be transferred overseas. ABB Robotics is already a significant manufacturer and provider of robotics in China . The Zurich-based company stated that it and SoftBank are “in close dialogue and are working constructively on the transaction.” Other countries are moving to protect what they view as sovereign physical AI . For instance, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) recently banned new models of certain connected advanced devices, including legged robots and autonomous mobile robots ( AMRs ). Companies such as Intel and Husqvarna have already received condi...
Read more

Iván Hernández Dalas: How did Agility Robotics perform on its first day on the stock market?

Image
Agility says its Digit 5 humanoids can lift up to 50 lb. | Source: Agility Robotics Earlier today, Agility Robotics began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker “AGLT.” The company claimed that it is “the first pure-play legged humanoid company to go public.” Agility started the day trading at $11.26 per share, above the initial $10 per share price used in the SPAC deal. It was a day of ups and downs, as it was for many tech stocks. It hit its lowest price at $8.40, and its highest at $12.15. The company ended up closing the day trading slightly above (2%) where it had started, at $11.49. Other pure-play robotics providers did not fare so well. Serve Robotics , another publicly traded robotics company that offers sidewalk delivery robots, ended down 12.45%. Surgical robotics leader Intuitive Surgical ended down 2.82%. Symbotic , which provides end-to-end warehouse automation, ended down 2.47%. In addition, PROCEPT BioRobotics Corp. , which provides roboti...
Read more

Iván Hernández Dalas: How Ambi Robotics helps its customers prepare for peak season

Image
The AmbiSort B Series can streamline final-mile deliver operations with automated induction, scanning, and ‘end-to-end’ sortation. | Source: Ambi Robotics As Black Friday and the start of peak season draw near, logistics providers across the country are getting ready for the rush. Each year, these providers could see a 25% to 40% increase in throughput, according to Stephen McKinley, co-founder and chief operating officer at Ambi Robotics. This year, Ambi is expecting its customers to experience a 9% to 10% increase compared with peak season last year. “Despite anything that might be going on in the economy, volume continues to ramp and e-commerce spending remains high,” McKinley told  The Robot Report . “That puts familiar pressures on our clients to perform in all of their individual sites, and we’re feeling that pressure also, because our systems are core to their functions.” For Ambi, preparing for the season means installing new systems at eight faciliti...
Read more