Ivan Hernandez Dalas - Mechatronics

Claire chatted to Rika Antonova from the University of Cambridge about using artificial intelligence to develop complimentary robot hardware and algorithms. Rika Antonova is an Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge. Her research interests include co-design, automated algorithm discovery, data-efficient reinforcement learning, exploration, active learning, and​ robotics. After completing a research Master’s degree at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Rika undertook a Computing Innovation Fellowship at Stanford University. Before that, she was a senior software engineer at Google. View Source

Sponsored by Analog Devices Inc. Robotics companies are developing new capabilities at a rapid pace, from autonomous mobile robots to humanoid systems. However, keeping up with technological advances is one part of the challenge. The most critical thing is to turn a successful prototype into a commercially viable product that can be manufactured and deployed at scale.   “The biggest challenge I see robotics startups facing today is the speed at which the industry moves,” says Cameron Villone, Senior Product Technology Manager at Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI).   In most cases, a startup excels in adopting next-generation technologies in sensing, motion control, and AI, but commercialization requires additional expertise in electronics, system integration, validation, and manufacturing. These demands can often stretch the resources of smaller engineering teams.   ADI is developing its Emerging Tech Hub within the Analog Garage to help robotics startups and established companies overcome...

Nyobolt is providing fast-charging, long-duration battery technology for Digit 5. Source: Agility One of the challenges that humanoid robot designers face is power management. Agility Robotics Inc. today said it is working with Nyobolt on a fast-recharge battery system for its Digit 5 system. The technology will allow the robot to work more than 20 hours in a day, the companies claimed. “For our customers, Digit’s uptime is the business case,” stated Daniel Diez, chief business officer at Agility. “Digit 5 will deliver more than 20 hours of productive work in a 24-hour day, more than two full shifts. That’s the kind of gain that materially improves the value customers get from Digit and the economics of deploying a humanoid robot fleet. Nyobolt’s ultra-fast charging technology gets us there, and it’s one of the pieces that makes Digit 5 ready for full-scale operation.” Founded in 2015, Agility said Digit is “the first multi-purpose, hum...

The Spot quadruped conducts inspections at a Michelin plant in Lexington, S.C. Source: Boston Dynamics Robotics is a key enabler of reshoring production to the U.S., but there is little consensus on how to best encourage it. Most industrial automation is made by foreign-owned companies, but can recent policies such as tariffs and FCC import restrictions help promote reshoring? At RoboBusiness 2026, which will be on Oct. 20 and 21 in Santa Clara, Calif., industry experts will discuss how to encourage manufacturers and robotics suppliers to reshore to or expand in the U.S. They will also examine software advances, the role of workforce development, and supply chain challenges of reshoring. In addition, the panelists will talk about multinational relationships, cybersecurity and geopolitical concerns prompting reshoring efforts , and the need for a national robotics strategy. About the reshoring speakers Michael Bearman is chief legal and safety officer at Vecna Robotics , where he...

Timken Precision Drives offers a portfolio of motion technologies for humanoid developers. Source: Timken, Shutterstock What does your humanoid robot’s motion system need to do? For engineers developing humanoids , the answer involves balancing torque, speed, stiffness, weight, positioning accuracy, and available space. Each joint presents its own requirements, and the right solution begins with understanding those demands. That is the approach behind Timken Precision Drives, part of The Timken Co. Bringing together Cone Drive , SPINEA, CGI Motion, and Timken Encoders, the platform combines specialized engineering expertise and complementary technologies to help customers solve their motion control challenges. The conversation starts with the application: What motion is required? What loads must the system support? Where is the current design falling short? And what needs to change to achieve the desired performance? Timken engineers around the application Developers of humano...

Imagine you are driving toward an intersection. A truck parked on the corner blocks your view of a car speeding toward the intersection from the right. You can’t see it, but the car next to you can. What if that neighboring vehicle could simply tell your car, “Vehicle merging from the right, about 15 meters away, moving quickly.” Your car now knows something its own sensors could never observe. This simple idea of cars helping each other by describing what they see in natural language motivates UNCAP , our new framework for cooperative autonomous driving. But there’s an important twist: not every neighboring vehicle is worth listening to, and not every message deserves the same level of trust. UNCAP teaches autonomous vehicles both who to talk to as well as how much to trust what they hear . Why should cars talk with language instead of sharing sensor data? Researchers have since long envisioned fleets of autonomous vehicles cooperating to make driving safer. Blind corners, occ...