Ivan Hernandez Dalas - Mechatronics

The AX6 force- and power-limited robot arm is designed to be lightweight and easy to use. Source: Epson Epson Robots this week expanded its six-axis robot line with the AX6 collaborative robot. It said the new cobot is is designed with power- and force-limiting features that, with a proper risk assessment, can allow operation alongside people without traditional safety barriers. “Collaborative robots have lowered the barriers to entry for many new robot users by simplifying programming and integration, while enabling new applications where space and user interaction are critical,” stated Rick Brookshire, director for product and robot development at Epson. “With the introduction of the AX6, Epson can now address these applications while offering customers a complete range of robotic safety solutions.” Suwa, Japan-based Epson Robots said it is the global leader in SCARA robots. With four decades of experience, it provides systems based on a common PC platform for precision asse...

ANYmal can now inspect more of facilities in processing industries. Source: ANYbotics Closed doors have been a barrier for mobile inspection robots in processing industries such as energy, metals, mining, and chemicals. ANYbotics today said it has partnered with dormakaba and LEGIC Identsystems AG to add automated door-access capabilities to its ANYmal robot fleet. “Inspection only delivers value if the robot can reach the asset, and a closed door was the one obstacle that stopped our robots from covering the most critical parts of a plant,” said Jacob Euler-Rolle, product manager, workflow integration, at ANYbotics. “Solving it with LEGIC and dormakaba means ANYmal can now inspect where it matters most, without rebuilding any infrastructure.” “Our customers do not buy robots; they buy a solution to their operational challenges: less unplanned downtime and fewer people in hazardous areas,” stated Péter Fankhauser, co-founder and CEO of ANYbotics. ...

The 2026 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2026) will be held from 27 September – 1 October in Pittsburgh, USA. The programme includes plenary and keynote talks, workshops, tutorials, forums, competitions, and a debate. Keynote talks The keynote talks will be held from 28 – 30 September: Elena De Momi – Open Questions on the Road to Autonomous Surgery Naomi Fitter – Socially-Informed Context Awareness for Robots in Human-Populated Settings Greg Chirikjian – From Hyper-Redundancy to Robot Imagination and Affordance Learning Genta Suzuki – Fujitsu Kozuchi Physical OS: A Research Strategy for Scalable Physical AI Gaurav Bansal – Title to be confirmed Al Rizzi – Developing Advanced Robot Capability at the RAI Institute Yekai Sun – Tokens of the Physical World: Accelerating Intelligence Emergence via Multimodal Embodied Data He Wang – Towards the AlphaGo and ChatGPT Moment...

Humanoid robots are moving from headline-grabbing demos toward real-world deployments. At RoboBusiness 2026, the “State of Humanoids” keynote will bring together leaders from Agility, Apptronik, Persona AI, and PSYONIC for a practical look at where the technology stands today—and what must happen next for it to scale. Humanoid robots have captured global attention, attracting major investment and fueling bold expectations for the future of automation. But beyond the viral videos and ambitious promises, the key question remains: Where does the technology really stand today? That question will take center stage in the RoboBusiness humanoid robotics keynote. This panel discussion is for anyone tracking the evolution of humanoids from prototypes to practical tools for manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and other industrial environments. Industry leaders to discuss the state of humanoids The session features Pras Velagapudi , chief technology officer of Agility ; Parker Conroy ,...

Qualcomm will integrate its Dragonwing platform with PickNik’s MoveIt framework. Source: Qualcomm Qualcomm Technologies Inc. today said it has agreed to acquire PickNik Inc., which has developed robotics software including the MoveIt open-source manipulation framework. The companies said they expect to streamline MoveIt integration with Qualcomm Dragonwing platforms to give developers an easier path from AI models to planning, manipulation, and real-time control. “Since our founding, PickNik’s mission has been to provide industries with a powerful, open platform that accelerates innovation and development of advanced robotics, well beyond traditional factories,” stated Dave Coleman, founder and chief product officer at PickNik. “Joining Qualcomm Technologies will allow us to accelerate that mission, expand investment in MoveIt as a leading AI training platform for robotics and deliver even more value to developers while preserving the openness, community collaboration, an...

China is targeting the next industrial revolution by doubling down on embodied AI and humanoid robotics, building directly on its vast manufacturing infrastructure. By Ellen H. Rumley and Allison Okamura Beyond the Robot Olympics Chinese robots have quickly entered global public consciousness in recent years, appearing as background robo-dancers in pop concerts and as humanoid marathon and sprint runners outpacing elite athletes ( 1 ). Domestically, robots are deployed as traffic guides and restaurant service staff, while swarms of drones entertain audiences in urban light shows or deliver takeout to high-rises ( 2 , 3 ). These public debuts serve to both normalize automation in everyday civilian life ( 4 ) while projecting international soft power. Behind the public spectacle lies a bold agenda for global economic dominance. In its geopolitical contest with the United States, Beijing sees robotics as the core engine to project power and dictate the future of global supply chains...

Outdoor robots demand additional engineering, sensors, and weatherproofing to operate effectively outdoors. | Credit: Wibotic, Nextpower, and Burro. Robots are now being deployed far beyond the controlled conditions of warehouses, factories, and laboratories. From agriculture and construction to mining , ports, defense , and critical infrastructure , outdoor robots must contend with weather, dust, moisture, vibration, uneven terrain, remote deployments, and limited access to service teams.   Those conditions introduce failure modes that rarely appear during early prototyping or lab testing. A design that performs well indoors may struggle once it faces temperature swings, water ingress, clogged connectors, battery constraints, charging challenges, inconsistent connectivity, and the continuous mechanical stress of real-world operations.   At RoboBusiness 2026, the session “ Lessons Learned: Building Reliable Outdoor Robots ” will address these issues head-on. This panel...