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By Maria Jose Galvez Trigo, Cardiff University and Paul Willis, Cardiff University New BBC sitcom Ann Droid imagines a near future in which robots provide care and companionship to older people at home. The series centres on Sue, a recent widow played by Sue Johnston, her hapless son Michael and Linda, an assistive care robot […]
Scientists have devised a new way to switch magnetic computer memory while using far less energy than today's leading technologies. By mathematically optimizing the pulses used to flip digital bits, the method could reduce energy consumption by several orders of magnitude. Simulations suggest it may bring future memory devices surprisingly close to the fundamental physical limit for processing information. The same idea could eventually work with electrical currents or ultrafast lasers.
Princeton researchers have tested an AI system that can monitor and control fusion plasma in milliseconds, reacting far faster than a human operator. In one experiment, it predicted a damaging instability about 200 milliseconds before it appeared and adjusted the plasma to stop it from forming.
Imagine you are trapped under rubble after an earthquake and you see an electronics-covered cockroach with a spring-loaded needle on its back scuttling toward you. Although the sight might be unnerving, to say the least, this prototype paramedic cyborg, or “Paraborg,” might one day help deliver lifesaving aid to disaster victims who might be otherwise impossible to reach.The Hardest Problems in RoboticsFor decades, scientists have sought to develop cyborg insects as “a shortcut around some of the hardest problems in robotics,” says T. Thang Vo-Doan, director of the University of Queensland’s Biorobotics Lab in Brisbane, Australia, which just published a paper on the Paraborgs. The University of Queensland Building an insect-size robot “that can move reliably through rubble, climb over irregular surfaces, recover from falls, carry its own power, and still have room for useful sensors is extraordinarily difficult,” Vo-Doan says. An insect already comes with much of that mobility built in, so instead of trying to create artificial versions of every part of an insect’s body from scratch, researchers can graft an electronic interface onto an insect to make use of its existing capabilities.Previously, scientists have shown they could steer cyborg insects such as beetles and moths. This prior work largely focused on controlling their movements to serve as passive sensor platforms.In 2023, as Vo-Doan and fellow researcher Thanh Nho Do were talking about search-and-rescue cyborg insects shortly before that year’s IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), they asked, “What happens after an insect finds a trapped victim?” Vo-Doan recalls. “Could it go beyond locating someone and actually provide some form of assistance while rescuers are still trying to reach them?”Giant Cockroaches to the RescueTo answer this question, the roboticists experimented with giant burrowing cockroaches (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), which are native to Australia. The researchers needed an insect capable of carrying a large payload (over half their weight), and at roughly 40 grams in size, this species is the world’s heaviest species of roach. A larger insect is also easier to operate on to implant cybernetic interfaces.The cockroaches were saddled with lightweight electronics that included electrodes implanted into both their antennae and small tail-like appendages known as cerci. Wirelessly activating these electrodes with a handheld gaming controller could steer the roaches left or right, spur them forward, or stop them from moving.The insects were also equipped with either a wireless camera or a remote-controlled injector, which used a spring to launch a drug-filled syringe at a nearby target. A chemical reaction inside the syringe then generated a puff of carbon dioxide, which exerted pressure within the syringe to inject its payload into a target. Paraborgs are designed to work in teams, with some carrying cameras and others carrying injectors with potentially lifesaving medications.The University of QueenslandThe scientists decided not to load both a camera and an injector onto a single roach because the combined weight and bulk could impair their mobility in complex terrains. Having both sets of electronics would also increase energy demands, resulting in reduced operation time. Instead, the researchers envision a swarm approach with the Paraborgs, with different specialized cyborgs performing complementary roles.In proof-of-concept tests, the scientists were able to successfully navigate the Paraborgs over a 2.5-meter course past three checkpoints before launching their needles at an 8-by-10-centimeter silicone target. In 25 trials, the cockroaches completed the course every single time and succeeded at injecting the target 72 percent of the time. “The long-term goal is to combine the insect’s advanced locomotion with sensing and intervention capabilities so we can reach and help more people, more quickly,” Vo-Doan says. While the Paraborgs can be steered remotely, the cockroaches themselves are still very much alive and able to use their skills as bugs to navigate through complex terrain.The University of QueenslandThe researchers acknowledge that “for someone who is already trapped or injured, seeing a cyborg insect approaching could understandably be a little surprising or unsettling at first,” Vo-Doan says. Ways to make it clear these insects were part of rescue efforts might include flashing lights, recognizable emergency markings, “or perhaps a tiny speaker delivering a simple message such as, ‘help is on the way,’” Vo-Doan adds. “Making people feel comfortable with the technology is just as important as making it work.”Practical ParaborgsIn the future, Vo-Doan and his colleagues aim to address practical issues with the Paraborg. These include compensating for the movements of victims, establishing reliable wireless communications inside collapsed structures, and guiding the cyborgs as they climb over and squeeze through complex environments filled with rubble and dust. Autonomy will become increasingly important for these insects, particularly if the scientists want to operate multiple cyborgs at the same time, he says.In addition, a fundamental challenge when it comes to working with cyborg insects is that they are living creatures with minds of their own. “We are not piloting them like conventional wheeled robots,” Vo-Doan says. “Electrical stimulation influences their direction, but the insect still generates and controls much of its own locomotion.” To deal with this unreliability, the Paraborgs will need better onboard systems to pinpoint their positions and monitor their actions so researchers can recognize when an insect has deviated from its course or become less responsive.“We are not suggesting that this is a medical device ready to be used on people today,” Vo-Doan says. “Real disaster sites are full of unstable debris, narrow gaps, and communication difficulties, so we need to understand how the insect, electronics, and injector all perform under those conditions. There are also important questions around drug choice and dosage, sterility, needle safety, reliability, and regulation.”Ultimately, such research into cyborg cockroaches may help inform robot design, explains Vo-Doan. These insects “can give us useful capabilities sooner while, at the same time, helping us develop the fully artificial systems of the future.”The scientists detailed their findings last month in the journal Advanced Science.
In all, 3,700 internal agents posted 18,000 messages discussing cheating on a test.
Broadcom admits it put “too big a focus on VCF.”
A once-overlooked block of unicode that's invisible to humans is gaining ever wider use.
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.Humanoids Summit Seoul: 22–23 September 2026, SEOULIROS 2026: 27 September–1 October 2026, PITTSBURGHCoRL 2026: 9–12 November 2026, AUSTINEnjoy today’s videos! I know these videos from Agility can be a little bit silly, but the couch drag in this one is impressive.[ Agility Robotics ]Stabilizing unsecured payloads against the inherent oscillations of dynamic bipedal locomotion remains a critical engineering bottleneck for humanoids in unstructured environments. To solve this, we introduce ReST-RL, a hierarchical reinforcement learning architecture that explicitly decouples locomotion from payload stabilization. Successfully deployed on the Unitree G1 humanoid hardware, this modular approach demonstrates highly reliable zero-shot sim-to-real generalization across various objects and external force disturbances.[ SteadyTray ]Thanks, Ioana!Figure is scaling compute so that its robots can... Uh... Have their compute scaled, I guess?Solving for a robot in every home is not a data and compute problem, it’s a safety and cost problem.[ Figure ]The most important thing about this gripper is that koalas have two thumbs on each hand.[ RAI Institute ]DARPA Triage Challenge Finals are in November![ DARPA ]Online, humanoid robots are very impressive to watch, but behind the scenes, most of those movements are carefully choreographed. Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University’s Safe AI Lab are instead teaching robots how to adapt. Their system, called APEX, allows a humanoid robot to navigate obstacles using adaptive, full-body maneuvers.[ CMU ]Researchers from North Carolina State University have created teardrop-shaped soft robots that leap upward or forward when exposed to infrared light – and will keep jumping as long as the light is present. The robots are made of a liquid crystal elastomer ribbon shaped like a teardrop, with a thin aluminum tube shaped like a V at one end. When exposed to light from an infrared lamp, the surface of the ribbon contracts, causing the ribbon to rotate. The stiff V at one end of the robot prevents the ribbon from simply rolling in place, causing the ribbon to twist tighter and tighter. This stores energy until the twist reaches a critical point when the ribbon releases that energy, causing the V at one end of the teardrop to snap downward and strike the surface. This launches the teardrop into the air.[ NC State ]Thanks, Ship!I’ll be honest—I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the DARPA Lift Challenge, but there was such creativity in the heavy lift drone designs that I’m excited for it to come back in 2028.[ DARPA Lift Challenge ]Thank you Christian for attempting to talk some sense into the internet.[ Christian Hubicki ]Humans use not only muscle signals but also skin stretch around joints as a cue for proprioception. To mimic this biological mechanism, we developed a three-layer joint-covering skin with 44 pressure- and stretch-sensitive elements for the musculoskeletal humanoid Musashi-W.It’s not a replicant, but one day, it will be.[ University of Tokyo ]Thanks, Akihiro!Having mobility issues with your robot? Just staple it to the end of an industrial robotic arm, problem solved![ LimX Dynamics ]But what if I am the sort of person who needs to speak to a manager?[ Sharpa ]In Turpan, China—known as the “City of Fire”—summer ground temperatures can exceed 50°C. During the grape harvest, farmers traditionally carry heavy baskets back and forth under the intense heat, while every extra minute in the sun can affect the freshness of the fruit. This year, the DEEP Robotics Lynx M20S joined the harvest. [ DEEP Robotics ]This video showcases the achievements of the first OH! GYM! Project cohort, a group of university and graduate students who explored, developed, and deployed their own humanoid behaviors using the open-source AI Sapiens K1 platform. Over the course of one month, the students experienced the complete process of humanoid development—from creating motions in simulation to transferring them onto a physical robot through repeated Sim2Real experiments.[ ROBOTIS ]
By Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, University of Florida NASA is planning to send three small rovers to the Moon with a single instruction: Work out among yourselves how to explore a patch of ground. The Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration mission, or CADRE, will land on the side of the Moon facing Earth as part of […]
Open source, commercial, single-hop, multi-hop, mixnet? The array of options is dizzying.
Pro soccer team's CTO points to "issues with the Broadcom takeover."
This article is brought to you by Tsubaki KabelSchlepp.In modern automated manufacturing, six-axis articulated robots perform high-speed, multidirectional maneuvers under demanding operational cycles. However, as robot arms swivel, rotate, and extend, the electrical cables, fiber optics, and pneumatic hoses supplying them endure severe mechanical stress. Torsional twist, rapid acceleration, and repeated contact with machine structures often lead to premature conductor fatigue, insulation breakdown, and costly unplanned production halts.To overcome these multi-axis motion challenges, the Tsubaki KabelSchlepp Robotrax System provides a specialized three-dimensional cable carrier engineered specifically for complex robotic motion.Managing High Tensile Forces With Central Steel TechnologyConventional cable carriers often transfer operational movement stress directly onto internal electrical lines and hoses. The Robotrax system changes this dynamic through a central steel cable that runs through the core of every chain link.The Robotrax system’s central steel cable absorbs the primary tensile loads and preserves conductor integrity, dramatically extending cable service life.When robot arms undergo rapid directional shifts and accelerations up to 10 g, this internal steel cable absorbs the primary tensile loads. By isolating electrical and fluid lines from pulling forces, the design preserves conductor integrity and dramatically extends cable service life. Mechanics can easily calibrate and adjust system tension using an integrated clamping piece, ensuring consistent mechanical support throughout long operational cycles.Spherical Link Design and Modular Cable RoutingThe foundation of the Robotrax system lies in its open, single-piece plastic links featuring spherical snap-on connections on both sides. This geometry allows the carrier to flex smoothly across three axes, providing radial rotation of up to ±450 degrees per meter depending on the model size.To optimize internal organization, carrier links contain up to three distinct chambers. This physical separation prevents signal interference and mechanical abrasion between heavy power lines, sensitive data channels, and fluid hoses. For standard models (R040 through R100), technicians can press cables directly into the carrier without tools, drastically reducing installation and maintenance time. Larger configurations, such as the R140X, incorporate swiveling crossbars with snap locks alongside vertical and horizontal dividers for customized interior partitioning.ROBOTRAX SystemSteel cable for transferring extremely high tensile forcesTension piece for locking the chain linksType with toolless opening swivel crossbars and divider module availableOpen design– Fast cable laying as the cables are simply pressed in– Easy checking of all cablesSpecial plastic for long service lifeProtective covers or heat shields made from different materials are available for different environmental conditionsQuick-release bracket for fixing and continuationStrain relief with LineFix clampsProtection against hard impacts, excessive abrasion and premature wear as well as limitation of the bending radius through protectorActive Retraction and Impact ProtectionLarge robot work envelopes and high-speed motion trajectories can cause loose cable carrier loops to swing and strike the robot body. To eliminate these destructive collisions, Tsubaki KabelSchlepp integrates the Pull Back Unit (PBU).The PBU serves as an active retraction mechanism that maintains optimal tension on the cable carrier throughout the entire motion cycle. By preventing excess slack and eliminating interfering contours, the PBU minimizes collision risks across complex movement paths. The unit requires zero maintenance on its retraction element and offers standard mounting configurations for leading industrial robot platforms, including KUKA, ABB, and FANUC.Tsubaki KabelSchlepp’s Pull Back Unit maintains optimal tension on the cable carrier and minimizes collision risks across complex movement paths.Additionally, external protectors can be retrofitted onto individual chain links. These durable impact shields limit the minimum bending radius to prevent over-flexing while shielding the chain body from severe external abrasion. If wear occurs, technicians simply replace the modular protector rather than the entire cable carrier assembly.Built for Demanding Industrial EnvironmentsFrom automotive welding cells to high-speed machining centers, Robotrax systems adapt to severe working conditions through tailored protective accessories:Heat Shields: Aluminum-coated textile fiber covers protect against radiated heat, hot weld spatter, and flying sparks.Protective Covers: Coated polyester sleeves shield sensitive lines against aggressive cutting fluids, hydraulic oils, paint overspray, and abrasive dust.LineFix Strain Relief: Multi-layer clamping devices anchor cables securely at both ends to prevent axial displacement during intense motion.By combining central load absorption, multi-axis flexibility, and active retraction control, the Robotrax system offers plant engineers and system integrators a reliable path toward maximizing robot uptime and reducing total operational costs.