Robotics

MIT engineers replaced excavator joysticks with a miniature-arm controller that mimics human arm motion, letting complete novices match veteran operators' skill level from their very first session, no years of practice required.

A few months ago, Chinese phone brand Honor teased one of the oddest concepts we've seen for a handset: it hid a folding robot arm attached to a camera. You can now buy one in China, and shoot Arri-grade footage with it.

The MegCell Pulse is a 3D-printable robotic system that can fit on any acoustic guitar and play music you feed it in a digital tablature format. With this, you can hear compositions rendered right in front of you, no speakers necessary.

The TerraMow X AWD ditches the in-place end-of-row pivot for a bi-directional "Shuttle Drive" system, pairing all-wheel drive and six-camera AI vision to mow steep, uneven, obstacle-strewn yards of up to 2.7 acres.

Jeff Bezos is gainfully employed once more, after having left his post as Amazon CEO back in 2021. The billionaire is now co-CEO at Project Prometheus, a startup that describes itself as building "AI for the physical economy."

Figure AI has given us a look at its idea of the robotic equivalent of the Model T as it rolls out its Figure 3 humanoid robot – the company's third-generation bipedal autonomous machine designed for general purpose work that's built for mass production.

Lymow, a Chinese lawnmower maker, has just launched its One Robot Mower, which previously raised more than US$7.5 million on Kickstarter, claiming the first spot in the lawnmower category. Now, it's getting a global commercial launch.

We're used to rovers exploring the Moon or Mars to have legs and wheels for moving around, but a team at Texas A&M led by Robert Ambrose wants to go more geometrical with a new mobile robot shaped like a ball for literally rolling about rough terrain.

Chinese robotics firm Unitree has launched the R1 humanoid robot at a shockingly low asking price of US$5,900. It's hard to fathom that you can now get a walking, command-obeying machine that costs less than an enthusiast-grade camera.

As the race to bring humanoid robots into the workplace and the home heats up, manufacturers are often keen to show off newly learned skills and accomplishments. But none so far rock as hard as keytar wizard Adam from PNDbotics.

Why settle for a robot when you can have a robot coyote? That seems to be the thinking of the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), which is developing a cybernetic prairie predator to keep airfields clear of hazardous wildlife.

You'll never have to carry clubs around the course again, with this AI-powered vision-equipped caddie that recognizes you and moves by hand command. One model will even assess your swing in real time. Right now, the caddies are discounted by 40%.