Robots

It's never a good thing, when a bacterial biofilm forms on the surface of a medical implant. There could soon be a new way of eradicating such films, however, using tiny remote-control liquid-bodied robots.

I love me a bioinspired robot that pulls off challenging feats with cues from nature. Researchers have shown off the one-legged Salto bot mimic the way squirrels leap effortlessly between precarious branches and stick the landing on the first attempt.

Chinese humanoids are starting to move with extraordinary grace and agility, but Boston Dynamics is the OG in this field, and fresh video of its swivel-jointed Atlas robot running, cartwheeling and breakdancing shows it's still at the bleeding edge.

Figure is leveling up its humanoid robot business far more rapidly than any other robotics company I can think of. CEO Brett Adcock just announced it plans to begin alpha testing its robots in the home sometime in 2025 – two years ahead of schedule.

Cue the self-replicating robot revolution: Apptronik's humanoid Apollo robot is gearing up to assist in manufacturing copies of itself. The Texas-based company is dropping the bipedal bot on to assembly lines to produce more Apollos this year.

1X has just dropped a video of its new at-home robot helper, the Neo Gamma. It can clean, serve, and act as a voice companion. Never has a humanoid robot looked so huggable. Or in such need of a hug.

Only weeks after Figure.ai announced ending its collaboration deal with OpenAI, the Silicon Valley startup has announced Helix – a commercial-ready humanoid robot with an entirely new type of "hive-mind" AI brain called Helix VLA.

The Pixar lamp has inspired researchers at Apple to develop ways to make robots more expressive, and improve human-machine interactions – and it is simply adorable. Watch it help out with tasks and even dance along to music in the kitchen.

Researchers at Cornell University have been working on batteries that can 'flow' through the internal structures of robots, kind of like blood in humans' veins. They showcased this fascinating approach in soft-bodied worm and jellyfish bots.

Eureka's new flagship robo-cleaner goes to impressive lengths to look after itself, automating as much of its maintenance as possible so you don't need to. We've been living with this plucky robot for a few months now.

Two new videos from Chinese companies make it clear: it'll soon be no use trying to run from robots. Rapid upgrades in speed and agility mean robot dogs can now sprint at near-Olympic pace, and humanoids are running smoothly over tough terrain.

Chinese startup Pudu Robotics wants you to put its latest robot to work. The company's new humanoid D9 can walk upright, carry loads up to 44 lb, stock grocery store shelves – and maybe even sell you your next car.