Industry Briefing
A single destination for timely, editor-curated robotics news from around the world.
What Happened When We Set Up a Robotics Lab in a Mall
In summer 2025, the RAI Institute launched a free pop-up robot experience at the CambridgeSide mall, aimed at enhancing public understanding and comfort with robotics. This initiative came in response to a growing divide between sensational media portrayals of robots and the public's lack of direct experience with them. The event featured a museum showcasing historical and modern robots, alongside an interactive driving arena where visitors could control the Spot quadruped robot using a specially designed adaptive controller. Over approximately 10,000 visitors, 10 percent participated in surveys before and after their driving experience. Results indicated a significant increase in comfort levels across various contexts, particularly in outdoor and domestic scenarios, where initial skepticism was highest. Many participants reported feelings of excitement and happiness after interacting with the robot, with a notable shift in their perceptions of robots as potential companions rather than mere labor replacements. The findings suggest that hands-on experiences can effectively alter public attitudes towards robots, fostering acceptance in environments where ambivalence is prevalent. The RAI Institute plans to continue exploring these interactions to further understand their impact on societal attitudes towards robotics. This research was presented at the 2026 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Boston-dynamics Legged-robots Spot-robot
Product Q&A with Ambi Robotics - AmbiVision
AmbiVision, a new venture emerging from Ambi Robotics, has been developed to enhance the capabilities of the company's robotic stacking system, AmbiStack. This innovative technology utilizes advanced artificial intelligence to improve the robot's ability to perceive and interact with packages effectively. By leveraging the same AI skills that drive AmbiStack, AmbiVision aims to streamline operations in logistics and warehousing. The initiative reflects Ambi Robotics' commitment to advancing automation solutions in response to the growing demand for efficiency in supply chain management.
Robotics needs a service framework.
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
