A single destination for timely, editor-curated robotics news from around the world.
Airbus and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have successfully conducted the first European flight of the U740 Valkyrie uncrewed combat aircraft. This milestone is a significant step towards delivering a combat-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) for Germany and other European military custo...
PowerLight Technologies, based in the U.S., has secured an expanded investment from the Department of War to enhance its Aerial ReCharge (ARC) system. This funding, part of the Operational Energy – Innovation (OE-I) Directorate, supports the ongoing development of ARC under the PTROL-UAS program, wi...
Three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are on their way to Earth, potentially enhancing the visibility of the northern lights across parts of the U.S. this weekend. The CMEs originated from sunspot region AR4549 on October 6 and 7, with the most significant expected to arrive on October 9. This event...
MIT has successfully created a paper-thin robot that utilizes live muscle cells for swimming and is controlled by light. This innovative design showcases the potential of biohybrid robotics, merging biological materials with robotic systems to enhance functionality. The significance of this develop...
Northrop Grumman has successfully completed the first flight of its self-funded YFQ-48A drone wingman. The aircraft demonstrated fully autonomous capabilities, including taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers, and landing, during its flight over the Mojave Desert in California. This milestone is signif...
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed an innovative optical-neural processor that utilizes light to identify deepfake videos with nearly 98% accuracy. This technology can analyze 15 or more video streams simultaneously, significantly improving the speed and e...
A novel sunlight algorithm has been developed to improve the global path planning of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) through grid-constrained sampling techniques. This advancement aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of AUV navigation in complex underwater environments. The signif...
Lightspeed is in the process of raising $250 million for its new early-stage fund, Lightspeed India Partners V, which will focus on AI companies in India and Southeast Asia. The fund has already secured commitments for 80% of its target and is half the size of its predecessor, which raised $500 mill...
Light Origins has launched the Light-O1 embodied base model, which is trained on human movements sourced from online videos. This innovative model aims to enhance the capabilities of robotic systems by mimicking human actions, thereby improving interaction and functionality in various applications....
Light Origins has launched Light-O1, its first general-purpose embodied foundation model, which utilizes human actions extracted from internet videos to provide a reusable framework for robots to learn various tasks. The company trained six versions of the 4-billion-parameter model on multimodal tok...
IEEE Spectrum's latest Video Friday showcases a variety of robotics innovations. Featured is Goose, a small home robot designed for light household tasks and companionship, although specific functionalities remain undisclosed. The highlights also include Skydio's F10, an asymmetrical fixed-wing dro...
The Dividend Champions list, updated monthly, showcases companies that have consistently raised their annual dividend payouts. This week's highlights include notable companies such as DOX, O, BMY, MORN, RGLD, SYY, FNF, and PEP, which have demonstrated strong performance in dividend growth. Understa...
Bye Aerospace has successfully conducted the inaugural flight of its eFlyer 2, an all-electric aircraft designed for U.S. pilot training. This milestone opens the flight-test campaign for the aircraft, which is projected to reduce operational costs by up to 80% while eliminating in-flight emissions....
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has advanced H.R. 10304, the Drone Safety Statement Modernization Act of 2026, which mandates that small drone manufacturers provide a safety statement to operators upon their first activation. This bill aims to enhance safety awareness among new...
Light Origins has unveiled the Light-O1-Preview, a 6B model licensed under Apache-2.0. This innovative model is designed to convert human-video action priors into comprehensive robot whole-body trajectories, marking a significant advancement in robotic motion capabilities. The introduction of Light...
Joby Aviation has successfully completed a groundbreaking 3,199-mile autonomous flight across the United States, utilizing a modified Cessna Caravan. The flight, which concluded near North Carolina’s Outer Banks, featured an onboard safety pilot who did not engage with the aircraft's controls, as Jo...
Joby Aviation successfully completed an autonomous flight exceeding 3,100 miles across the United States, showcasing its advanced autonomy technology. This flight, described as the 'first-ever autonomous flight across the United States,' highlights Joby's ambitions beyond electric air taxis, indicat...
Light Origins has announced the open-sourcing of LightNav-0, a navigation model based on Qwen3-VL-4B. This model was trained using the Real2Sim2Real methodology, incorporating over 2,000 scenes and more than 4,000 hours of Visual Language Annotation (VLA) data. It excels in leading 10 monocular navi...
AEVEX Corp. has secured a potential contract worth $92.2 million to support the U.S. military's SkyRange hypersonic test program over three years. This contract will enable AEVEX to conduct flight operations across designated corridors in the Western U.S. and the Pacific, focusing on airborne teleme...
FTS has unveiled the TAHR, a light combat vehicle designed for German Special Forces. This innovative vehicle can be air-dropped, with two units fitting inside a Chinook helicopter, enhancing operational flexibility. The introduction of the TAHR is significant as it addresses the need for versatile...
Researchers at Durham University have created an innovative drone navigation system that allows autonomous aircraft to navigate through cluttered environments more efficiently. This advancement enhances the speed, smoothness, and safety of drone operations in areas filled with obstacles. The signif...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering regulations that could impact the U.S. drone light show industry, particularly affecting Skyworx Drone Shows. The proposed definition of 'military-grade' unmanned aircraft may inadvertently include specialized drones used for aerial entertai...
At IMTS 2026, high-speed robotic spindles are gaining significant attention from machine tool OEMs and system integrators. Setco's innovative robotic spindle, which is mounted on a FANUC robotic precision machine arm, showcases a solution that can match the precision of dedicated CNC machines. This...
Airline operations in the UK have resumed following a significant air traffic control failure that led to the cancellation of over 2,000 flights on September 8. The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) reported that a technical issue in its flight processing system caused the disruption, stranding h...
DJI has launched a major update to its FlightHub 2 On-Premises software, version 1.7, aimed at enhancing enterprise drone operations. This self-hosted platform allows organizations to manage their drone data securely on their own servers, addressing the growing demand for data sovereignty and cybers...
On September 6, 2026, the third Shenyang Manufacturing Trade and Economic Activity Week concluded, showcasing a shift in focus from heavy machinery to agile local robotics. These robots, capable of carrying heavy loads across complex terrains and tailored for small to medium enterprises, have moved...
A new quadruped robot featuring a lightweight and integrated design has been developed, utilizing tubeless hydraulic systems and additive manufacturing techniques. This innovation aims to enhance the robot's mobility and efficiency in various terrains, making it suitable for field applications. The...
Poseidon Aerospace has successfully raised $60 million in a Series A funding round, aimed at advancing its uncrewed cargo plane, Egret. This funding follows an earlier $11 million seed round and is led by TQ Ventures, with participation from several other investors. The first test flight of Egret is...
Amprius Technologies has launched a silicon-anode battery cell aimed at enhancing the endurance of uncrewed aircraft. The new SiCore cell boasts an energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) at a continuous discharge rate of 1C, with commercial availability anticipated in the fourth quart...
Lucid Bots has unveiled the Power Tether, a groundbreaking ground-powered continuous flight system for commercial cleaning and spraying drones. This innovation allows the Sherpa drone to receive external power, minimizing the need for battery changes during extended operations. The introduction of...
San Francisco-based Lightberry has opened reservations for Lumi, a 4-foot-2-inch interactive humanoid robot priced at $39,990 for the first 100 units. This initiative aims to facilitate commercial deployments of expressive humanoids for businesses that lack in-house robotics expertise. Lumi's desig...
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed innovative teardrop-shaped soft robots that can continuously leap upward or forward when exposed to infrared light. This breakthrough showcases a novel mechanism for self-resetting jumping behavior in soft robotics, allowing the robots to...
First Breach Inc. has successfully completed the inaugural flight of its proprietary drone prototype, marking a significant transition from ammunition manufacturing to unmanned aircraft systems. This milestone follows the company's recent listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol...
AirData, a drone fleet management platform based in California, has announced it has tracked over 65 million drone flights globally, encompassing more than 850,000 drones and 470,000 pilots. This milestone arrives as the FAA's Part 108 rule, which would permit routine beyond visual line of sight (BV...
High Great Innovation, a Chinese drone manufacturer, has unveiled the EMO Mini, a lightweight drone aimed at enhancing large-scale aerial light shows. Weighing only 249 grams, it is designed for professional drone show operators and features a unique transport case that combines storage, charging, a...
A humanoid robot named Lightning, developed by Honor, has reportedly completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.32 seconds, surpassing Usain Bolt's previous world record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009. This achievement occurred during a test event in Beijing ahead of the second World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG)...
At the World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, Honor's self-developed humanoid robot, Lightning, achieved a remarkable feat by completing a 400m run in 40.6 seconds. This performance surpassed the previous human men's world record of 43.03 seconds, established by Wayde van Niekerk during the 201...
The 2026 World Robotics Conference is set to unveil a range of innovative robotic exhibits that highlight the growing integration of robots in various sectors. Among the featured products is the MAXHUB A3, a flexible robotic arm designed for diverse applications including education and manufacturing...
The 2026 World Robot Conference (WRC) held a thematic event on embodied intelligence on August 20 at the Beijing Yichuang International Conference Center. Organized by the Lide Robot Platform, the event brought together experts, entrepreneurs, and investors to discuss various topics including model...
Federal and local officials have condemned drone overflights during recent wildfires in eastern Washington, which led to the temporary grounding of firefighting aircraft. The wildfires, which affected Spokane, resulted in the destruction of approximately 800 buildings and the evacuation of tens of t...
Japan's robotics strategies emphasize disaster response and addressing an aging workforce. With a significant portion of its population over 65, robotics is seen as essential for maintaining economic stability and enhancing labor sectors like healthcare. The country's proactive approach to robotics...
Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg have developed tiny light-powered nanorobots capable of hunting down and collecting bacteria. These microdrones, measuring less than one micrometer, utilize photon recoil for propulsion and can maneuver effectively in microscopic environments. T...
The humanoid robot Stewie has made headlines by securing its own seat on a Southwest Airlines flight. This event marks a significant milestone in the integration of robotics into everyday life, showcasing the advancements in humanoid technology. The importance of this development lies in its implic...
Rolls-Royce has successfully demonstrated a modern aero gas turbine operating on 100% hydrogen throughout a simulated flight cycle, which included take-off, cruise, and landing phases. This significant achievement, supported by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), marks a crucial step towards the potent...
DJI has released a firmware update for the Mavic 4 Pro drone, including updates for the DJI RC Pro 2, DJI RC 2, and DJI Fly app. The new aircraft firmware v01.00.0800 aims to fix known issues, enhancing the overall flight experience for users. While the update does not introduce new features, it emp...
Recent research published in the Journal of Field Robotics focuses on improving drone light shows through optimal allocation and trajectory planning for swarm formations. This study aims to enhance the visual impact and coordination of drone displays, making them more engaging for audiences. The si...
A federal lawsuit has been filed by Michigan photojournalist Ray Rocha against Bay County Sheriff Troy Cunningham and Deputy Chris Berg, challenging restrictions on drone flights near police operations. The suit, initiated on August 9, 2024, stems from an incident in November 2024 where Rocha was op...
NVIDIA has unveiled the Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, a compact open model designed to optimize repetitive tasks for autonomous agents. This model features 30 billion total parameters, activating only 3 billion per token, which enables it to perform tasks with the efficiency of larger models while maintai...
NVIDIA has introduced the Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, the most efficient model in its Nemotron series, designed for long-running agentic AI workloads. This 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model enhances the performance of specialized tasks within multi-agent systems, reflecting NVIDIA's ongoing...
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is developing the Light High-Orbit Utility Signal Emitter (LightHOUSE) to enhance navigation in cislunar space. This initiative aims to address the limitations of current navigation systems, which rely on NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) and can take hours for orbit determinati...
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
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