Connexion
US chip champion Intel was so confused by the US government ban on foreign-made robots that it requested and received a waiver “out of an abundance of caution.” The tech company wanted to make sure that it could continue using certain robotic vehicles in its US chip fabs.
The uncertainty surrounding the Federal Communications Commission ban on certain foreign-made robots was revealed in the agency’s decision to grant Intel’s waiver request. On October 22, the FCC published its order allowing Intel to continue using the foreign-made robots in US semiconductor manufacturing facilities for a period of one year.
The robots in question are automated guided vehicles operating on “tracks or predefined paths” while often requiring operator oversight, according to Intel’s website. They help to move materials and items around within warehouses and factory floors.
Nvidia and Agile Robots unveiled Agile ONE SN, a compact humanoid with Jetson Thor computing and Isaac GR00T training tools. Here's what it can do, its specifications, and when it launches.
The post Agile ONE SN Humanoid Robot Bundles Nvidia’s Robotics Stack appeared first on TechRepublic.
Nvidia and Hugging Face show how a $399 duck-shaped robot learns to walk using AI simulation. Here's how Microduck works, what it costs, and when buyers may get one.
The post Nvidia Teaches a $399 Duck Robot to Walk Using AI appeared first on TechRepublic.
China's Unitree unveils the H2-X humanoid robot with kung fu moves and rescue demonstrations, but questions remain about its autonomy, safety and endurance.
The post China’s Unitree Shows Off H2-X Robot With Kung Fu Moves and Rescue Skills appeared first on TechRepublic.
Faraday Future unveiled a $2,490 humanoid robot and $299 mini model for developers and students, with robotics training, AI tools and phased availability.
The post Faraday Future Launches $2,490 Humanoid Robot and $299 Mini appeared first on TechRepublic.
German police seized a humanoid robot after it allegedly groped a teenage girl in Cologne, raising questions about human control and criminal responsibility.
The post German Police Seize Robot After Alleged Groping of 16-Year-Old Girl appeared first on TechRepublic.
UBTECH and FAW-Volkswagen plan new humanoid robot trials for factory logistics in China, building on earlier tests as manufacturers explore automation.
The post Volkswagen’s China Partner Taps UBTECH to Test Humanoid Factory Robots appeared first on TechRepublic.
No organization in the world operates more robots than Amazon. The company already has more than 1 million robots working in warehouses around the clock to make tens of millions of same-day and one-day package deliveries happen on a daily basis—and Amazon is poised to significantly grow that robotic fleet in the coming years as it establishes new factories to churn out increasingly more capable robot workers.
Despite deploying so many robots, Amazon is also the second-largest corporate employer in the world, with more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time human workers, according to its 2025 annual report. Amazon executives say that the growing robot fleet has eased the burden on its human workforce by taking on the toughest fulfillment center tasks that carry the greatest risks of physical fatigue and injury. But labor advocacy groups and independent researchers point to evidence suggesting that warehouse automation driven by AI is not all upside for the humans who work alongside robots.
“For the last 100 years, most of the automation that we've seen usually happens away from workers—you're taking that high-risk task away from the worker, and you're doing so in a way that is not physically proximate,” Brad Greenwood, professor of business at George Mason University, told Ars. “The rise of collaborative robots really changes that dynamic for two reasons: one is that it is physically proximate, and two, the robot has the ability to dictate the pace of work.”
Tesla's Optimus robot production reportedly increased in 2026. Here's what to know about Elon Musk's 2027 sales target, manufacturing challenges, and rollout.
The post Elon Musk’s Tesla Optimus Timeline: Robots Targeted for 2027 Launch appeared first on TechRepublic.
DEEP Robotics tested waterproof DR02 humanoid robots directing traffic and helping tourists in Hangzhou, China, raising questions about safety and reliability.
The post China Tests Humanoid Robots to Direct Traffic in Heavy Rain appeared first on TechRepublic.
Explore the latest tech news, from ChatGPT's interactive AI tools and Microsoft's new hardware to cybersecurity threats, robotics, and Big Tech shakeups.
The post AI Agents, Local Hardware, and Security Risks Reshape Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Investors bullish on AI data centers may be fueling Nvidia’s multitrillion-dollar market capitalization, but the AI chipmaker has also bet billions of dollars on physical AI technologies such as robotics and self-driving cars. Part of that gambit has involved developing a full-stack safety system that companies can build upon to reduce the risk of their machines harming nearby people.
Nvidia's Halos system launched in 2025 with hardware and software tools to help developers implement guardrails in self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles. Then the company expanded its safety architecture to more physical AI technologies by announcing Nvidia Halos for Robotics in June 2026—with the goal of enabling safe deployments of autonomous mobile robots in warehouses, humanoid robots walking around inside a factory, or even surgical robots.
“Now the AI models are getting capable, the robot hardware is getting capable, and a thing we thought is going to be the next bottleneck is safety,” Amit Goel, head of robotics ecosystem and edge computing at Nvidia, told Ars. “So that's why we launched our Halos for Robotics to unlock the capability of these systems.”
Moflin leads our robot companion picks, while Loona, Mirumi, Ropet KAMOMO, and Eilik offer mobile, wearable, customizable, and budget alternatives.
The post Best Robot Companions for 2026: Mirumi, Moflin, Loona, Ropet and Eilik appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tesla beat third-quarter delivery expectations, but sales remain below last year as investors wait to see whether higher volume can restore durable growth.
The post Tesla Deliveries Beat Expectations as Its Car Business Shows Signs of Recovery appeared first on TechRepublic.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from Sept. 28–Oct. 2.
The post AI Agents, Security Crises, and Workforce Upheaval Define This Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
The US Army evaluated armored humanoid Alex for dangerous tasks. Explore its capabilities, supporting technologies and limits before field deployment.
The post US Army Evaluates Armored Humanoid Robot Alex for Dangerous Tasks appeared first on TechRepublic.
AGIBOT and Chimelong are deploying more than 300 robots across a Chinese theme park and hotel, testing embodied AI in real commercial operations.
The post AGIBOT Deploys 300-Plus Robots Across Chinese Theme Park appeared first on TechRepublic.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from Sept. 21–25.
The post AI’s Compute Race Reaches Orbit as Security Risks Multiply in This Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Simbe says more than 3,000 Tally retail robots are under contract as it expands shelf-scanning technology into a broader store intelligence platform.
The post Simbe Surpasses 3,000 Contracted Robots for Retail Stores appeared first on TechRepublic.
Anthropic has opened a biology lab to test Claude with real experiments and lab equipment, expanding its AI life sciences work beyond computer simulations.
The post Anthropic Builds Biology Lab to Test What Claude Can Do in the Real World appeared first on TechRepublic.
On a sunny morning in June, I walked to work with a quadruped robot beside me. I’ve never gotten more attention from strangers.
A bunch of people snapped pictures of my robot dog. Several people asked me questions. Was it mine? (Yes.) Did I build it? (No.) Was it being used for surveillance? (No.)
Biological dogs kept a safe distance from my mechanical companion. Some growled or barked at it.
XPENG’s IRON humanoid robot has walked off its automated assembly line as the company targets mass production and commercial deployments in 2027.
The post XPENG’s IRON Walks Off the Assembly Line: Is Mass Production Next? appeared first on TechRepublic.
Xiaomi showcased CyberOne at IFA after reporting a 98% success rate in an EV factory trial, highlighting the promise and limits of humanoid robots.
The post Xiaomi Says CyberOne Hit 98% in Factory Trial Before IFA Demo appeared first on TechRepublic.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from Aug. 31–Sept. 4.
The post Powerful AI, Cyberthreats, and Industry Upheaval Define This Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. August’s list includes the discovery of a new celestial object astronomers have dubbed a "black hole star"; breaking down plastics with microbes and turning them into edible cookies; how whale calls are connected to Einstein's special theory of relativity; and how avocado tree flowers switch sex during the day, among other highlights.
Credit:
Rohan Naidu (University of Hawai'i)
In 2024, astronomers combing through datasets taken by the James Webb Space Telescope noticed hundreds of mysterious little red dots lurking therein, believed to be baby quasars. They existed when the Universe was just a few hundred million years old. One such object in particular captured scientists' interest: a red dot that was extremely red and very bright, but whose properties didn't fit with any known astrophysical object. Astronomers have now concluded that the little red dot is a "black hole star," so named because it is the size of a large star but produces far more energy than would be possible via nuclear fusion—energy comparable to what an active black hole would produce.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from August 24–28.
The post AI Expansion Meets Security Crises, Costs, and Public Resistance in Tech This Week appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Viral videos of the World Humanoid Robot Games show sprinting robots beating the human 100-meter record held by Usain Bolt—but also feature running robots crashing into barriers and falling down because they cannot readily stop running. A few fallen robots even break at the waist in a shower of sparks or catch on fire.
That demonstration of both robotic prowess and limitations came from the second edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games hosted in Beijing from August 22–26. Like the inaugural event held in 2025, this year’s event challenged humanoid robots to run fast, perform kung fu or dance moves, fight one another in kickboxing, and play soccer or table tennis.
This year’s games also tested robots in more humdrum practical scenarios like washing and hanging laundry, where they appeared to lag behind typical human working speeds. That suggests the event organizers, including Chinese state media and the Beijing city government, are keen to showcase the commercial potential of humanoid robots at a time when China’s robotics industry is rapidly developing and testing such robots.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from Aug. 17–21.
The post AI Races Ahead in Tech This Week as Cyberthreats and Robots Raise the Stakes appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Waymo reveals custom 5nm AI chips built to process sensor data inside its robotaxis as the company scales its autonomous driving fleet.
The post Alphabet’s Waymo Unveils Custom Silicon to Power Its Next-Gen Robotaxis appeared first on TechRepublic.
A leading US distributor of China’s most popular humanoid robots and robot dogs now plans to produce its own robots at a facility on Long Island, New York. The business pivot comes amid the US government’s growing crackdown on foreign-made robots.
The company, RoboStore, had previously become the main North American distributor for humanoid robots and quadruped robots from Unitree Robotics, a Chinese robotics company that produces some of the most affordable and popular humanoid robot models. Universities like Harvard and MIT, along with tech companies like Amazon and Nvidia, purchased such robots made in China through RoboStore for their own research and development purposes.
“We’ve sold over 1,500 robots and deployed them and worked with customers like Cisco, OpenAI, Nvidia, and over 150 universities,” Teddy Haggerty, founder and CEO of RoboStore, told Ars.
Beijing’s World Humanoid Robot Games will feature 2,056 robots from 16 countries, with tougher autonomy rules and more real-world industrial tasks.
The post 2,056 Humanoid Robots From 16 Countries Head to Beijing for World Robot Games appeared first on TechRepublic.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from August 3–7.
The post Runaway AI Agents, Cyberattacks, and Power Shifts Define the Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot can swap its own battery in under three minutes, a feature designed to reduce downtime during industrial work.
The post Boston Dynamics’ Atlas Robot Can Change Its Own Battery in Under 3 Minutes appeared first on TechRepublic.
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. July’s list includes outfitting cyborg cockroaches with a tiny diving suit for navigating flooded terrain; confirmation that a Medici duke died of malaria, not poisoning; the best evidence to date that Betelgeuse is orbited by a companion star; and evidence that some ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled archers.
Credit:
Administrative Archive, Regional Museum of Iquique–CORMUDESI
It's known that the Incas practiced a human sacrifice ritual known as Capachoca, in which children were offered to the mountains and believed to become divine themselves, serving as intermediaries with the gods. This often involved pilgrimages to the remote sacrificial sites, with colonial accounts describing strangulation, asphyxiation, and blunt force trauma as the most common methods of sacrifice. Archaeologists have reanalyzed the remains of one such victim and concluded the boy died from blunt force trauma, rather than freezing to death as previously believed. They described their findings in a paper published in the journal Science Advances.
A Northeastern prototype firefighting robot uses cryogenic liquid nitrogen spray on small fires, with researchers exploring future wildfire response.
The post New Firefighting Robot Uses Cryogenic Spray, Could Fight Wildfires appeared first on TechRepublic.
Robots powered by Google's Gemini AI models are now more capable. With the debut of Gemini Robotics 2, these physical bots can now accomplish more complex tasks, continuously analyze changing environments, and collaborate with other robots. This is thanks to a trio of new sub-models, one of which is publicly available for developers starting today.
Videos of robots running, dancing, and backflipping have been a staple of the Internet for years, but these machines were programmed to perform these very narrow tasks. The goal of Gemini robotics is to create a generalist robot, one that can do anything a human could do. Google DeepMind scientists sometimes call this "physical AGI." Essentially, you tell a robot what to do, and it does it. With the 2.0 release, Google says its robotics AI can control an entire humanoid robot with improved dexterity, even for machines with complex humanoid hands.
This starts with Gemini Robotics ER 2, an upgraded "embodied reasoning" model that DeepMind claims is a significant leap over the previous 1.6 release. It's integrated with the Gemini Live API, giving developers the opportunity to experience that supposed leap forward.
DoorDash received FAA Part 135 certification for DoorDash Air and expects to begin in-house commercial drone deliveries in the US in fall 2026.
The post DoorDash Gets FAA Approval to Launch Its Own Drone Delivery Service appeared first on TechRepublic.
Humanoid robots and four-legged robots made in China fall squarely under a new ban imposed by the US Federal Communications Commission on foreign-made robots. But the sweeping prohibition covers a wide variety of robots manufactured anywhere abroad, including the newest robot vacuum cleaners.
The Trump administration's FCC justified the ban on foreign-made robots by referencing cybersecurity vulnerabilities previously discovered in robots specifically made by Chinese companies. On July 28, the federal agency added “foreign-produced advanced robotic devices” to its Covered List of technologies “deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the US or the safety and security of US persons.”
However, the FCC cannot update the Covered List on its own initiative and is required by law to follow the direction of a “qualifying national security authority.” The agency describes the White House as having “convened an executive branch interagency body” that “included appropriate national security agencies,” which determined foreign-made robots as presenting a national security risk.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from July 20–24.
The post AI Agents, Foldables, Cyberattacks, and Chip Deals Reshape Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Robots slithered like snakes into the rubble of collapsed buildings to search for trapped survivors in the aftermath of Venezuela’s double earthquake disaster.
The so-called snake robots represented a unique technological aid for international search and rescue efforts following two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, killing more than 5,000 people and leaving behind 16,740 injured. Rescuers from around the world used trained dogs, seismic and acoustic listening devices, video cameras on sticks, or thermal imaging cameras to search for signs of survivors—but the snakebots equipped with a video camera could squeeze through tight spaces to search deep within fallen building debris.
“The reason why snake robots are useful is they can get into tightly packed volumes that machinery and people otherwise cannot, and that's important in search and rescue because we were able to extend the visual reach of the rescue workers in a safe way,” Howie Choset, head of the Biorobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, told Ars. “In a sense, you're doing minimally invasive surgery on a structure with a snake robot.”
UC San Diego's Surgie humanoid robots performed two live gallbladder surgeries on pigs, showing how adaptable robots could safely work in future hospitals.
The post Teleoperated Humanoid Robots Reach Live Surgery Milestone appeared first on TechRepublic.
Over the past few years, many of us have gotten a crash course in what we now call artificial intelligence—but really, it has mostly been a crash course in large language models. Increasingly, however, LLMs are no longer the only category of AI drawing high expectations, massive funding rounds, and significant research and product development.
Over the past year, we've seen a plethora of new announcements in a category labeled "world models," and you'll likely see more movement there in the coming months and years.
Instead of or in addition to working with language, world models aim to lay the groundwork for AI systems that are capable of simulating the physical world, or at least a useful approximation of it.
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from July 6–10.
The post AI Breakthroughs, Security Breaches, and Industry Shakeups Define the Week appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from June 29–July 2.
The post AI Oversight, Security Flaws, and Industry Shifts Define This Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Isaac 1, c'est le nouveau robot domestique de Weave Robotics , et sa spécialité c'est de plier le linge, faire les lits et ranger le bazar qui traîne chez vous. Il a l'air rigolo, il est mignon, il a des grands bras et me fait penser un peu à ce robot de dessin animé qui s'appelle Baymax.
La bête se déplace sur une base motorisée, se replie à 90cm pour se faire oublier dans un coin et se déploie jusqu'à 1,75 m quand il faut bosser, avec ses grands bras terminés par des pinces à 2 doigts.
Au programme chez vous : vos t-shirts pliés, votre lit fait, vos coussins redressés et le bazar du salon rangé à la demande.
La démo en vidéo vaut le coup d'œil !
Ranger le bazar, redresser les coussins, faire le lit : le programme d'Isaac 1
Toutefois, ce robot n'est pas encore 100% autonome. En effet, il peut nécessiter l'intervention d'un opérateur humain quand il galère sur un truc. Mais l'objectif à terme pour Weave Robotics, c'est clairement la full autonomie.
Replié à 90 cm, caméras physiquement coupées
La première version, Isaac 0 ressemblait à ça d'ailleurs :
Alors ça vous plait ?
Bah si vous en voulez un, faudra revendre la caravane et le chien parce que ça coûte 8000 $ ou 449 $ d'abonnement par mois (avec caution à 250$, faut pas déconner).
Les livraisons démarrent en Californie à l'automne, avant le reste des États-Unis, et pour l'Europe y'a aucune date pour le moment.
Après 8000$ c'est pas donné quand même pour un robot qui fait que ça.
Le pliage de linge, c'est de toute façon le cimetière des startups robotiques. Je suis désolé, mais Laundroid a coulé en 2019 avec environ 20 millions de dollars de dettes, FoldiMate a fermé en 2021 sans jamais rien livrer, et le Memo de Sunday Robotics est arrivé sur le même créneau l'an dernier.
Même les humanoïdes généralistes s'y mettent, comme Figure 02 avec sa lessive , et si vous voulez quand même comparer les tarifs du secteur, j'ai déjà fait le tour de ce que coûte un robot humanoïde chez soi .
Maintenant, il y a 2 types de personnes dans le monde : ceux qui ont ce genre de truc, et ceux qui comme moi s'habillent en allant chercher directement leurs fringues dans le tas de linge propre qui traîne par terre dans la chambre.
Allez, si ça vous tente, les précommandes sont ouvertes . Moi je vous laisse, j'ai du linge à ne surtout pas replier.
NASA is preparing a robotic rescue mission to boost the falling Swift telescope, test satellite servicing, and avoid a costly observatory replacement.
The post NASA Launches Daring Robotic Rescue Mission to Save Falling Swift Telescope appeared first on TechRepublic.
Un humanoïde qui traverse un immeuble, appelle l'ascenseur, ouvre un colis avec un outil et range les courses dans un tiroir, tout seul, et sur une seule consigne qui lui est donnée en langage naturel, ce n'est pas de la sorcellerie ! Non, c'est la démo qu'a sortie Flexion Robotics , une startup suisse, qui lance Reflect v1.0, son nouveau "cerveau" IA pour robots.
Car Flexion ne fabrique pas de robots. Cette spin-off zurichoise, fondée en 2024 par d'anciens chercheurs Nvidia, vend du logiciel, une couche d'intelligence qui se pose sur un humanoïde existant et le pilote de bout en bout.
Là où Alibaba donne un corps à son IA avec une suite logicielle complète, Flexion ne vise que le cerveau. Vous écrivez ce que vous voulez en langage naturel, et le robot part faire sa vie pour vous satisfaire au mieux. Vous pouvez même changer la consigne en plein vol, du genre "non, reviens par ici" et il abandonnera tout pour revenir dans vos bras.
En général, en robotique (comme avec les LLMs finalement...), l'autonomie longue sur les tâches, c'est l'enfer. Une mission de 16 étapes, des erreurs qui s'enchaînent et paf, tout s'écroule. Alors pour encaisser ça, ils ont entraîné leur propre modèle de vision-langage, un chef d'orchestre qui surveille, raisonne et replanifie en direct. Et ils ont misé sur l'apprentissage par renforcement à tous les étages, du mouvement fin jusqu'à la décision. Et voilà comment (en labo), ils passent de 38 % à 90 % de réussite sur ce genre de missions longues.
Ensuite côté capacités, c'est du costaud puisqu'on a un robot qui manipule des colis de 100 g à 3,5 kg, repositionne les cartons, appuie sur les boutons d'ascenseur au centimètre près, utilise des outils, enchaîne les escaliers et slalome entre les obstacles avec sa charge. Et quand il rate une prise, s'pas grââve, il retente ou replanifie sa route grâce à ses caméras.
En ce moment, les annonces d'humanoïdes pleuvent en Chine... On a eu par exemple Agibot qui affiche 99 % de succès sur une démo usine de six jours, ShengShu qui présente Motubrain , son cerveau unifié, et ça ne risque pas de s'arrêter, sans parler des robots chinois un peu plus bas de gamme, revendus en marque blanche qui commencent à pulluler comme les aspi robots ou les tondeuses autonomes...
À voir maintenant si l'un d'eux ira un peu trop loin en milieu ouvert... En attendant, Flexion est très honnête puisque la société explique que Reflect v1.0 reste limité à des tâches bien définies, et qu'ils ne sont pas encore prêts pour l'autonomie universelle... pour l'instant.
Source : Interesting Engineering
See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from June 22–26.
The post AI Upgrades, Security Breaches, and Industry Shakeups Define the Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.
Tags de l’article
Apple supplier Lingyi iTech seeks a US$1.1B Hong Kong IPO to fund expansion in AI hardware, robotics, smart glasses, and AI servers.
The post Apple Supplier Bets on Robots, AI Servers in $1.1B Hong Kong Listing appeared first on TechRepublic.
Lateo.net - Flux RSS en pagaille (pour en ajouter : @ moi)