Robotics

Richtech Robotics , a US-based provider of AI-driven robotics solutions, has unveiled Dex, the company’s first mobile humanoid robot for industrial use. Accelerated by the Nvidia Jetson Thor, Dex is capable of operating in dynamic environments, adapt with real time reasoning, and perform complex tasks with detailed precision, all while operating for a full workday on a single charge. Richtech is using Nvidia technology to accelerate Dex’s training across diverse industrial and commercial contexts. By combining real-world data with Nvidia Isaac Sim, an open, reference robotics simulation framework, Dex is able to learn tasks virtually at an exponential rate, and implement behaviors into a live industrial environment. This “Sim2Real” pipeline shortens deployment cycles, enhances safety, and enables faster scaling of new robotic applications. Dex builds on insights from more than 450 Richtech robot deployments nationwide. It combines the AMR (autonomous mobile robot) technology of Richtec...

When the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world in 2020, few sectors changed as visibly as cleaning and disinfection. Overnight, hygiene became a matter of public infrastructure rather than private preference. The sight of robots quietly gliding through airports, malls and hospitals, emitting UV light or spraying disinfectant, once a novelty, became a symbol of safety and reassurance. Five years on, these machines are no longer temporary solutions. Cleaning and sanitation robots have evolved from emergency measures to permanent fixtures in the global automation landscape – part of a new baseline for public hygiene and operational efficiency. From crisis response to long-term transformation The first wave of cleaning robots was driven by fear and necessity. Airports deployed UV disinfection units to reassure travellers. Hospitals experimented with autonomous sterilisation devices to reduce viral load in high-risk areas. Offices and public transport operators used robotic floor cleaner...

Serve Robotics   has deployed its 1,000th autonomous delivery robot, marking a significant milestone for the San Francisco-based company as it scales operations across the United States. The Nasdaq-listed firm said more than 380 of its third-generation robots were rolled out in September alone, bringing the fleet to 1,000 active units. Serve reiterated that it remains on track to reach 2,000 deployed robots by the end of 2025, fulfilling its expansion plans set earlier this year. Serve develops AI-powered, low-emission sidewalk robots designed to make last-mile delivery both sustainable and cost-effective. The company spun out of Uber in 2021 and has since completed hundreds of thousands of deliveries for enterprise partners including Uber Eats and 7-Eleven. Its long-term contracts include a multi-year agreement to deploy up to 2,000 delivery robots on the Uber Eats platform across multiple US markets. The company has been steadily expanding its footprint. In September, Serve ...

University of Pennsylvania engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration In early August, the crisp dawn sky above White Sands National Park glows faintly blue, gradually brightening as streaks of marigold and soft pink pierce the clouds with the rising sun. But although the powder-white sand of the 30-foot gypsum dunes is cool at dawn, air temperatures become blistering hot as the sun approaches its zenith. It’s precisely these harsh conditions that drew an interdisciplinary research team to this remote desert, using it as an Earthly stand-in for the Moon and Mars. Their goal: to evaluate lunar robots designed to traverse unforgiving terrain. The team from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Texas A&M University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oregon State University,...

Yamaha Motor   has released the Yamaha Motor Cobot, a new seven-axis collaborative robot designed to operate safely alongside humans. The company has also introduced a compact, dedicated controller developed specifically for the new model. The Yamaha Motor Cobot marks the company’s first commercially available collaborative robot and employs a seven-axis configuration that provides a degree of freedom similar to a human arm. According to Yamaha, the additional axis enables “delicate movements, such as reaching into confined spaces that cannot be accessed by 6-axis robots or approaching targets by moving around obstacles”. Each axis incorporates an integrated torque sensor that allows compliance control for smooth, fluid motion. The robot can detect and stop immediately upon contact with workers. Yamaha says it is “on track to receive functional safety certification from TÜV SÜD”, the independent testing and certification body. The cobot can operate in two speed modes – a reduced-sp...

Tesla’s latest humanoid demonstration – a kung fu routine performed by its Optimus robot for actor Jared Leto – was clearly designed to impress. But, as dramatic and as thought-provoking as it was, the spectacle raised an awkward question: what will be the “killer app” for humanoid robots? “Killer app” is a phrase to mean the defining use case that makes a technology indispensable. In every major technology shift, there’s been a defining use case – a killer app – that turned novelty into necessity. For early personal computers, it was spreadsheets – programs like VisiCalc and later Excel that justified owning a machine running DOS. In mobile technology, the BlackBerry transformed from a curiosity into a corporate essential by allowing executives to read and send email on the move – a simple function that reshaped global communication. Humanoid robots haven’t yet found their equivalent. They can walk, wave, and even fold laundry in promotional videos, but they still lack that single, in...