Topic: human-robot interaction
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Intempus: Why Robots Need Human-Like Physiology
Teddy Warner's startup Intempus is developing robots with human-like emotional expressions and physiological responses to improve human-AI interaction. The company uses biometric data like sweat and heart rate to train robots in simulating emotional states, addressing gaps in AI spatial reasoning...
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Enigma raises $70M to simplify robot control
Enigma, a startup emerging from stealth with a $70 million seed round, is researching natural human-robot interactions through a large-scale online experiment where people can remotely control over 100 proprietary AI robots. Founded by cybersecurity veterans Jonathan Jacobi and Gal Niv, the compa...
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Why Tech Companies Are Designing Cute Robots for Humans
Tech companies are intentionally designing robots with cute, non-threatening features like large eyes and rounded forms to foster human acceptance and emotional connection. This design strategy leverages biological responses to build trust and encourage helpful interactions, as seen with delivery...
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Amazon unveils voice-controlled warehouse robot
Amazon has upgraded its warehouse robot Proteus with AI that enables natural language commands, allowing workers to assign tasks via everyday speech instead of coded instructions. The new Proteus can operate across entire warehouses, not just dock areas, and is currently being tested in labs with...
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EU Chat Control: Could Governments Monitor Through Robots?
The EU's proposed Chat Control framework, initially for online child safety, creates incentives for pervasive monitoring that could extend to robots in homes and hospitals by classifying them as communication services. Mandating continuous monitoring for risk assessment introduces significant cyb...
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How AI is bringing autonomous robots to workplaces and homes
General-purpose autonomous robots are moving from science fiction to reality, driven by modern AI and attracting billions in venture capital investment. The definition of robot autonomy has evolved from simple navigation tasks to a broad spectrum of complex, independent actions. Historically, ach...
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The Lonely Promise of Cute Robots: Companionship in a Digital Age
Mirumi exemplifies Japan's long-standing philosophy of designing robots as emotional companions for mental well-being, rather than as tools for labor, with research supporting their potential to combat loneliness, especially in aging populations. The author's personal experience with Mirumi highl...
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Claude AI Commands a Robot Dog in Groundbreaking Demo
Anthropic's Project Fetch successfully demonstrated that large language models like Claude can directly program and control robotic systems, such as a Unitree Go2 robot dog, to perform physical tasks. The experiment revealed that teams using Claude completed objectives faster and with less frustr...
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Robots Are Turning E-Waste Into a Goldmine
The growing global e-waste problem is being addressed by using AI-powered robotics to automate the refurbishment and recycling of electronics, turning an environmental issue into an economic opportunity. A Danish research team has developed a robotic system that can replace broken laptop screens,...
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New York school halts humanoid robot ‘Sally’ after state, union objections
A humanoid robot teaching assistant named Sally was planned for a New York high school but has been postponed after facing public backlash. Objections from New York State education authorities and the teachers' union raised concerns about student privacy, data security, lack of AI policies, and p...
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Google DeepMind’s Gemini 2 runs full humanoid robots
Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics 2 can control a full humanoid robot body, including walking, crouching, and manipulating objects, a significant step beyond previous upper-body-only models. The system comprises three models: Gemini Robotics 2 for motor commands, Gemini Robotics ER 2 for high-lev...
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This AI Robot Learns on the Spot, Showing AI's Future
A robotic arm demonstrated real-time improvisation by using a banana as a tool, without prior programming or human intervention, showcasing a shift from pre-trained data reliance to on-the-fly learning. This adaptive approach addresses the longstanding challenge of unpredictability in real-world ...
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Coby Adcock’s Scout AI raises $100M for war training models
Scout AI, a defense startup founded in 2024, has raised a $100 million Series A funding round to develop its "Fury" AI model for operating military assets, initially for logistics but intended to eventually control autonomous weapons. The company is training its AI on rugged, unmarked terrain usi...
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Why Waymo's Self-Driving Cars Struggle with School Buses
Waymo's robotaxis are repeatedly failing to stop for school buses, a serious legal violation, challenging the company's safety reputation as it plans to expand its services. Despite a software update, incidents persist, including a vehicle striking a child, raising concerns that the AI's shift to...
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LG's CLOiD Robot to Fold Laundry and Cook at CES
LG will unveil the CLOiD home robot at CES, designed to perform complex domestic chores like retrieving food, warming items, and folding laundry to create a "zero labor home." The robot features advanced dexterity with two articulated arms and a communicative head, aiming for a more interactive a...
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Why a Dumb House Is Actually a Smart Idea
The author contrasts her husband's enthusiasm for AI-powered home automation from CES with her own preference for a "dumb house," as she finds smart technology glitchy and prefers tactile controls like light switches. Practical concerns about smart home devices include security risks (e.g., hacke...
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MIT’s ultrasound wristband lets you control a robot hand with your fingers
MIT engineers have developed an ultrasound wristband that tracks 22 hand degrees of freedom in real time, enabling control of a robotic hand with 120-millisecond latency through monitoring forearm tendons and muscles. The device successfully recognized all 26 American Sign Language letters in tes...
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Anti-Jam Software Enhances Robotic Joint Control
Unlike smartphones, upgrading robotic arms has traditionally required rebuilding everything from scratch, as learned skills are locked to specific robot designs. EPFL researchers have developed "Kinematic Intelligence," a framework to make swapping robots as seamless as switching phones, as detai...
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Gemini 3.1 Flash Live blurs the line between AI and human
Google has launched "Gemini 3.1 Flash Live", a new AI model designed for real-time dialogue, which is being integrated into select products now and will be available to developers. The model aims to solve the persistent issues of latency and unnatural rhythm in AI speech, delivering faster resp...
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I Met Olaf, the Robot Shaping Disney's Future
Disney has developed a highly advanced robotic Olaf using reinforcement learning in a virtual simulation, enabling screen-accurate, lifelike movement for interactive park entertainment. The robot's convincing illusion of life is achieved through subtle engineering details, such as initiating move...
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