Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

UK startup Humanoid launches reinforcement learning system to improve robot manipulation

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UK-based robotics and AI company Humanoid has introduced KinetIQ Ascend, the company’s reinforcement learning approach designed to reach 99.9 percent manipulation reliability at human speed and beyond.

KinetIQ Ascend builds on the previously announced KinetIQ platform with trial-and-error learning, helping the company’s robots improve directly on industrial tasks.

The new system was tested on several tasks, including picking parts from bins, handing objects to humans, and lifting and moving containers using both arms. It has proven effective across a range of manipulation scenarios. [Read more…] about UK startup Humanoid launches reinforcement learning system to improve robot manipulation

Apptronik launches Robot Park to train Apollo humanoid robots with Google DeepMind

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AI-powered robotics company Apptronik has announced the opening of the newly expanded Robot Park, its flagship data collection and training facility for humanoid robots in Austin, Texas.

The facility in Austin anchors a growing global network of Robot Parks at customer and partner sites around the world, and the company plans to open new Robot Park locations in more cities soon.

Apptronik also unveiled Apollo 2, the current version of its humanoid robot platform, in both bipedal and wheeled-base configurations. Designed to learn real-world work through large-scale data collection, Apollo 2 enables Apptronik to gather diverse data across a wide range of tasks and environments. [Read more…] about Apptronik launches Robot Park to train Apollo humanoid robots with Google DeepMind

University of Rhode Island opens advanced Ocean Robotics Laboratory for autonomous marine research

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Event marked milestone for Narragansett Bay Campus 

The University of Rhode Island celebrated a major milestone in the $300 million, multi-phase revitalization of the Narragansett Bay Campus with an underwater ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Ocean Robotics Laboratory on June 25.

Students Elliot Roman and Jake Bonney piloted URI’s remotely operated vehicle Rhody to cut the ceremonial ribbon underwater in the building’s 20-foot-wide by 30-foot-long test tank.

Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker Emeritus K. Joseph Shekarchi, other local and state elected leaders, members of the URI Board of Trustees, and University faculty, staff, students, and alumni were among the hundreds who attended the ceremony. [Read more…] about University of Rhode Island opens advanced Ocean Robotics Laboratory for autonomous marine research

Oak Ridge National Lab reveals ‘hidden workforce’ behind AI-powered research facilities

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By Clint Keeton

Behind every self-driving laboratory at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a team most people never see. Facilities and Operations (F&O) workers are building and maintaining the infrastructure that makes autonomous science possible.

Autonomous labs run with little human intervention. Instead, they rely on robotics, sensors and automation to perform everything from pouring liquids to placing samples into ovens. They learn and adapt, with artificial intelligence making at least one decision in the process.

More than a dozen self-driving labs operate at ORNL, placing the Tennessee national lab among the first research institutions in the world to create this autonomous laboratory model at scale. [Read more…] about Oak Ridge National Lab reveals ‘hidden workforce’ behind AI-powered research facilities

The Hardware Powering the Hybrid Industrial Workforce

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Industrial work used to mean staying put. Office staff sat at their desks all day, engineers spent most of their hours on-site, and factory teams worked from the same fixed stations day after day. That’s not really the case anymore.

These days, a lot of industrial professionals split their time between the office, the plant floor, customer sites, and even their own kitchen table. A maintenance engineer might go through inspection reports at home before heading out to a plant later that afternoon.

A project manager could bounce between video calls and walking the manufacturing floor, all in the same day. This kind of flexibility has made one thing pretty obvious: your hardware isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore. It’s essential. [Read more…] about The Hardware Powering the Hybrid Industrial Workforce

How to Choose a Robot Vacuum and Mop That Actually Fits Your Home

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Combination robots that vacuum and mop have gone from gimmick to genuinely useful, but the category is crowded and the marketing is loud.

Two machines at the same price can perform very differently in a real home, and the specs that get top billing are not always the ones that matter on your floors.

Choosing well comes down to understanding a handful of features that separate a machine you rely on from one that ends up unplugged in a closet. [Read more…] about How to Choose a Robot Vacuum and Mop That Actually Fits Your Home

How Modern Software Helps Construction Companies in Qatar Work Smarter and Safer

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Qatar is a country of ambitious goals and impressive achievements, where there is no upper limit for excellence now. The statement is relevant across all industries, while some of them set much higher standards compared with the rest of the world.

Construction projects are challenging per se, yet given the ambitious goals of Qatar companies, managing construction projects is complicated and needs precision in every detail.

In this context, cutting-edge software technologies matter a lot, allowing for a sufficient degree of predictability and precision in all construction projects. [Read more…] about How Modern Software Helps Construction Companies in Qatar Work Smarter and Safer

Antivirus vs malware: Why antivirus alone is no longer enough

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There was a time when installing antivirus software was considered enough to keep your computer safe. As long as your antivirus program was updated regularly, you could browse the web with confidence.

Today’s online threats are very different.

Cybercriminals no longer rely solely on traditional computer viruses. Modern attacks often involve ransomware, spyware, phishing emails, fake websites and malicious downloads, while some target people rather than software by tricking users into revealing passwords or personal information. [Read more…] about Antivirus vs malware: Why antivirus alone is no longer enough

X Square Robot builds a full-stack approach to embodied AI and general-purpose robotics

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The rapid growth of embodied artificial intelligence is reshaping the robotics industry, with companies racing to develop machines capable of performing a wide variety of real-world tasks rather than being programmed for a single application.

Among the companies attracting significant attention is Shenzhen-based X Square Robot, which recently completed four consecutive financing rounds culminating in a Series C investment.

The company is now valued over RMB20 billion and says the new funding will accelerate development of its embodied AI foundation models, robotics hardware, data infrastructure and commercial deployments. [Read more…] about X Square Robot builds a full-stack approach to embodied AI and general-purpose robotics

AGIBOT debuts A3 humanoid robot in Europe and launches UK Robot-as-a-Service model

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AGIBOT, a developer of embodied AI and robotics, hosted the UK AGIBOT Partner Conference (APC) 2026 in London, marking a key step in the company’s European growth strategy and its continued effort to build long-term commercial value for humanoid robotics through technology innovation, real-world deployment, and local partnerships.

At the conference, AGIBOT underscored its commitment to building a sustainable embodied AI ecosystem in the UK and Europe. The event brought together product innovation, flexible commercial models, and local deployment practices, with highlights including the European debut of AGIBOT A3, the introduction of a UK Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model and the company’s continued collaboration with local partners to explore real-world applications in the UK.

“The UK is a strategically important market for AGIBOT’s global expansion,” said William Shi, president of EU and US Markets at AGIBOT. “It has a strong innovation ecosystem, a mature partner network, and diverse real-world scenarios where embodied AI can create value.

“Through UK APC2026, we hope to work more closely with local partners to bring AGIBOT’s technologies, products, and service capabilities into practical applications, and to use the UK as an important starting point for broader deployment across Europe.” [Read more…] about AGIBOT debuts A3 humanoid robot in Europe and launches UK Robot-as-a-Service model