Robotics & Automation News

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Why Automating the Diagnostics Lab Won’t Rescue a Weak Validation Process

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Lab automation has a clear, well-earned business case. Robotic sample handling, automated liquid handlers, and end-to-end specimen tracking raise throughput, cut manual errors, and relieve a workforce stretched thin by rising test volumes. The technology is mature, the gains are real, and adoption is accelerating.

That shift is well past the experimental stage. Robotics has become standard in diagnostic labs, where automated systems routinely handle sample preparation, transport to hematology, chemistry, and immunoassay analyzers, and post-analytical storage. The newest wave goes further still.

AI-ready laboratory automation platforms standardize multistep workflows and generate the structured, high-volume datasets that machine-learning models depend on. [Read more…] about Why Automating the Diagnostics Lab Won’t Rescue a Weak Validation Process

Interview with Digid’s Nils Könne and Christian Kreil: Nanoscale sensors could help solve robotics’ tactile sensing challenge

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The rapid rise of artificial intelligence and robotics has focused attention on software, large language models, and increasingly powerful processors.

But for robots to operate effectively in the physical world, they also need something much more fundamental: the ability to sense and understand their environment.

That challenge is creating growing interest in advanced sensing technologies capable of providing machines with far richer information about the world around them. [Read more…] about Interview with Digid’s Nils Könne and Christian Kreil: Nanoscale sensors could help solve robotics’ tactile sensing challenge

CVPR 2026 fields 16,000+ paper submissions on technical advances in AI

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The program committee of the 2026 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision research events, has released the details of this year’s technical program.

Co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society (CS) and the Computer Vision Foundation (CVF), CVPR 2026 drew a record number of paper submissions – 16,092, a 24 percent increase over 2025. Through a rigorous peer-review process, about one-quarter were accepted to the program, resulting in 4,089 paper presentations.

“CVPR submissions have more than doubled over the past five years, but the acceptance rate has remained highly competitive, consistently in the low-to-mid 20 percent range,” said Alexander G. Schwing, associate professor, electrical and computer engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, CVPR 2026 program co-chair. [Read more…] about CVPR 2026 fields 16,000+ paper submissions on technical advances in AI

Virginia Tech researchers control soft robotics with ‘AI’s cousin’: ‘Reservoir computing’

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Soft robotics – machines made of flexible, muscle-like materials – can bend and stretch in fluid ways that put the rigid robots of old sci-fi movies to shame. 

But the flexibility that lets them pick ripe tomatoes or navigate a search-and-rescue site comes at a cost: soft robotics are notoriously difficult to control.

Virginia Tech researchers are working to solve that problem using a new computing approach inspired by the complex architecture of neurons in the brain. [Read more…] about Virginia Tech researchers control soft robotics with ‘AI’s cousin’: ‘Reservoir computing’

IEEE explores future of ‘networked AI’ where robots learn collectively

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Researchers are increasingly exploring a future in which robots and AI systems do not operate as isolated machines, but instead learn collectively across connected networks – sharing information, adapting to changing environments, and continuously optimizing their own behavior in real time.

That growing area of research – often referred to as “networked AI” – is now the focus of a new special issue from the IEEE Signal Processing Society and the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing, which have issued a call for papers examining “Autonomous and Evolutive Optimization in Networked AI”.

While the academic terminology may sound abstract, many of the themes are closely connected to emerging trends already reshaping robotics and industrial automation, including multi-agent robotics, distributed AI systems, edge intelligence, autonomous vehicles, warehouse robot fleets, and collaborative industrial automation. [Read more…] about IEEE explores future of ‘networked AI’ where robots learn collectively

NeuFluent expands innovation ecosystem with new intelligent implants and robotics initiative

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NeuFluent, a neuroscience innovation venture studio, has launched a new “intelligent implants and robotics initiative”.

The move expands its work in next-generation surgical innovations and broadens its technology portfolio that includes brain-computer interface and pharmaceutical technology.

NeuFluent partners with leading innovators to accelerate neurological technologies from concept to market, with a track record that includes more than 110 commercialized products, over 250 patents, 25 exits, and a total return on investment of more than $20 billion. [Read more…] about NeuFluent expands innovation ecosystem with new intelligent implants and robotics initiative

Where to Buy Affordable Laboratory Equipment Online

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In this day and age, buying large-scale lab equipment can be instant and quick with professional providers. But first, you need to know where to look.

To buy lab equipment online, you must follow this buyer’s guide to make sure you get quality and authorised tools.

You can get high-quality dispersers, calorimeters, magnetic stirrers, and more, with the IKA lab equipment selection. Here is everything you need to know to start. [Read more…] about Where to Buy Affordable Laboratory Equipment Online

IEEE calls for papers on autonomous optimization in networked AI

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The IEEE Signal Processing Society is inviting submissions for a forthcoming special issue of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing (JSTSP), focusing on what it describes as a growing field: Autonomous and Evolutive Optimization in Networked AI.

According to the call for papers, the topic “represents a transformative paradigm for Signal Processing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) communities”, combining traditional signal processing techniques with modern deep learning approaches.

The organizers say the approach integrates “traditional knowledge-based adaptive signal processing techniques and data-centric deep-neural network models”, enabling systems to “dynamically acquire high-quality data in the continuous inferences of networked AI models”. [Read more…] about IEEE calls for papers on autonomous optimization in networked AI

From glass to metal: Japanese scientists invent new vision system that enables robots reliably grasp hard-to-see objects

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Scientists in Japan say they have developed a new approach – dubbed ‘HEAPGrasp’ – that improves robots’ grasping success rate for transparent and shiny objects, beyond reducing handling time, using only RGB camera

The fields of manufacturing, logistics, and even restaurants are increasingly moving toward automation, with robots being employed for a wide range of tasks.

One of the most critical applications of robots is material handling, where grippers are used to move objects, such as automotive parts, logistics packages, food ingredients, and restaurant dishes. This reduces the burden on human workers while lowering the risk of accidents, thereby improving workplace safety.

For robots to handle objects autonomously, they must first accurately measure the three-dimensional (3D) shape of the scene using cameras and then plan how to grasp and move each object. [Read more…] about From glass to metal: Japanese scientists invent new vision system that enables robots reliably grasp hard-to-see objects