Robot

Unitree’s $16,000 G1 humanoid robot debuted last August with 23 degrees of freedom but a recent algorithm update has expanded the bot’s balance capabilities and repertoire of movements.

After demonstrating the benefits of reinforcement learning with a faster version of Boston Dynamics’ Spot, the Robotics and AI Institute has shared a video of an impressive robotic bike that can balance and jump without a dedicated stabilization system.

The commercial version of Boston Dynamics’ Spot isn’t designed for speed. So using reinforcement learning techniques, researchers from the Robotics and AI Institute upgraded the quadruped robo-dog with an improved gait allowing it to run at 11.6 mph, according to a report from IEEE Spectrum.

One of a new breed of robot vacuums that incorporates a manual stick vac, the Switchbot K10 Plus Pro Combo launched this week for $799 (with a $200 discount at launch).

LG has acquired a majority stake in Bear Robotics — an AI-powered service robot startup — to integrate with its own “CLOi” commercial robotics business. LG invested $60 million into the startup for a 21 percent stake last March, but the value of the new deal hasn’t been disclosed.

The company describes Ai Me (Amy) as the “world’s first modular AI companion robot” but didn’t go into details about its full capabilities. A camera on its head can record videos or recognize objects using AI, and while the bot’s movements are limited to tiny flapping arms and blinking animated eyes, it pairs with a small motorized chair to autonomously navigate a home.

Nékojita FuFu is another unusual robot creation from Yukai Engineering. It’s designed to hang off a mug or sit next to a plate and cool hot drinks and food by blowing on it with varying intensities. It can reduce temperatures by up to 30 degrees in three minutes and will be available in Japan in mid-2025 for about $25.

Tesla’s Optimus robot is now available through the company’s online store, but in a version that’s even less capable than the ones at its recent Cybercab reveal. The $40, 1:10-scale Tesla Bot Action Figure stands 7.16 inches tall and is assembled from over 40 parts offering 20 points of articulation. It includes a tiny matching charging stand and a CyberHammer.

Although the robot dog can see the world in 3D, it can’t always understand it, so a recent software update now allows Spot to recognize and avoid hazards like wires, ladders, and rolling carts using AI foundation models.

After shedding its bulky hydraulics, the new all-electric version of the humanoid robot Atlas is now small enough to wear Halloween costumes. In a follow-up to a video demonstrating the robot’s autonomous capabilities, Atlas — dressed up as a hot dog — manages to avoid being tricked when the dolly it’s loading with car parts is moved without the robot realizing.

While Tesla’s Optimus bot can now hand out drinks, Agility Robotics’ Digit has been available to actually buy since 2020. It’s been deployed in environments like Amazon warehouses and Agility’s own RoboFab, where it’s used to move, load, and unload boxes.

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One called Elon the “Technoking.”

It’s wearing a cowboy hat, for some reason.