There’s a whole world we’re not talking about enough yet—and in a few years, it’ll be all over your feeds, even those of the fluffiest “gurus.”
The world of intelligent robots.
So, before that wave of hype hits and ruins everything with overpriced nonsense, here’s a round of real, solid news about smart robots—commented and contextualized.
Let’s go:
If we thought drones were small, someone just shrank them down to bee size.
Engineers at Berkeley have created the world’s smallest wireless flying robot: it’s under one centimeter and flies using magnetic fields instead of batteries.
A marvel of engineering, sure—but hold your applause. It doesn’t have sensors yet, so even a breeze can knock it off course.
Fantastic for artificial pollination or precise inspections, but if we’re hoping to use it for rescue operations, we might want to wait for the next version.
Meanwhile, Agility Robotics is about to raise 400 million dollars from giants like SoftBank and WP Global Partners for its humanoid robot Digit.
Already getting attention from Amazon and Ford, this robot can move autonomously in warehouses for four hours and recharge itself.
Price? 250,000 dollars each.
Great for automation—but if the goal is to replace low-wage workers with quarter-million-dollar robots, something doesn’t quite add up. Let’s see if they live up to the hype, or remain luxury toys for wealthy companies.
In China, Unitree just unveiled Dex5-1, a robotic hand capable of solving a Rubik’s Cube.
It features 24 joints and 94 tactile sensors to mimic human dexterity, and costs significantly less than Western alternatives.
It’s a big win for accessibility—but let’s hope this race to build cheaper robot hands doesn’t turn precision devices into throwaway gadgets.
Still in the medical field, UK-based CMR Surgical has launched its surgical robot Versius in the U.S., challenging the near-monopoly of Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci.
Its key strengths? Modularity and lower cost.
But let’s be real—conquering the U.S. market won’t just take better prices.
They’ll need to convince American surgeons to walk away from a system they know like the back of their hand.
Tough, but not impossible.
Speaking of competition, Amazon is prepping to launch 27 satellites for Project Kuiper, aimed at rivaling Starlink.
The sky’s getting crowded—let’s hope this space internet race doesn’t just fill the orbit with junk, but brings some real benefits to us here on Earth.
Back to Amazon, but now in the kitchen: startup Chef Robotics just raised 43 million dollars to build smart robots for food production facilities.
So yes—our next burger might be fully robot-made. Let’s just hope it tastes like something.
Audi is going robotic, too: the Chinese UBTech Walker S1 humanoid has become the first robot to work in an Audi EV factory in China.
Super useful, but let’s not kid ourselves—before a robot can truly fix the battery issues in EVs, it’ll take a lot more than a fancy assistant on the assembly line.
Vivo, the Chinese smartphone giant, is officially stepping into home robotics.
It’s just a lab for now—but China could soon be coming for your living room, too.
And in China again, Keenon has unveiled its humanoid XMAN-R1, designed for hotels and hospitals.
The idea’s cool—but are people really ready to be cared for by androids instead of humans?
In the research world, the gap between simulation and reality is shrinking, thanks to American researchers who’ve developed a new method to train real robots using virtual data.
Efficient? Yes. But let’s wait and see some real-world results before we celebrate.
Meanwhile, Luo Jianlan, a former Google scientist, has joined Agibot, a Shanghai-based startup specializing in smart robots.
A major talent leaving Silicon Valley for China—is this the beginning of a global power shift?
Japan, meanwhile, is aiming for the Moon using robots from GITAI for a NASA Artemis mission.
If it works, good for them—but considering Japan’s recent lunar lander crash, the question remains: will this one stick the landing?
Underwater, researchers at the University of Maryland are experimenting with tuna-inspired robotic fins—fast, silent, and designed for underwater drones.
Could be great for marine monitoring—or just end up as expensive aquarium toys.
Back in China, EHang has received approval for commercial flights using its EH216-S autonomous air taxi.
Exciting, sure—but who among us would really get into a drone, trusting an algorithm to handle air traffic?
Finally, German startup Dryad Networks is launching smart drones to detect wildfires before they grow out of control.
Now that’s a win—finally, a use of AI and robotics that feels genuinely useful in fighting climate change.
