Agile Robots

Researchers at the Royal Military Academy in Belgium have published a SPIE paper presenting a reinforcement learning framework that improves quadrotor trajectory tracking when drones face disturbances and degraded sensing. The work targets robust control for agile drone flight, and the team has released its models and implementation publicly so others can explore and build on the approach.

Robotics company Agile Robots is teaching its industrial robots new skills by recording humans performing factory tasks and using the footage as training data. The approach, known as learning from demonstration, could cut the time and cost of programming robots for manufacturing work. It highlights a growing push in the robotics industry to make machines more adaptable to real production environments.

The European Parliament has approved a 115 million euro funding programme called Agile aimed at defence startups, with money going toward AI and drone technologies. Lethal autonomous weapons, often called killer robots, are explicitly excluded from the funding. The move signals Europe's push to strengthen its defence industry while drawing a red line on fully autonomous killing systems.

Hitachi and Agile Robots have announced a partnership to develop physical AI aimed at autonomous manufacturing. The collaboration will combine Hitachi's industrial technology with Agile Robots' robotics expertise to build systems capable of operating factory equipment with minimal human oversight. The move reflects a broader push by industrial firms to bring AI-driven automation into production lines.

Humanoid robots are making headlines for impressive feats of speed and boxing, but experts point out that everyday household tasks like doing the laundry remain the true benchmark for robotics. Handling soft, irregular objects such as clothes in unpredictable home environments is far harder for machines than structured performance activities, highlighting the gap between showy demonstrations and practical usefulness.

Agility Robotics has paired its Digit 5 humanoid robot with remote safety technology from FORT, combining AI-based fleet oversight with a hardware kill switch that can stop robots instantly. The move targets commercial deployments where fleets of humanoid robots work alongside people, addressing safety concerns that have slowed adoption of robots in warehouses and logistics.

Agility Robotics has announced a partnership with FORT to strengthen the safety systems of its Digit 5 humanoid robot. FORT, a robotics security and safety company, will provide technology to help Digit 5 operate safely around people as the robot moves toward commercial deployment. The deal signals growing industry focus on making humanoid robots trustworthy in workplaces.

Footage from IROS 2026 shows a robot kicking a drone and destroying it, an impressive display of robotic leg precision and force control. The stunt is drawing attention to how far legged robotics has come, with commentators noting the timing, balance and power needed to strike a flying target mid-air.

Agility Robotics, the Oregon-based maker of the Digit humanoid robot, says its focus is now scaling safety from a single robot to a fleet of 500 as it moves toward mass production and commercial deployment. The company is working on ensuring reliability and safe operation across many robots working alongside people in warehouses and logistics settings.