mobile robots

Service robots are moving from novelty to large-scale deployment, with logistics and warehousing emerging as the leading sector for adoption. Industry figures point to growing use of autonomous mobile robots and delivery machines as companies seek to ease labour shortages and speed up operations. Analysts expect continued growth as costs fall and technology matures.

The International Federation of Robotics highlights how autonomous mobile robots integrate with building elevators, allowing delivery and logistics robots to move between floors in offices, hospitals and factories. The technology relies on elevator control interfaces so robots can call and operate lifts without human help, a key step for scaling service robotics in multi-storey buildings.

Omron has introduced a next-generation version of its LD line of autonomous mobile robots, used in factories and warehouses to move materials. The new models continue the company's push into flexible industrial automation, and coverage focuses on what has changed inside the platform, including navigation and payload capabilities relevant to manufacturers upgrading logistics operations.

Researchers at TU Delft are developing a single artificial intelligence system capable of controlling different types of robots. The work points toward general-purpose robot control, where one learned model could operate arms, mobile robots and other hardware instead of needing a separate system for each machine. The project is drawing attention within the robotics field as a step toward more flexible, adaptable robotic systems.

NASA is highlighting work on lunar surface technology, the systems and equipment needed to operate on the Moon's surface. The topic sits within the agency's broader lunar exploration plans, including instruments, habitats and mobility tools for future crewed and robotic missions. Interest in Moon-bound technology remains high as agencies and companies prepare for upcoming landing missions.

A new autonomous mobile robot has been launched, according to an industry announcement carried by Logistics Business. The robot is aimed at automation tasks, likely in logistics and warehouse settings where autonomous mobile robots are increasingly used to move goods without fixed infrastructure. No further technical details, pricing, or customer names were given in the announcement, and reaction from the robotics and logistics community has not yet been recorded.

A severed robotic hand has drawn comparisons to Thing, the disembodied hand character from The Addams Family, with commenters noting its uncanny, futuristic look. Popular Science highlighted the device, and observers are struck by how lifelike and independently mobile the prosthetic-style hand appears, sparking wider discussion about advances in robotics and the unsettling line between machine and living limb.

A new safety standard has been introduced covering industrial mobile robots, with a focus on risks that arise after the robots are deployed on factory floors. The standard is aimed at manufacturers and operators of automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots, addressing how safety is maintained once equipment is in live operation rather than only at design stage.

Stunted Gravity, a stunt racing game where gravity shifts direction inside neon-lit futuristic arenas, has been released on Steam. Players pilot hovercraft through the air, ploughing through robots along the way. To mark the launch, the developer is running a release commemorative sale, and the game is drawing attention among mobile and PC gaming news outlets.

ATLAS has announced an extension of its PowerOS architecture, originally built for smartphones, toward humanoid and service-robot applications. The move signals the company's ambition to carry its mobile operating system foundations into the robotics market. The announcement was picked up by several news outlets, though details about products, partners or timelines remain limited in the available coverage.

Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new hand design for its Atlas humanoid robot, giving the machine more dexterous grasping capabilities. The electric version of Atlas, reintroduced in 2024, has so far focused on whole-body mobility, so adding functional hands marks a step toward practical manipulation tasks in real work environments. Robotics watchers see it as a signal of the company's push toward commercial, industrial deployment of humanoids.

A mobile robot attracted particular attention from attendees at a robotics conference held in Pittsburgh. Details about the robot's maker, capabilities, and the specific event have not yet been widely reported, but its presence became a talking point among those following the conference.

South Korean home appliance and wellness company Coway has launched a wearable robot designed to assist people while walking. The device supports mobility, in line with the company's expansion into health and wellness technology. Details on pricing, availability, and target users, such as elderly customers or rehabilitation patients, have not yet been widely reported.

A new American National Standards Institute standard has been published, completing a series of safety standards covering industrial mobile robots. The addition finalizes a framework intended to guide safe design, integration and operation of autonomous and mobile robotic equipment in industrial workplaces, giving manufacturers and system integrators a complete set of referenced requirements to follow.

A single-board computer paired with a dedicated controller has been introduced for robotics applications, combining AI inference, computer vision, navigation, motion control and connectivity in one integrated platform. The announcement, covered by Electronics Weekly, targets developers of mobile and autonomous robots who would otherwise need multiple separate modules to achieve the same functionality.

A large warehouse depot will take delivery of thirty autonomous mobile robots next spring. The robots will carry totes between pick faces and packing benches, working alongside roughly 120 people during busy shifts. A trial with six robots ran last winter, and the deployment follows its results.

A new American National Standards Institute standard, ANSI/A3 R15.08-2-2023, has been published covering the integration of industrial mobile robots. The standard, part of the R15.08 series developed with A3, addresses safety requirements for integrating autonomous and automated mobile robots into industrial workplaces, giving manufacturers and integrators a reference framework as mobile robot adoption expands across factories and warehouses.