robot

Reports indicate that the large robotic arm aboard the International Space Station, known as Canadarm2, has stopped working. The arm is critical for capturing cargo spacecraft, moving equipment and supporting spacewalks, so a failure raises questions about station operations. There is no confirmed word yet from NASA or the Canadian Space Agency on what caused the fault or whether it can be repaired in orbit.

The Yuelu Conference 2026 was held in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, on September 23-24, bringing together artificial intelligence companies, robotics developers, researchers and investors. The event featured an opening ceremony and ten themed "AI+" forums, positioning Changsha as a hub for AI industry collaboration and discussion of emerging technology investment in the region.

Black Forest Labs has announced Flux 3 Action, a 7-billion-parameter open-weight world action model for robotics, published via Hugging Face. The model is described as combining world modelling with action generation for robots, and its open weights make it available for researchers and developers to download, fine-tune and build on.

A Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicle has disabled an attacking Russian drone by deploying an anti-drone net that caught it mid-assault, according to footage shared by war-monitoring observers. The incident on Ukraine's frontline is being described as a case of robots fighting each other, underlining how unmanned systems are increasingly duelling directly on the battlefield.

DARPA is developing a robotic spacecraft designed to service and repair satellites in geosynchronous orbit, some 36,000 kilometres above Earth. The program, detailed by IEEE Spectrum, would allow malfunctioning or aging satellites to be fixed or refueled in place rather than decommissioned. Interest centers on how the robot would operate at such distances and what it means for the future of satellite maintenance and space security.

Retailers have begun rolling out early Prime Day vacuum discounts ahead of Amazon's July sale event. The roundup highlights a robot vacuum priced at $249.99 alongside a self-emptying stick vacuum among the notable offers. Deal coverage ahead of Prime Day has become a fixture of tech shopping coverage, with early promotions now common before the official event begins.

Organizers of cage fights pitting robots against humans in California have reportedly received a cease-and-desist order. The unusual events, which feature machines battling people in an fighting ring, have drawn attention for pushing the limits of combat sports. Details about who issued the legal notice and on what grounds have not been made fully clear.

Ukraine has carried out a surprise offensive using robotic systems on the battlefield, according to CNBC reporting. The operation is being described as exposing a vulnerability in Russia's military capacity, highlighting how unmanned and autonomous technology is playing a growing role in the war. The report has drawn attention to the widening technology gap between the two armies.

A personal essay describes the author's rapid introduction to robotics, framed around the lesson of 'getting out of the way'. The piece reflects on hands-on learning in the field and the mindset needed when machines and automation take over tasks. Readers are discussing the honest account of learning robotics quickly and what it reveals about working alongside automated systems.

The Wall Street Journal profiles an automaker positioning itself as a serious rival to Tesla in the race to build self-driving robot vehicles. The piece examines how the company is competing on autonomous driving technology and robot-centered products as both carmakers push to dominate what many see as the industry's next major frontier.

BattleBots, the combat robotics competition, is drawing renewed attention with a rundown of the most dangerous machines ever built in the sport. Interest centres on heavyweight robots engineered with spinning weapons, hammers and flippers capable of destroying opponents in the arena, as fans debate which designs have been the most devastating in the competition's history.

Robotics company Figure appears to be decommissioning its Figure 02 humanoid robot, according to a widely circulated clip labelled 'F.02 Decomission'. The item has drawn close to 600,000 engagements, with viewers reading it as the end of the line for the second-generation humanoid as the company moves toward newer hardware.

Hyundai Motor Group has released a feature produced with Bloomberg examining the global competition in robotics, covering how companies are racing to develop advanced robots and what it means for industry. The collaboration highlights Hyundai's growing stake in the sector, including its ownership of Boston Dynamics, and has drawn strong interest from viewers worldwide.

A Marginal Revolution blog post asks whether elderly people actually prefer robotic care, touching a live debate in elder care policy and technology. As aging populations strain caregiving workforces, researchers and commentators are weighing whether robots could fill gaps, and whether older adults would accept machine assistance over human caregivers. The question draws interest from economists, technologists, and those focused on long-term care shortages.

LTX-2.5, a generative AI model, has been put to the test for physical AI applications, including robotics, world models, and synthetic data generation. Early hands-on coverage suggests the model can simulate realistic physical environments, which could help train robots without costly real-world trials. Observers are weighing how useful such video world models will be for robotics research.

Analysis from The Robot Report argues that leadership in physical AI and robotics will be determined less by flashy product launches and more by intellectual property portfolios. The piece suggests that companies securing foundational patents in embodied AI, sensing and manipulation will hold the decisive advantage as the race to deploy intelligent machines in the real world intensifies across industry and research.

A robotics creator has released a new installment showing an upgraded, extra-strength robot arm designed to smash through objects, featuring collaborators bqThanh and Ốc. The video has drawn over half a million likes, making it one of the most engaged robotics items globally this week, as audiences follow the escalating arms race of increasingly powerful DIY machines.

Elon Musk has explained why Tesla's Robotaxi service does not operate at night, attributing the limitation to the vehicle-sensing approach. His comments revive the long-running debate over whether Tesla's camera-only systems should incorporate Lidar, which many rivals already use and which performs reliably in darkness.

Ukraine is equipping its bomber drones — the aircraft that dropped ground robots during a recent counteroffensive in Donetsk — with a 2.4-kilogram jammer to protect them from enemy FPV drones. The system shields the bombers from interception as they carry out supply and assault missions, underscoring the fast-evolving electronic warfare race between drone and counter-drone forces on the frontline.

Robotics company RoboParty has introduced the RP1, a high-performance, full-stack open-source humanoid robot, at the IROS robotics conference. The company says the platform is designed to give researchers and developers full access to hardware and software, opening up advanced humanoid development beyond closed commercial systems. Coverage across industry and business outlets highlights growing interest in open-source approaches to humanoid robotics.