Category: Robotics

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has taken the wraps off Corleo, a futuristic, four-legged hydrogen-powered robotic horse that blends artificial intelligence, clean energy, and off-road capability. Unveiled at the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, this bold concept drew attention for its unusual approach to sustainable mobility and its inspiration from both motorcycles and living creatures.

Corleo isn’t just built to turn heads—it’s designed to traverse tough terrain. Each of its four legs moves independently, enabling it to maintain balance and provide a smoother ride across a range of surfaces, from rocky trails to grassy fields. Kawasaki describes the concept as an “off-road mobility platform,” one capable of handling varied environments with stability and control.

At ProMat, Locus Robotics, renowned for its goods-to-person automation, introduced a sneak peek of its latest innovation: Locus Array. This new system, designed to optimize high-density storage and throughput, leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to enhance warehouse operations.

“We’ve been working on this for the past several years,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Our zero-touch fulfillment automates induction, and double-deep storage covers 100% of SKUs.”

The world of humanoid robotics continues to advance rapidly, with exciting developments surfacing almost weekly. Last week, London-based Humanoid.ai introduced its next-generation robot, HMND 01, offering a first look at its mechanical design, motion control, and integration of artificial intelligence. The company, founded by serial entrepreneur Artem Sokolov in 2024, aims to revolutionize industries with scalable, safe, and general-purpose humanoid robots.

Humanoid.ai, also known as SKL Robotics Ltd., has brought together experts in robotics, AI, and industrial design to create adaptable, intelligent robots capable of performing complex tasks. Sokolov envisions a future where humans and robots collaborate in harmony, addressing societal challenges such as labor shortages and the aging population. “The strongest argument for humanoids is that the world is already designed for humans, so they can seamlessly integrate and adapt quickly to existing environments,” said Sokolov.

Boston Dynamics announced a new partnership on Wednesday with the Robotics & AI Institute (RAI Institute) to enhance the reinforcement learning capabilities of its electric Atlas humanoid robot. This collaboration aims to improve how Atlas learns new tasks through more efficient and advanced methods.

The RAI Institute, previously known as The Boston Dynamics AI Institute, was founded by Marc Raibert, a former MIT professor and the former CEO of Boston Dynamics for 30 years. Raibert established the Institute in 2022 to continue the cutting-edge research that formed the foundation of Boston Dynamics’ innovative robotics.

A groundbreaking study has led to the development of the “hyperelastic torque reversal mechanism” (HeTRM), a new approach that allows robots made from soft, rubber-like materials to perform rapid and powerful movements. Published in Science Robotics, this research was led by Professor Kyu-Jin Cho from Seoul National University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. The study draws inspiration from nature, specifically the remarkable abilities of the mantis shrimp and flea, known for their extraordinary power and speed despite their soft bodies.

The mantis shrimp is famous for delivering punches at speeds of up to 90 km/h to break through prey, while the flea can leap to heights exceeding 200 times its body length. According to Professor Cho, the secret behind these organisms’ ability to generate such powerful forces lies in the “torque reversal mechanism,” which allows for the rapid switching of rotational force direction applied by muscles to their limbs. This discovery has now been adapted into the field of soft robotics.

Taking inspiration from the natural transition of life from water to land, the Organic Robotics Lab and the Archer Group at Cornell Engineering have made an exciting advancement in modular robotics. Their latest creations—robots modeled after worms and jellyfish—embrace a groundbreaking concept known as “embodied energy,” where the energy source is integrated into the robot’s structure. This innovative approach minimizes weight and cost, mirroring the evolutionary shift from aquatic to terrestrial life.

The technology builds upon a 2019 prototype inspired by the lionfish, which utilized a hydraulic fluid system—referred to as “robot blood”—to power devices by circulating energy. This system has been enhanced over time to increase battery capacity and power density, enabling the robots to function in more complex environments. Professor Rob Shepherd explains that the jellyfish robot’s improved capacity allows it to operate longer than its aquatic predecessors, while the worm robot, their first terrestrial model, offers greater freedom of movement without the need for a rigid structure.

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China, led by Nikolaos Freris, have unveiled an extraordinary advancement in robotics: the octopus-inspired SpiRobs robotic arm. Drawing inspiration from the fluidity and dexterity of natural appendages like the elephant trunk and octopus tentacles, this spiral-shaped robotic arm combines the precision of a human hand with the agility of animal limbs.

As part of a new class of soft robots, SpiRobs showcases an innovative design that blends nature’s adaptability with cutting-edge engineering. By leveraging reverse engineering techniques, the team has created a robot that can perform complex gripping maneuvers such as reeling, extending, winding, and grasping with an impressive 95 percent success rate in task execution.

In recent years, advancements in robotics have paved the way for new technologies that could revolutionize healthcare and assisted living facilities. Among these innovations are robots designed not only for medical purposes but also for providing companionship or assistance to patients.

A new breakthrough in this field comes from a team of researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, who have developed a robotic system capable of delivering massages based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques. This pioneering system, detailed in a recent paper published on the arXiv preprint server, has the potential to be used in healthcare, wellness, and rehabilitation settings, offering an additional therapeutic tool for patients dealing with various types of pain or discomfort.

Polish robotics company Clone Robotics is making waves in the competitive humanoid robotics market with the launch of its first full-scale humanoid robot, Clone Alpha. This groundbreaking creation integrates synthetic organs and artificial muscles, aiming to replicate human skeletal, muscular, vascular, and nervous systems in a single robotic entity. With preorders now open for the first 279 units, Clone Alpha marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of robots that can move and function like humans.

Clone Alpha isn’t just another robot—it’s an advanced humanoid designed to replicate human anatomy as closely as possible. Built using Clone Robotics’ innovative Myofiber artificial muscle technology, the robot’s muscles are attached to the skeleton at anatomically precise points, mimicking the movements of real animals and humans alike.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and Stanford University have achieved a major milestone in robotic surgery: teaching a robotic system to perform complex surgical tasks as skillfully as human surgeons, simply by training it using videos of real surgical procedures. This development could significantly accelerate the path to fully autonomous robots in the operating room.

The study was conducted using the da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic platform that is already used in many surgeries today. This system, typically controlled remotely by a surgeon, features robotic arms that manipulate instruments for delicate tasks such as dissection, cutting, suction, and vessel sealing. Known for its precision, the da Vinci system gives surgeons enhanced control and a more detailed view of the surgical site, but the latest model can cost over $2 million, excluding accessories and training expenses.

Clone Robotics, a forward-thinking robotics startup based in Poland, has revealed a remarkable new achievement: a humanoid torso capable of intricate, human-like movements. In its demo video, the robotic torso is ghostly white—almost eerily so, with a design that could easily fit into a horror film. But beneath its unsettling appearance lies a feat of engineering that is both innovative and impressive.

While companies like Tesla have made waves with their bipedal robots that can jump, dance, and eventually assist with everyday tasks, Clone Robotics has a different vision. Their humanoid torso, while seemingly less advanced, represents a step in a much more complex and ambitious direction.

Researchers from the JSK Lab at the University of Tokyo have developed a highly advanced robotic forearm that closely mirrors the proportions, weight, muscle arrangement, and joint performance of a human arm. This innovation marks a significant leap forward in robotics, offering enhanced capabilities for future humanoid machines.

To achieve this, the team integrated two muscle motors into a single module that also functions as the forearm’s bone structure. This efficient design saves space by using shared components, and a heat dissipation method allows motor heat to be transferred through the bone. The result is a radioulnar joint that perfectly mimics human anatomy, offering precise control and fluid motion.