🤖 Robotics Goes API-First
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The next wave isn’t just smarter machines; it’s swappable intelligence at scale.
Robotics Goes API-First
TL;DR: Physical Intelligence released real-world data showing its π0.6 model acting as a shared “brain” for third-party robots from Weave and Ultra. Instead of building custom AI stacks, companies plug in Pi’s foundation model, fine-tune it with their own task data, and run it locally. In live deployments, laundry-folding interventions dropped 50% and warehouse packing throughput rose.
Intrinsic Joins Google’s Physical AI Push
TL;DR: Alphabet’s robotics software company Intrinsic is joining Google while remaining a distinct unit, deepening collaboration with Google DeepMind and integrating Gemini AI and cloud services. Founded inside Alphabet’s X lab and spun out in 2021, Intrinsic builds tools to simplify industrial robotics and now aims to accelerate factory automation through closer alignment with Google’s AI infrastructure.
China’s Robot Gig Economy Emerges
TL;DR: Chinese humanoid makers including AgiBot are shifting from lab demos to commercial rentals, launching short-term “robot gig” platforms for events and retail. With daily rental packages, 160,000 registered users, and Wuhan’s new 7S humanoid store model, companies are generating revenue through entertainment and services while broader factory-scale utility remains limited.
5G Boosts Remote Robot Touch
TL;DR: NTT DOCOMO and Keio University demonstrated first high-precision remote robot control over a commercial 5G standalone network, using a Configured Grant slicing method to cut wireless delay. By pre-allocating uplink resources, the system reduced jitter and improved force-feedback accuracy by 40% and motion smoothness by 59%, enabling more stable, lifelike haptic teleoperation for delicate remote tasks.
US Air Force Swaps Drone AI Midair
TL;DR: The US Air Force flew Anduril’s YFQ-44A drone using one company’s AI “brain,” then switched to another’s while still in the air—something that used to require landing and major rework because the software was tightly built into the aircraft. By separating flying functions from combat decision-making, the CCA program aims to enable faster upgrades and flexible roles like escort, strike, or reconnaissance ahead of a 2026 production decision.
AgiBot Launches Europe Push
TL;DR: Shanghai-based AgiBot officially entered Europe with a Munich launch event and a strategic partnership with automotive supplier Minth Group. Showcasing its humanoid, industrial, and quadruped robot lineup, AgiBot plans large-scale deployment through Minth’s factories, using real production data to train algorithms.
Rice Physics Powers Smarter Robots
TL;DR: Researchers at the University of Birmingham discovered that packed rice grains change strength depending on how quickly they’re compressed, then used this behavior to build adaptive metamaterials. By embedding this physics into soft robotic structures, engineers can create robots that automatically stiffen or bend under different loads—enabling safer human interaction and impact-resistant designs without sensors or electronics.
Robots Reveal Hidden Gulf Bloom
TL;DR: After Hurricane Idalia churned the Gulf of Mexico, autonomous ocean robots—including a saildrone and a BGC-Argo float—captured chemical and biological changes satellites missed. While space sensors saw a surface algae bloom, underwater robots detected a second, deeper phytoplankton surge triggered by storm-driven upwelling, offering a 3D view of how hurricanes reshape ocean carbon cycles.
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