Robotics Special: Robotic spider takes flight

Is it a plane? Is it a bird? Turns out it’s a flying robotic spider. A team of engineers at the University of Tokyo have unveiled a unique new design that’s potentially a major leap in achieving multimodal locomotion. Meanwhile, legal hurdles continue to mount for Tesla’s robotaxi launch slated for next month.

P.S. The Robotics Special is designed to help you stay on the cutting edge of the latest breakthroughs and products in the industry. Our regular AI and Tech updates will resume as usual on Monday.

WHAT’S NEXT

The most important news and breakthroughs in robotics this week

Legal Jam: Tesla's plans to launch its much-anticipated robotaxi services in Austin next month have caught the attention of federal investigators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is asking to peek under the hood to see whether the robotaxi system Tesla is using is the same — or similar — to its "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" software, which is currently under investigation for multiple low-visibility crashes.

Blink N’ Miss: Most students are happy with a passing grade — students at Purdue University walked away with a world record. Their "Purdubik's Cube" robot has obliterated the record for the fastest machine to solve a Rubik's Cube, completing the puzzle in one-tenth of a second — that’s less than half the time it takes most people to blink. This isn’t just about bragging rights — it’s potentially a major leap in ultra-fast coordinated control systems. You can watch it for yourself here.

Creepy Crawlies: Just when we thought we’d seen everything there is to see in all-terrain robotics, Japan's SPIDAR robot scuttled into the room. Developed by University of Tokyo researchers, the quadruped robot has been in the works since 2023, and uses vectorable rotors on each leg and a hybrid control strategy to seamlessly transition between crawling and flying. Although progress is still pretty slow, the concept could potentially be a step toward multimodal locomotion. Watch the unusual design in action here.

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ROBOTS IN ACTION

How robots are transforming the world around us

Drone Dazzle: Dubai-based Lumasky just shattered records with a 9,000-drone light show celebrating the opening of Disneyland Abu Dhabi. As drone technologies advance, traditional entertainment like fireworks is being replaced by programmable light displays that offer unlimited creative possibilities. Catch the show here.

Senior Sidekick: MIT engineers have created a robot designed specifically to help the elderly move safely around their homes. It functions as a moving handlebar that follows users, providing support as they walk, sit, stand, or bend. With America's aging population projected to hit 82M by 2050, the robot could be crucial in helping seniors stay mobile.

Weed Warriors: An Atlanta-based startup has unleashed robotic centipedes to specifically target and remove weeds in vineyards and blueberry farms. These multi-legged machines “swim” through challenging terrain, allowing them to navigate close to delicate crops without crushing them.

Paw Patrol: Singapore is rapidly becoming a hub of applied robotics, as quadruped robots take on a variety of roles across the city-state. With prices dropping as low as $2,700 thanks to Chinese companies entering the market, robot dogs are now guarding bus depots, monitoring construction sites, and even helping out with social services.

ROBO REEL

Watch: Tesla’s Optimus humanoid breaks the internet with brand new dance moves

When Elon Musk claimed in 2022 that Optimus would eventually eclipse Tesla's trillion-dollar vehicle business, skeptics rolled their eyes. 

But the claim isn’t looking too outlandish now.

The Optimus humanoid robot busted out some new moves in a viral clip shared by Musk on X. The bot can be seen performing rhythmic, coordinated arm and leg movements that — while still somewhat janky — demonstrate significant progress in stability and fluidity compared to earlier demos.

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ROBOT OF THE WEEK

A robot that caught our eye this week

Star Wars fans have spent decades wishing they could have their own R2-D2. Turns out they may not have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to get one.

Piaggio Fast Forward has launched G1T4-M1N1, a Star Wars-licensed version of its gitamini cargo-carrying robot that follows users around and hauls upto 20 lbs of items. The special edition droid packs custom decals, an interface designed with Disney and Lucasfilm, and 22 unique sounds that communicate with users during actions like pairing, charging, and navigating.

You can check it out here.

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Everything else you need to know this week

Here are the biggest developments in the robotics space that you should know about:

• Waymo has issued a software recall for 1,200 robotaxis following a series of minor collisions with gates, chains, and similar roadway obstacles.

• Swiss industrial giant ABB is considering selling off its robotics division for potentially $3.5B to 5B instead of proceeding with its planned spinoff.

• LG Innotek and Boston Dynamics are teaming up to give humanoid robots better eyes, developing advanced vision systems for the all-electric Atlas robot.

• Chinese tech giants Huawei and UBTech have joined forces to ramp up the rollout of humanoid robots across factories and homes in China.

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Zain and the Superhuman AI team