Robotics Special

We’re on the cusp of the ChatGPT moment for robotics. But don’t take my word for it. Elon Musk has called humanoid robots "the biggest product ever in the history of humankind," and expects robots to outnumber humans. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang agrees: "Everything that moves will be robotic someday, and it will be soon.“

But why? Robots appear to have finally overcome Moravec's paradox: tasks that humans find easy are extremely hard for machines, and vice versa. And it’s all thanks to AI. Advances in LLMs and data bottlenecks over the last 5 years — like reinforcement learning algorithms and synthetic data — are finally bridging the gap between human and robot capabilities.

Just as LLMs experienced a sudden leap from “useful but niche” to “everywhere and essential,” robotics is experiencing a similar shift from incremental to exponential progress. Robots are increasingly moving from repetitive tasks in narrow domains to learning more generalized skills across new environments.

So what happens next? Companies like Figure AI and Tesla are making bold bets on humanoid robots that can leverage the same tools, vehicles, and spaces designed for humans. These robots are agile, safe, and versatile — targeting applications from industrial manufacturing to home assistance. OpenAI has also invested heavily in several robotics startups like 1X and Physical Intelligence.

P.S. This is my first experimental email on robotics. It’s designed to help you stay on the cutting edge of the latest breakthroughs and products in the industry. If you’d like me to continue writing this email once a week, please let me know in the poll at the bottom of this email.

WHAT’S NEXT

The most important news and breakthroughs in robotics this month

Ghost Ride: Robo-taxis may finally hit the road this year. Elon Musk claims that Tesla will launch a self-driving ride-hailing service in Austin this June, using its own fleet of vehicles and an “unsupervised” version of its Full Self-Driving software. Musk says the rollout will expand only when safety surpasses human drivers, but did not divulge any more details.

Robot Academy: Nvidia hit the ground running this year with the launch of Cosmos, a platform designed to fast-track the development of physical AI systems like autonomous vehicles and robots. It creates photoreal, synthetic simulations based on a combination of prompts, which helps developers train and test models more efficiently.

Mind Control: Brain implant startup Neuralink shared a video of what appears to be someone controlling a robotic arm with their mind to write a word. The implant presumably reads neural signals from the motor cortex and wirelessly sends them to the robotic arm, which then translates the signal into movement that produces the writing.

Jelly Bot: Cornell researchers have developed bio-inspired robots that use 'embodied energy' — a method that integrates the power source directly into the robot’s body. The designs — a jellyfish and a modular worm — run on a hydraulic fluid-powered battery, which cuts extra weight and cost, making the movements more lifelike.

First Look: Leaked footage just gave us a peek at DJI’s upcoming Mavic 4 Pro, and it’s packed with some major upgrades — a three-camera system with 6x zoom, improved low-light performance, vertical video capture, a sleeker, more aerodynamic design, and better thermal management. No official release date yet, but rumors point to early 2025.

PRESENTED BY YOU.COM

How I combined all my favorite AI models into one chat thread

I love using ChatGPT, Claude, and as of this past week, DeepSeek in my workflows. But since each model excels at tasks the others don’t, I constantly have to flip back and forth, pasting prompts and wasting time.

That’s why I’m so excited about You.com, the tool that combines 20+ AI models in one app.

It’s super simple to set up. In a recent LinkedIn post, I explain how You.com lets me:

• Toggle different models for the same prompt

• Find the best solution without having to switch tabs

Ready to dive in? Access 1 year of Pro at no cost ($180 value). Just visit the offer page to redeem your special offer as a Superhuman newsletter subscriber.

FROM THE FRONTIER

How many robots can one person control? The US military tests the limits and shatters long-held assumptions

Commanding a robot fleet used to be the stuff of science fiction. But a new study funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) flips the script on these assumptions.

Conventional wisdom on the subject was that as the number of robots on the ground or in the air increased, a single human would struggle to keep up, leading to a slump in performance. But as more and more robots were deployed to missions and battlefronts, DARPA decided to test the boundaries of what’s possible and find their own limits.

The findings were surprising, to say the least. In an urban military simulation, the agency proved that well-trained human controllers could single-handedly manage a swarm of over 100 ground and aerial robots, with only 3% of the mission causing cognitive overload.

These findings have significant implications — and not just for warfare. Robot swarms can push human-robot collaborations to another level, especially on work that’s too dangerous for a human to do, like monitoring wildfires and other natural disasters. The vast swathes of data collected can be used to deliver resources and supplies to thousands of people in disaster-struck areas more efficiently.

ROBOTS IN ACTION

How robots are transforming the world around us

Unsung Hero: The UK’s Kent Fire and Rescue Service has enlisted the help of a robot to help put out large-scale fires. The bot can blast out 2,000 liters of water per minute, and even speak to people, give instructions, and help carry out fire victims on stretchers.

Cleanup Crew: The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is rolling out Armstrong, a high-tech robot designed for dismantling old nuclear power plants. Built to handle dangerous environments, Armstrong makes the process much safer and more efficient.

Pipe Crawler: Japanese firm Tmsuk just announced the SPD-X, a 16-legged "caterpillar" robot that scuttles through and unclogs sewage pipes as small as 7.87 inches wide. It’s fully waterproof, packs a 360-degree camera, and is remote-controlled via a gamepad.

Life of the Party: Unitree’s humanoids lit up the stage at the annual Spring Festival Gala in China with a folk dance performance. Using advanced AI models, they even nailed the handkerchief toss with pinpoint accuracy. You can catch the performance here.

Cancer Crusher: A new surgical robot, Versius, is performing surgery on cancer patients in the UK, helping surgeons perform long procedures more comfortably. Plans are in place to use it for urology and gynecological procedures in the future as well.

ROBO REEL

Watch: China’s robo-dog unleashes insane dance moves in the snow

Who let the dogs out? Answer: the Chinese robotics firm, DEEP Robotics.

The company released a video of its robot dog, Lynx, breaking out some unreal moves — waltzing, gliding, and spinning effortlessly across various surfaces.

Lynx is a “mid-sized, powerful quadruped on wheels” designed for ultimate flexibility, productivity, and adaptability across rugged, uneven terrains. It’s a game-changer for emergency rescue, fire detection, security, and scientific exploration in inaccessible areas.

ROBOT OF THE WEEK

DJI Flip is a fully foldable camera drone

You can probably pack DJI’s new Flip drone in your pocket.

It’s completely foldable and has stackable propeller guards for easy transport. On top of that, it captures 4K video at 60fps, 48MP photos, and has a 31-minute battery life.

You can buy one for yourself here.

MARKET MOVEMENTS

Acquisitions, investments, funding, and more

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

• OpenAI-backed robotics firm 1X has acquired Norwegian startup Kind Humanoid with a joint mission to "build a world full of humanoid robots".

• LG Electronics has secured a majority stake in Bear Robotics — an autonomous service robot developer in Silicon Valley — effectively turning it into a subsidiary.

• Softbank is set to invest $500M in Skild AI, a software company building a foundational model for robots.

• Robot maker Neura Robotics just pulled in $123M in a series B funding round to push its vision for developing market-ready cognitive and humanoid robots.

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Until next time,

Zain and the Superhuman AI team