Robotics Special: Google DeepMind drops new model

It’s been another huge week in robotics. DeepMind launched a new set of AI models to make robots more useful in homes and warehouses. Meanwhile, scientists have created “flying batteries” to help microdrones and microrobots take to the sky.

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

Command Control: DeepMind released Gemini Robotics, a set of AI models designed to help robots interact with objects, navigate spaces, and follow voice commands. In tests, robots powered by Gemini Robotics were able to fold paper, pack glasses in a case, and more. DeepMind also released a research-friendly version and a benchmark called Asimov to assess robot safety. Watch an early demo here.

Gesture Guide: MIT and NVIDIA unveiled a new AI framework that lets users correct robots in real time without any coding or retraining. Users can tweak actions simply by pointing to objects, tracing paths, or physically guiding the robot’s arm. In tests, this approach boosted task success rates by 21% over traditional methods, paving the way for more adaptable robots, capable of internalizing human input.

Drive Data: Hugging Face teamed up with AI startup Yaak to supercharge its LeRobot collection with a new self-driving training dataset called Learning to Drive (L2D). Unlike other datasets that focus on object detection, L2D is packed with over a petabyte of real-world driving data, which helps the AI predict road behavior — opening the door to safer autonomous cars that learn from human drivers and adapt to complex roads.

Silk Solution: Researchers in Estonia have built a robot that weaves its own parts on demand — just like a spider spinning silk. Using heated polymer with a fast-cooling mechanism, it can build bridges, create tools, and anchor itself to tricky surfaces in real-time. Tested in disaster scenarios, it crafted paths over sharp debris — which could have big implications for disaster relief, search and rescue, construction, and adaptive infrastructure.

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FROM THE FRONTIER

Scientists create “flying batteries” to help microdrones fly

A major engineering challenge has kept microdrones grounded for years. To take to the sky, microdrones need lightweight energy sources, but existing lithium-ion batteries fail to provide the high voltages needed for microbots to fly. While a lithium cell packs about 4 volts, the piezoelectric actuators that propel these robots require tens to hundreds of volts. Traditional voltage-boosting circuits add too much weight and volume, making them impractical for micro-robotics.

Engineers at UC San Diego cracked the code to help microdrones fly. The teacher-student duo of Professor Patrick Mercier and PhD student Zixiao Lin developed a novel approach using ultra-lightweight solid-state batteries. Their solution combines these specialized batteries with an innovative circuit design they're calling "flying batteries."

The magic happens through a process called "battery stacking." Instead of using bulky capacitors to boost voltage, the engineers designed a system that stacks these solid-state micro-batteries dynamically.

This breakthrough could transform how we use tiny flying robots:

• Enable microdrones to fly for hours instead of minutes

• Power search-and-rescue bots that could locate survivors in collapsed buildings

• Create practical reconnaissance drones for dangerous environments

• Make sci-fi-style microdrone swarms a reality

ROBOTS IN ACTION

How robots are transforming the world around us

Super Skin: Scientists have developed a self-healing “super skin” that repairs 90% of cuts in under 4 hours. Made with ultra-thin clay nanosheets, it has major implications for wound healing, soft robotics, and self-repairing medical materials.

Mind Over Machine: Researchers at UC San Francisco have helped a paralyzed man control a robotic arm using only his thoughts, thanks to a breakthrough brain-computer interface (BCI). With practice, he grabbed objects, opened cabinets, and even poured water.

Heritage Heroes: Robot dogs and drones are being deployed by Historic England to protect heritage sites from disasters. Boston Dynamics’ Spot can navigate debris, scan damage, and assess risks remotely, while drones provide fast, scaffold-free inspections.

Weight Warrior: Rise Robotics built a non-hydraulic robotic arm that lifted a jaw-dropping 6,460 lbs — smashing the previous world record by 1,400 lbs. With lower energy use, zero emissions, and minimal maintenance, it could potentially revolutionize heavy machinery and automation.

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ROBO REEL

Watch: How a new ‘worm’ robot will help with California fires

Preventing wildfires before they happen has never felt more important. A major key to limiting the spread of fires is to build power lines underground. Scientists claim to have found a way to build these lines efficiently and cost-effectively. Find out how here.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in Robotics on socials this week

🍽️ Cyber Servers: A cafe in Japan is employing people with disabilities to remotely operate their robot servers. Reddit users who happened to visit the cafe claim it was a wonderful experience.

🏃 Metal Marathon: China is launching a robotics half-marathon, where top humanoid robots and companies will go head-to-head — a live showcase of the country’s innovation. Watch the robots train for it here.

🌱 Farm Friends: Agricultural robots are blowing up on socials this week. One farm robot cuts feed grass and brings it to the cows while another waters crops much more efficiently than humans.

MARKET MOVEMENTS

Acquisitions, investments, funding, and more

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

• Robotics firm Dexterity secured $95M at a $1.65B valuation to build a dual-armed unloading robot designed to handle complex functions with human-like precision.

• Swiss tech giant ABB is investing $120M to ramp up production of low-voltage electrification products in the US. The investment will fund a new facility in Tennessee and double an existing site in Mississippi.

• Aerospace and defense startup Shield AI just locked in $240M in funding to scale its Hivemind Enterprise platform, which powers drones and robots to operate autonomously.

• Rockwell Automation is backing RightHand Robotics to scale its AI-powered piece-picking arm, RightPick 4. Designed for warehouses, the robotic arm autonomously selects and moves items with precision.

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