Robotics Special: Tesla at the Capitol

Robots are becoming more humanlike by the day. One startup showed off a digital nervous system, while another showed us a humanoid that moves just like, well, a human. Meanwhile, a Texas-based robotics firm is on the lookout for a plane that went missing over a decade ago.

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

Walk the Talk: Figure AI shook up the internet this week with a major advancement in humanoid robotics. They dropped a video of their Figure 02 robots strutting with human-like fluidity — smooth heel strikes, toe-offs, and synchronized arm swings. Using reinforcement learning (RL) in a physics simulator, the company simulated years of data in hours, allowing humanoids to adapt more quickly to real-world environments.

Policy Push: Leading US robotics companies are feeling the heat from Chinese rivals. Representatives of American robotics companies, including Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and Agility Robotics, flocked to Capitol Hill this week to push for a national robotics strategy, including a dedicated federal office. The companies showcased their technologies while warning that China is making intelligent robots a national priority.

At Your Doorstep: You’ll probably be seeing humanoid robots in homes sooner than you think. According to TechCrunch, Norwegian robotics startup 1X plans to roll out Neo Gamma humanoid robots in "a few hundred to a few thousand" homes by the end of this year. The robots won't be fully autonomous, instead relying on remote human teleoperators who can control the machines and view through their cameras and sensors.

Nervous Network: Swedish startup IntuiCell has created a groundbreaking "digital nervous system" that allows robots to learn autonomously in real-time through real-world interactions. This innovation could push us beyond static machine-learning models to systems capable of scaling to human-level intelligence. Watch the company’s standard quadruped, Luna, attempt to stand up on its own via trial and error here.

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FROM THE FRONTIER

Scientists create robots that work without electronics and walk straight off a 3D printer

Traditional robots have a fatal flaw: they rely heavily on complex electronics, which can have some major limitations. Electronics cannot function in environments with strong radiation, are vulnerable to water damage, and typically require complex assembly processes that cost a fortune. These bottlenecks prevent robots from being used in many of the high-risk environments where they would be most valuable.

Researchers at UC San Diego set out to try an innovative approach. The team successfully created a six-legged robot in one single print using a standard desktop 3D printer. Made entirely from an off-the-shelf 3D printing filament, the robot doesn’t bank on any electronics whatsoever. Tests showed it could function for 3 days non-stop when tethered to a constant air pressure source, and even walk entirely on its own outdoors using a compressed gas cartridge. Watch it for yourself here.

This could open up a world of new possibilities:

• Enables disaster response in environments with electromagnetic interference

• Creates new opportunities for underwater exploration without worrying about electronic failure

• Provides options for space exploration under extreme conditions

ROBOTS IN ACTION

How robots are transforming the world around us

Plane Pursuit: In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished from radar shortly after taking off and was never found. Now, Texas-based robotics firm Ocean Infinity has renewed hopes of finding the plane. They have revived a fresh search for the aircraft in the Indian Ocean using advanced autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).

Gut Crawler: A new magnetic micro-robot can roll through your intestines, taking high-resolution 3D scans to spot cancer at its earliest stages. The device could overhaul early cancer detection by enabling 'virtual biopsies' — non-invasive scans that eliminate the nerve-wracking wait for lab results. Human trials are expected to kick off in 2026.

Rescue Rover: China has debuted the world's first emergency rescue robot capable of operating in extreme temperatures from -20°C to 55°C. These machines offer quadrupedal, wheeled, or tracked mobility options and can make their way around stairs, slopes, and obstacles while carrying medical equipment.

Tree Tracker: Chinese scientists have mapped China's entire tree population using drone-mounted lidar technology, counting 142.6B trees. This will help China optimize its massive reforestation efforts to combat desert expansion.

Hazard Handler: Radioactive sandbags, with radiation levels reaching 4.4 sieverts per hour (lethal to humans), have remained inaccessible since the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011. Now, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has announced that robots will begin extracting 41.5 tonnes of the material.

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ROBO REEL

Watch: Unitree's G1 humanoid nails the world's first kip-up

As if performing the world’s first robotic side-flip wasn’t enough, Unitree dropped a video of the G1 performing the world’s first kick-up just days later.

Trained using Nvidia’s Isaac Simulator, the G1 learns complex movements in a virtual environment before transferring these skills to the real world through 'Sim2Real' technology.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in Robotics on socials this week

👩🏻‍⚕️ Doctor Droid: Unitree’s G1 humanoid robot is stepping into teleoperated healthcare, mastering everything from physical exams to precision needlework. Watch it in action.

🌙 Lunar Leap: Firefly Aerospace has selected Blue Origin's Honeybee Robotics unit to build a rover for its 2028 lunar mission targeting the Gruithuisen Domes.

📺 Future Flip: A 60-year-old video of American writer Isaac Asimov resurfaced on Reddit this week, in which he envisions a future where humans transition toward metal while robots develop into organic forms, ultimately leading to a unified culture.

📚 Speedy Scan: A video of the Treventus robot just blew up on Reddit this week. It can scan up to 2500 pages per hour.

MARKET MOVEMENTS

Acquisitions, investments, funding, and more

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

• Former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt’s The Bot Company has reportedly snagged another $150M in new funding, bringing its valuation to $2B — all without a robot prototype.

• China’s National Development and Reform Commission has reportedly unveiled plans to launch a state-backed VC fund, aiming to invest nearly $138B in robotics, AI, and cutting-edge technologies over the next 20 years.

• Global defense company BlueHalo has been awarded a $30.7M Navy contract to provide engineering and support for its advanced underwater robotics systems for underwater security, reconnaissance, and mine countermeasures.

• Contoro Robotics has picked up $12M in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered truck unloading robots.

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