Researchers in South Korea have unveiled a beetle‑like soft robot, adding to a growing field of bio‑inspired machines that mimic insects, mammals and reptiles. At KAIST, engineers are refining microrobotic beetles while teams at NTU have equipped Madagascar cockroaches with micro‑computers, infrared sensors and solar‑powered backpacks, enabling remote‑controlled navigation through rubble to locate disaster victims. Stanford scientists have built mechanical ants that can lift loads 2,000 times their weight using gecko‑inspired adhesive pads, and Norwegian developers have [...]

SwitchBot’s new K11+ Pro robot vacuum targets compact living spaces with a 9.76‑inch diameter, 3.62‑inch height and a 5‑pound weight, allowing it to slip under low furniture and navigate tight corners. It uses LiDAR mapping and a close‑range sensor, storing up to five floor plans for multi‑level homes, and offers room, zone and schedule cleaning via the SwitchBot app. The unit delivers up to 12,000 Pa suction in Max mode—double the original K11—while Quiet mode runs at about 45 dB [...]

The Robot Report Podcast’s Episode 267 reviewed RoboBusiness 2026, held Oct. 20‑21 in Santa Clara, California, drawing over 2,000 attendees. The 20th‑anniversary event featured keynotes moderated by Steve Crowe, panels with Rodney Brooks, Ken Goldberg, Jonathan Hurst, and industry leaders such as Rick Faulk of Locus Robotics and Alex Linde of Aescape. Highlights included the Women in Robotics lunch, the “Beyond the Demo: AI in Production Robotics” session, and the “RaaS Playbook” discussion. The event marked the final RoboBusiness brand before rebranding as [...]

Agility Robotics and Churchill Capital Corp XI announced that the planned SPAC merger will raise about $465 million, down from the $620 million previously projected at a $2.5 billion valuation. The capital package includes roughly $164 million from Churchill’s trust, a $201 million common‑stock PIPE at $10 per share led by Foxconn, and $100 million of equity already secured. The transaction is slated to close on Nov. 4, pending shareholder approval. Agility, which unveiled the Digit 5 humanoid with redesigned legs, optional wheels and fast‑charging batteries [...]

The latest “Video Friday” roundup from IEEE Spectrum highlights a series of cutting‑edge robotics demonstrations. RAI showcases whole‑body manipulation, probing whether torso motion can aid handling of bulky objects. The Robotics and AI Institute presents a contact‑centric learning framework that fuses motion imitation with reinforcement learning to enable humanoids to traverse unstructured terrain. ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab details the same approach, emphasizing autonomous adaptation to novel surfaces. Luxonis unveils the OAK‑4 FFC vision computer, a compact board [...]

The Robot Report’s 2026 Robotics Handbook compiles the year’s most significant trends in commercial robotics, highlighting rapid advances driven by hardware scaling and artificial intelligence. Labor shortages and growing market awareness are spurring higher global and U.S. robot orders, according to the International Federation of Robotics and the Association for Advancing Automation. The free handbook examines engineering challenges, component selections, and emerging market opportunities, with special focus on humanoid development, dexterous manipulation, and construction automation. It details [...]

Boston Dynamics, owned by Hyundai, faced internal backlash after it supplied four modified robot dogs—equipped with robotic arms, thermal cameras, and explosive‑material sensors—to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for $1.3 million. The robots were sold through RADeCO, which markets them as Cerebus. Hundreds of employees wrote a letter expressing discomfort, citing reputational risks and concerns over ICE’s use of the technology. Boston Dynamics defended the deal, emphasizing safety and non‑weaponization clauses.