Robotics & Drones
Robots, drones, 3D printing and embedded systems.
4 published articles
Sakana AI's collective intelligence finally goes physical
These identical bricks taught themselves to recognize their own shape. No central brain needed.
A stack of identical cubes, each running the same tiny neural network and talking only to its immediate neighbors, can figure out their global shape, detect damage, and guide regrowth. No single brick knows where it is. The system hit 100 percent accuracy in hardware, published in Nature Communications.
2026-07-21
Humanoid robotics
Xiaomi's robot did what Musk said Optimus couldn't: real factory work in six months
Xiaomi's humanoid robot achieved 90%+ success on complex flexible workpiece tasks after six months of factory deployment, challenging Elon Musk's January claim that Optimus isn't ready for useful factory work. The leap from single-station screw insertion to bimanual panel sorting and box folding sets a new pace for humanoid industrialization.
2026-07-15
Robotics Research
This robot learns how its own body works in 30 seconds of flailing
A new framework called In-Context World Modeling (ICWM) allows robot policies to adapt to novel setups, like different camera angles or robot bodies, without retraining. By treating system identification as an in-context problem, ICWM uses a few seconds of task-agnostic flailing to infer world dynamics before task execution.
2026-07-11
Smart Lock Review
The Schlage Sense Pro locked my front door before I could unlock it, then I fixed it
The Schlage Sense Pro uses ultra-wideband to unlock your front door as you approach, no keys, no codes, no phone taps. It is the first hands-free system this reviewer trusts, but its $399 price tag and exclusive reliance on Apple Home Key make it a hard sell for Android users, at least for now.
2026-07-09