Robotics News | TechCrunch

Google DeepMind develops a ‘solidly amateur’ table tennis robot

Brian Heater — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 16:14:43 +0000

During testing, Google DeepMind's table tennis bot was able to beat all of the beginner-level players it faced.

Figure’s new humanoid robot leverages OpenAI for natural speech conversations

Brian Heater — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Figure 02 is outfitted with speakers and microphones to speak and listen to people at work.

Neura shows off humanoid robot 4NE-1

Brian Heater — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:53:28 +0000

This week’s video shows 4NE-1 doing a lot; in some sense, it’s doing more than we’ve seen from other humanoids in the space.

Applied Carbon’s farm robot turns plant waste into biochar to capture CO2

Tim De Chant — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The startup has raised $21.5 million to build more of its machines and deploy them throughout the U.S.

Autonomous delivery startup Nuro is gearing up for a comeback

Rebecca Bellan — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:52:49 +0000

The California Department of Motor Vehicles this week granted Nuro approval to test its third-generation R3 autonomous delivery vehicle in four Bay Area cities, giving the AV startup a positive boost after facing some setbacks and financial struggles. The approval gives Nuro the ability to test its driverless delivery vehicle in Mountain View, Palo Alto, […]

Alphabet X spinoff partners with Arc’teryx to bring ‘everyday’ exoskeleton to market

Brian Heater — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:26:46 +0000

Skip, a wearable tech startup that began as a secretive project inside Alphabet, exited stealth this week to announce a partnership with outdoor clothing specialist Arc’teryx. The deal is the first to bring Skip’s technology to market: “powered pants” that utilize a soft exoskeleton. The tech, called MO/GO, short for “mountain goat,” is a hybrid […]

Researchers are training home robots in simulations based on iPhone scans

Brian Heater — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:00:14 +0000

Researchers at MIT CSAIL this week are showcasing a new method for training home robots in simulation.

Elon Musk sets 2026 Optimus sale date. Here’s where other humanoid robots stand.

Brian Heater — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 20:10:23 +0000

Tesla was not the first company to begin working on a humanoid form factor, but while being the first to market does carry weight in this high-tech space, we’re at the very beginning of the humanoid robot story.

Former Tesla humanoid head launches a robotics startup

Brian Heater — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000

In spite of maintaining stealth until now, Mytra has already drummed up interest with big names. The startup has a pilot with grocery giant Albertsons, among others.

Former Velodyne CEO’s delivery robot startup is ditching LiDAR for foundation models

Brian Heater — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Vayu Robotics is working to make delivery robotics cheaper and more scalable. Ditching LiDAR is a piece of that puzzle.

TechCrunch Minute: A Google robot shows off what Gemini can do

Anthony Ha — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Google found a new way to demonstrate what its Gemini AI model can do, with help from a robot. This was a robot from Google’s Everybody Robots Division, which was shut down last year. But apparently the robots are still around, so Google put a yellow bowtie on one of them then used Gemini to […]

Meet the soft robots that can amputate limbs and fuse with other robots

Anthony Ha — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 21:19:41 +0000

Roboticists at The Faboratory at Yale University have developed a way for soft robots to replicate some of the more unsettling things that animals and insects can accomplish — say, a reptile self-amputating a limb or ants building bridges by temporarily fusing their bodies. In one demo video, we see a soft quadruped robot crawling […]

Exein raised $15M Series B to stop robotic arms going haywire

Mike Butcher — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:45:57 +0000

The capital will be used to expand in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

Watch a robot navigate the Google DeepMind offices using Gemini

Brian Heater — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0000

DeepMind has implemented Google Gemini 1.5 Pro to teach a robot to respond to commands and navigate around an office.

TechCrunch Minute: This is what happens when you shoot down a delivery drone

Amanda Silberling — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Florida man is back with a vengeance, and this time, he’s going after Walmart delivery drones. Yes, really. Walmart was demonstrating its delivery drone technology in Clermont, Florida — about 25 miles outside of Orlando — and a man allegedly shot the drone out of the sky when it flew near his house. Apparently, he […]

What happens if you shoot down a delivery drone?

Brian Heater — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:50:54 +0000

As deep-pocketed companies like Amazon, Google and Walmart invest in and experiment with drone delivery, a phenomenon reflective of this modern era has emerged. Drones, carrying snacks and other sundries, are being shot out of the sky. Incidents are still rare. However, a recent arrest in Florida, in which a man allegedly shot down a […]

Why deep tech VC Driving Forces is shutting down

Christine Hall — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 18:23:43 +0000

With increasing competition for what is, essentially, still a small number of hard tech and deep tech deals, Sidney Scott realized it would be a challenge for smaller funds like his.

Amazon retires its Astro for Business security robot after only 7 months

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 17:44:42 +0000

Amazon has decided to discontinue its Astro for Business device, a security robot for small- and medium-sized businesses, just seven months after launch. In an email sent to customers and employees on Wednesday, provided to TechCrunch, the reason for putting Astro for Business on the shelf is simple: Amazon wants to focus on its home […]

MIT’s soft robotic system is designed to pack groceries

Brian Heater — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 21:00:00 +0000

RoboGrocery combines computer vision with a soft robotic gripper to bag a wide range of different items.

Robot cats, dogs and birds are being deployed amid an ‘epidemic of loneliness’

Brian Heater — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Founded in 2015 as a Hasbro spinoff, Ageless Innovations specializes in producing robotic companion animals for the aging population through its Joy for All brand.