<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/boston-dynamics-humanoid-robot-giving-two-thumbs-up-in-a-well-lit-industrial-setting.png?id=61730113&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><span>Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at </span><em>IEEE Spectrum</em><span> robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please </span><a href="mailto:automaton@ieee.org?subject=Robotics%20event%20suggestion%20for%20Video%20Friday">send us your events</a><span> for inclusion.</span></p><h5><a href="https://worldrobotsummit.org/en/">World Robot Summit</a>: 10–12 October 2025, OSAKA, JAPAN</h5><h5><a href="https://www.iros25.org/">IROS 2025</a>: 19–25 October 2025, HANGZHOU, CHINA</h5><p>Enjoy today’s videos!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><div style="page-break-after: always"><span style="display:none"> </span></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="gs4roqndtbk">There are two things that I really appreciate about this video on <a data-linked-post="2652903997" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/boston-dynamics-spot-robot-arm" target="_blank">grippers from Boston Dynamics</a>. First, building a gripper while keeping in mind that the robot will inevitably fall onto it, because I’m seeing lots of very delicate-looking five-fingered hands on humanoids, and I’m very skeptical of their ruggedness. And second, understanding that not only is a five-fingered hand very likely unnecessary for the vast majority of tasks, but also robot hands don’t have to be constrained by a human hand’s range of motion.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="732ee2c774adcd4b3104032aca09daf2" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gS4rOqNDTBk?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://bostondynamics.com/blog/ask-a-roboticist-meet-karl/">Boston Dynamics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="ilg3x8zri2i">Yes, okay, it’s a fancy-looking robot, but I’m still stuck on what useful, practical things can it reliably and cost-effectively and safely DO?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d4148342441134aaf276d8d1a0725d8d" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eu5mYMavctM?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">- YouTube</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..."><a href="https://youtu.be/Eu5mYMavctM" target="_blank">youtu.be</a></small></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.figure.ai/">Figure</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="52ach_fnquu"><em>Life on Earth has evolved in constant relation to gravity, yet we rarely consider how deeply it shapes living systems until we imagine a place without it. In MycoGravity, pink oyster mushrooms grow inside a custom-built bioreactor mounted on a KUKA robotic arm. Inspired by NASA’s random positioning machines, the robot’s programmed movement simulates altered gravity. Over time, sculptural mushrooms emerge, shaped by their environment without a stable gravitational direction.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8dd27d04f64e68496595859c6e86f6bf" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/52acH_fnQUU?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://ars.electronica.art/panic/en/view/mycogravity-21938ddb450c816fbb66fbc1c6075a84/">MycoGravity</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="rgokumdirnu"><em>A new technological advancement gives robotic systems a natural sense of touch without extra skins or sensors. With advanced force sensing and deep learning, this robot can feel where you touch, recognize symbols, and even use virtual buttons—paving the way for more natural and flexible human-robot interaction.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ffd51a4f6badac6752dfd7cad51580e" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rgoKUmdIRnU?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/scirobotics.adn4008">Science Robotics</a> ]</p><p>Thanks, Maged!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="ubdeyzapvpi">The creator of <a data-linked-post="2655205032" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/robot-video-2655205032" target="_blank">Mini Pupper</a> introduces <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdFnK2Lw7oQ" target="_blank">HeySanta</a>, which can be yours for under $60.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="54c520373fa197fde17ce97aeb852d17" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UBdeyZApVpI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p><span>[</span><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mdrobotkits/heysanta-generative-ai-powered-santa-claus" target="_blank"> Kickstarter campaign</a><span>]</span></p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="e0cizgktn4m">I think humanoid robotics companies are starting to realize that they’re going to need to differentiate themselves somehow.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="980cafe42b1ec901060e35338d8d6567" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e0cIZgkTn4M?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.deeprobotics.cn/en">DEEP Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="evcu8pk5xwc"><em>Drone swarm performances—synchronized, expressive aerial displays set to music—have emerged as a captivating application of modern robotics. Yet designing smooth, safe choreographies remains a complex task requiring expert knowledge. We present SwarmGPT, a language-based choreographer that leverages the reasoning power of large language models (LLMs) to streamline drone performance design.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2826febe5fd3de62edb2ef527d6290ca" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EvCU8Pk5xwc?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://utiasdsl.github.io/swarm_GPT/">SwarmGPT</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="opr3mpybgo4"><em>Dr. Mark Draelos, assistant professor of robotics and ophthalmology, received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award for a project that seeks to improve how delicate microsurgeries are conducted by scaling up tissue to a size where surgeons could “walk across the retina” in virtual reality and operate on tissue as if “raking leaves.”</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4124ec201e543bacc74ffd26032a85b8" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPR3Mpybgo4?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://robotics.umich.edu/news/2025/draelos-nih-award/">University of Michigan</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="iuh8fwxonwa"><em>The intricate mechanisms of the most sophisticated laboratory on Mars are revealed in Episode 4 of the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin series, called “</em>Sample Processing.”</blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="123c2a395ce4c5ce32a8b3fe7c3d181d" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iuh8FWxoNwA?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars/ExoMars_rover">European Space Agency</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="jcbhspk0yik">There’s currently a marketplace for used industrial robots, and it makes me wonder what’s next. Used humanoids, anyone?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fbee8316e01aee8552850d9c3ba2c4d0" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jcbHSPk0YIk?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://my.kuka.com/s/category/used-robots/0ZG1i000000TOeiGAG?language=en_US">Kuka</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="m8ivrpkaszo"><em>On October 2, 2025, the 10th “Can We Build Baymax?” Workshop Part 10: What Can We Build Today? & BYOB (Bring Your Own Baymax) was held in Seoul, Korea. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Baymax delivered a special message from his character designer, Jin Kim.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f4d0c14ffe7f9bd7f47abf486a8f303b" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8IVRPKaszo?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://baymax.org/">Baymax</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="btp4ljvx6eg">I am only sharing this to declare that iRobot has gone off the deep end with their product names: Meet the “Roomba® Max 705 Combo Robot + AutoWash™ Dock.”</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87989bceb538a48eb2fc62e2d998381d" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Btp4ljVx6Eg?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.irobot.com/en_US/roomba-max-705-robots.html">iRobot</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="veutck1xyzi"><em>Daniel Piedrahita, Navigation Team Lead, presents on his team’s recent work rebuilding Digit’s navigation stack, including a significant upgrade to footstep path planning.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1abf5358935eb93a5cba9afad6f5f1d7" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VeutCk1xYzI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.agilityrobotics.com/content/digits-next-steps">Agility Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="dehcus0nwsi">A bunch of videos from <a data-linked-post="2669217747" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/icra40-conference" target="_blank">ICRA@40</a> have just been posted, and here are a few of my favorites.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1fccf31c28ede118912bd57c27220761" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DEHcUs0nwSI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0f5c5aa8a25fd2520d67e3e7b6f6bf36" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EZiol10pvvY?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="90c6573aff1096acb8059a31b41aed09" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q5KvEge0km0?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://icra40.ieee.org/">ICRA@40</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div>

يستعرض فيديو الجمعة هذا الأسبوع أيدٍ غير إنسانية مصممة للروبوتات الإنسانية، مما يبرز أحدث التطورات في تكنولوجيا الروبوتات. هذه التطورات مهمة لأنها تعزز من وظائف ومرونة الروبوتات، مما يجعلها أكثر قدرة على أداء مهام معقدة في بيئات متنوعة. إن التطور المستمر في مجال الروبوتات لا يثير حماس عشاق التكنولوجيا فحسب، بل له أيضًا تداعيات كبيرة على الصناعات التي تتراوح من التصنيع إلى الرعاية الصحية.

El Video Friday de esta semana presenta innovadoras manos no humanoides diseñadas para robots humanoides, destacando los últimos avances en tecnología robótica. Estos desarrollos son cruciales ya que mejoran la funcionalidad y versatilidad de los robots, haciéndolos más capaces de realizar tareas complejas en diversos entornos. La evolución continua en robótica no solo emociona a los entusiastas de la tecnología, sino que también tiene importantes implicaciones para industrias que van desde la fabricación hasta la atención médica.

Cette semaine, Video Friday met en avant des mains non humanoïdes conçues pour des robots humanoïdes, soulignant les dernières avancées en technologie robotique. Ces développements sont cruciaux car ils améliorent la fonctionnalité et la polyvalence des robots, les rendant plus capables d'effectuer des tâches complexes dans divers environnements. L'évolution continue de la robotique excite non seulement les passionnés de technologie, mais a également des implications significatives pour des secteurs allant de la fabrication aux soins de santé.

This week's Video Friday showcases innovative non-humanoid hands designed for humanoid robots, highlighting the latest advancements in robotics technology. These developments are crucial as they enhance the functionality and versatility of robots, making them more capable of performing complex tasks in various environments. The ongoing evolution in robotics not only excites tech enthusiasts but also has significant implications for industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare.

Video Friday: Non-Humanoid Hands for Humanoid Robots

The Stratos Upright AZ3002 is a simple but effective upright vacuum that has no trouble getting into all the nooks and crannies in your home.

يعتبر جهاز Stratos Upright AZ3002 مكنسة كهربائية عمودية بسيطة ولكن فعالة. إنها تتفوق في الوصول إلى الزوايا المختلفة في المنزل، مما يوفر قوة تنظيف موثوقة دون تعقيد غير ضروري.

El Stratos Upright AZ3002 es una aspiradora vertical sencilla pero efectiva. Destaca en alcanzar los diversos rincones del hogar, proporcionando un poder de limpieza confiable sin complicaciones innecesarias.

Le Stratos Upright AZ3002 est un aspirateur vertical simple mais efficace. Il excelle à atteindre les différents recoins de la maison, offrant un pouvoir nettoyant fiable sans complexité inutile.

The Stratos Upright AZ3002 is a straightforward yet effective upright vacuum cleaner. It excels at reaching various nooks and crannies in the home, providing reliable cleaning power without unnecessary complexity.

This Shark upright might not be the fanciest vacuum in town, but in terms of cleaning power I can't fault it

طور باحثون من معهد ماساتشوستس للتكنولوجيا، بالتعاون مع علامة الجمال أمورباكفيك، لاصقة قابلة للارتداء مصممة لتحليل شيخوخة الجلد. تهدف هذه التكنولوجيا المبتكرة إلى تزويد المستخدمين برؤى حول صحة بشرتهم وعملية الشيخوخة، مما قد يحول روتين العناية بالبشرة ومنتجات العناية الشخصية.

Investigadores del MIT, en colaboración con la marca de belleza Amorepacific, han desarrollado un parche portátil diseñado para analizar el envejecimiento de la piel. Esta innovadora tecnología tiene como objetivo proporcionar a los usuarios información sobre la salud de su piel y el proceso de envejecimiento, lo que podría transformar las rutinas de cuidado de la piel y los productos de cuidado personal.

Des chercheurs du MIT, en collaboration avec la marque de beauté Amorepacific, ont développé un patch portable conçu pour analyser le vieillissement de la peau. Cette technologie innovante vise à fournir aux utilisateurs des informations sur la santé de leur peau et le processus de vieillissement, transformant potentiellement les routines de soins de la peau et les produits de soins personnels.

MIT researchers, in collaboration with the beauty brand Amorepacific, have developed a wearable patch designed to analyze skin aging. This innovative technology aims to provide users with insights into their skin's health and aging process, potentially transforming skincare routines and personal care products.

MIT researchers and beauty brand Amorepacific made a wearable patch that analyzes skin aging

LTO’s 40TB Ultrium tape revives magnetic storage with Aramid film and a roadmap targeting 913TB for AI-scale data.

لا يزال تخزين الشريط LTO يزدهر على الرغم من التحديات، بما في ذلك جهود إيلون ماسك لتقليل أهميته. التطور الأخير هو إدخال شريط Ultrium بسعة 40 تيرابايت، الذي يستخدم تقنية فيلم الأراميد. لا تعزز هذه التطورات قدرات التخزين المغناطيسي فحسب، بل تحدد أيضًا خارطة طريق مستقبلية تهدف إلى تحقيق سعة 913 تيرابايت، مصممة لتلبية متطلبات تخزين البيانات على نطاق الذكاء الاصطناعي.

El almacenamiento en cinta LTO sigue prosperando a pesar de los desafíos, incluidos los esfuerzos de Elon Musk por disminuir su relevancia. El último desarrollo es la introducción de la cinta Ultrium de 40TB, que utiliza tecnología de película de Aramid. Este avance no solo mejora las capacidades de almacenamiento magnético, sino que también establece una hoja de ruta futura con un objetivo de 913TB, diseñada para satisfacer las demandas del almacenamiento de datos a escala de IA.

Le stockage sur bande LTO continue de prospérer malgré les défis, y compris les efforts d'Elon Musk pour diminuer sa pertinence. Le dernier développement est l'introduction de la bande Ultrium de 40 To, qui utilise la technologie du film Aramid. Cette avancée améliore non seulement les capacités de stockage magnétique, mais établit également une feuille de route future visant une capacité de 913 To, conçue pour répondre aux exigences du stockage de données à l'échelle de l'IA.

LTO tape storage continues to thrive despite challenges, including efforts by Elon Musk to diminish its relevance. The latest development is the introduction of the 40TB Ultrium tape, which utilizes Aramid film technology. This advancement not only enhances magnetic storage capabilities but also sets a future roadmap aiming for a capacity of 913TB, designed to meet the demands of AI-scale data storage.

LTO tape storage is still going strong despite Elon Musk's efforts to wipe it out - and there's now even 40TB cartridges for the AI age

<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45941025">Comments</a>

libwifi هي مكتبة مصممة لتحليل وتوليد إطارات 802.11، تم تنفيذها بلغة البرمجة C. تهدف هذه التقنية إلى تسهيل التعامل مع بروتوكولات الاتصال اللاسلكي. المكتبة مخصصة للمطورين الذين يحتاجون إلى حل قوي للعمل مع معايير 802.11. يمكن العثور على مزيد من المعلومات على Hacker News.

libwifi es una biblioteca diseñada para analizar y generar tramas 802.11, implementada en el lenguaje de programación C. Esta tecnología tiene como objetivo facilitar el manejo de protocolos de comunicación inalámbrica. La biblioteca está destinada a desarrolladores que requieren una solución robusta para trabajar con estándares 802.11. Se puede encontrar más información en Hacker News.

libwifi est une bibliothèque conçue pour l'analyse et la génération de trames 802.11, implémentée en langage de programmation C. Cette technologie vise à faciliter la gestion des protocoles de communication sans fil. La bibliothèque est destinée aux développeurs qui ont besoin d'une solution robuste pour travailler avec les normes 802.11. Plus d'informations sont disponibles sur Hacker News.

libwifi is a library designed for parsing and generating 802.11 frames, implemented in the C programming language. This technology aims to facilitate the handling of wireless communication protocols. The library is intended for developers who require a robust solution for working with 802.11 standards. More information can be found on Hacker News.

libwifi: an 802.11 frame parsing and generation library written in C

Here's a guide to the tell-tale signs of an AI-generated video, even when it looks real.

أصبحت مقاطع الفيديو المزيفة عميقة التزييف أكثر واقعية من أي وقت مضى، مما يجعل من الصعب التمييز بين المحتوى الحقيقي والمحتوى الذي تم إنشاؤه بواسطة الذكاء الاصطناعي. يقدم هذا المقال دليلًا لمساعدة المشاهدين على التعرف على علامات مقاطع الفيديو التي تم إنشاؤها بواسطة الذكاء الاصطناعي، حتى عندما تبدو أصلية. فهم هذه المؤشرات أمر حيوي في التنقل في المشهد الرقمي المتطور.

Los videos deepfake se han vuelto cada vez más realistas, lo que dificulta distinguir entre contenido real y generado por IA. Este artículo ofrece una guía para ayudar a los espectadores a identificar las señales de los videos generados por IA, incluso cuando parecen auténticos. Comprender estos indicadores es crucial para navegar en el paisaje digital en evolución.

Les vidéos deepfake sont devenues de plus en plus réalistes, rendant difficile la distinction entre le contenu réel et celui généré par l'IA. Cet article propose un guide pour aider les spectateurs à identifier les signes des vidéos générées par l'IA, même lorsqu'elles semblent authentiques. Comprendre ces indicateurs est essentiel pour naviguer dans le paysage numérique en évolution.

Deepfake videos have become increasingly realistic, making it challenging to distinguish between real and AI-generated content. This article provides a guide to help viewers identify the signs of AI-generated videos, even when they appear authentic. Understanding these indicators is crucial in navigating the evolving landscape of digital media.

Deepfake Videos Are More Realistic Than Ever. Here's How to Spot if a Video Is Real or AI

The Shokz OpenRun Pro are a great alternative to earbuds for exercise and running – and they're now back to a record-low price on Amazon for Black Friday.

تعتبر سماعات شوكز أوبن ران برو بديلاً رائعًا لسماعات الأذن أثناء ممارسة الرياضة والجري، وهي الآن متاحة بسعر قياسي منخفض على أمازون بمناسبة الجمعة السوداء.

Los Shokz OpenRun Pro son una gran alternativa a los auriculares para hacer ejercicio y correr, y ahora están de vuelta a un precio récord en Amazon para el Black Friday.

Les Shokz OpenRun Pro sont une excellente alternative aux écouteurs pour l'exercice et la course – et ils sont de nouveau proposés à un prix record sur Amazon pour le Black Friday.

Here's another chance to get the Shokz OpenRun Pro for a record-low price

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/barbell-weight-plates-flying-over-a-checkered-finish-line-in-a-sunny-field-with-flags.png?id=62177472&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><span>Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at </span><em>IEEE Spectrum</em><span> robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please </span><a href="mailto:automaton@ieee.org?subject=Robotics%20event%20suggestion%20for%20Video%20Friday">send us your events</a><span> for inclusion.</span></p><h5><a href="https://2026.ieee-icra.org/">ICRA 2026</a>: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNA</h5><p>Enjoy today’s videos!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><div style="page-break-after: always"><span style="display:none"> </span></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="tmhjtmabwii"><em>Current multirotor drones provide simplicity, affordability, and ease of operation; however, their primary limitation is their low payload-to-weight ratio, which typically falls at 1:1 or less. The DARPA Lift Challenge aims to shatter the heavy lift bottleneck, seeking novel drone designs that can carry payloads more than four times their weight, which would revolutionize the way we use drones across all sectors.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b38117e26dcffac395306b0ee1220905" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TMHjTMabWiI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.darpa.mil/research/challenges/lift">DARPA</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="nzflxcht4vw"><em>Huge milestone achieved! World’s first mass delivery of humanoid robots has completed! Hundreds of UBTECH Walker S2 have been delivered to our partners.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="285714f59414b3cb44249079f2e299a9" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nzflxCHT4vw?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>I really hope that’s not how they’re actually shipping their robots.</p><p>[ <a href="https://www.ubtrobot.com/en/humanoid/products/walker-s2">UBTECH</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="pv1j76mnp9y">There is absolutely no reason to give <a data-linked-post="2666268821" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/3d-printed-robot-hand" target="_blank">robots hands</a> if you can just teach them to lasso stuff instead.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="97aea94afc12b1045837c4a9fbe328b9" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PV1J76mNP9Y?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://arclab.hku.hk/">ArcLab</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="mhkmr__c40i"><em>Saddle Creek deployed Carter in its order fulfillment operation for a beauty client. It helps to automate and optimize tote delivery operations between multiple processing and labeling lines and more than 20 designated drop-off points. In this capacity, Carter functions as a flexible, non-integrated “virtual conveyor” that streamlines material flow without requiring fixed infrastructure.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1b9a961666c2a579dcf52246e762c43e" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MHkmr__c40I?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.robust.ai/">Robust.ai</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="evvak5-gd4a"><em>This is our latest work on an aerial–ground robot team, the first time a language–vision hierarchy achieves long-horizon navigation and manipulation on the real UAV + quadruped using only 2D cameras. The article is published open-access in Advanced Intelligent Systems.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1f90eb2a99b1485dc67a216cdd5bb235" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/evvAk5-gd4A?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aisy.202500640">DRAGON Lab</a> ]</p><p>Thanks, Moju!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="jdgj9yic4q4">I am pretty sure that you should not use a <a data-linked-post="2659868569" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/quadrupedal-robot" target="_blank">quadrupedal robot</a> to transport your child. But only pretty sure, not totally certain.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e6b204f4e625103a21ced3fcf48929eb" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JDGJ9yIC4q4?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.deeprobotics.cn/en/">DEEP Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="jyi-lznvuy4"><em>Building Behavioral Foundation Models (BFMs) for humanoid robots has the potential to unify diverse control tasks under a single, promptable generalist policy. However, existing approaches are either exclusively deployed on simulated humanoid characters, or specialized to specific tasks such as tracking. We propose BFM-Zero, a framework that learns an effective shared latent representation that embeds motions, goals, and rewards into a common space, enabling a single policy to be prompted for multiple downstream tasks without retraining.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="278463191ffebdbe84376c89441218b8" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jYI-LZNvUY4?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://lecar-lab.github.io/BFM-Zero/">BFM-Zero</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="kqyfhtyjkdi">Welcome to the very, very near future of manual labor.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b5cb1e3fe4df82cd4fb59966467aa7fe" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KqyfHTYJkdI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://global.agilex.ai/products/cobot-magic">AgileX</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="dgiuyhsdaws"><em>MOMO (Mobile Object Manipulation Operator) has been one of KIMLAB’s key robots since its development about two years ago and has featured as a main actor in several of our videos. The design and functionalities of MOMO were recently published in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="479f3301776b39b8ded3be7c596cf058" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DGiuYHSdaWs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11224394/">Paper</a> ] via [ <a href="https://publish.illinois.edu/kimlab2020/">KIMLAB</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="dr6gd6raxfy"><em>We are excited about our new addition to our robot fleet! As a shared resource for our faculty members, this robot will facilitate multiple research activities within our institute that target significant future funding. Our initial focus for this robot will be on an agricultural application but we have big plans for the robot in human-robot interaction projects.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a1aa55055c485782b64f3594c265ce94" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dr6Gd6RaXFY?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://ingenuitylabs.queensu.ca/">Ingenuity Labs</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="l3brmjlgd30">The nice thing about robots that pick grapes in vineyards is that they don’t just eat the grapes, like I do.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9f29aec5ef6330aac5abb50d285ee7aa" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L3brMjLGD30?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.extendrobotics.com/">Extend Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="o5mvsyohgzc">How mobile of a <a data-linked-post="2650253293" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/mobile-manipulation-robots-having-fun" target="_blank">mobile manipulator</a> do you need?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e5fdfa9606ece1cf3698bf1458fb6a67" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o5mVSyOhgZc?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://clearpathrobotics.com/warthog-unmanned-ground-vehicle-robot/">Clearpath Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="nxoroa8q9fs"><em>Robotics professor, Dr. Christian Hubicki, talks about the NEO humanoid announcement on October 29th, 2025. While explaining the technical elements and product readiness, he refuses to show any emotion whatsoever.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b4062b11511be8cc5281f27948fe7ead" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NXOROA8Q9fs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.optimalroboticslab.com/">Optimal Robotics Lab</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div>

تقدم فيديو الجمعة مجموعة من مقاطع الفيديو الخاصة بالروبوتات التي جمعها IEEE Spectrum، مع تسليط الضوء على تحدي DARPA Lift، الذي يركز على تطوير الطائرات المسيرة الثقيلة. تواجه الطائرات المسيرة متعددة المراوح الحالية قيودًا مع نسبة منخفضة من الحمولة إلى الوزن، عادةً 1:1 أو أقل. يهدف تحدي DARPA Lift إلى إنشاء تصميمات للطائرات المسيرة قادرة على حمل حمولة تزيد عن أربعة أضعاف وزنها، مما قد يحدث ثورة في استخدام الطائرات المسيرة عبر مختلف القطاعات. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يذكر المقال الحدث القادم ICRA 2026 المقرر في الفترة من 1 إلى 5 يونيو 2026 في فيينا، داعيًا القراء لتقديم أحداثهم المتعلقة بالروبوتات للإدراج.

Video Friday presenta una selección de videos de robótica recopilados por IEEE Spectrum, destacando el Desafío DARPA Lift, que se centra en el desarrollo de drones de carga pesada. Los drones multirrotor actuales enfrentan limitaciones con una baja relación de carga útil a peso, típicamente de 1:1 o menos. El Desafío DARPA Lift tiene como objetivo crear diseños de drones capaces de transportar cargas útiles más de cuatro veces su peso, lo que podría revolucionar el uso de drones en varios sectores. Además, el artículo menciona el próximo evento ICRA 2026 programado para el 1 al 5 de junio de 2026 en Viena, invitando a los lectores a enviar sus eventos de robótica para su inclusión.

Video Friday présente une sélection de vidéos de robotique réunies par IEEE Spectrum, mettant en avant le DARPA Lift Challenge, qui se concentre sur le développement de drones de levage lourds. Les drones multirotors actuels rencontrent des limitations avec un faible rapport charge utile/poids, généralement de 1:1 ou moins. Le DARPA Lift Challenge vise à créer des conceptions de drones capables de transporter des charges utiles plus de quatre fois leur poids, ce qui pourrait révolutionner l'utilisation des drones dans divers secteurs. De plus, l'article mentionne le prochain événement ICRA 2026 prévu du 1er au 5 juin 2026 à Vienne, invitant les lecteurs à soumettre leurs événements de robotique pour inclusion.

Video Friday features a selection of robotics videos curated by IEEE Spectrum, highlighting the DARPA Lift Challenge, which focuses on developing heavy lift drones. Current multirotor drones face limitations with a low payload-to-weight ratio, typically 1:1 or less. The DARPA Lift Challenge aims to create drone designs capable of carrying payloads more than four times their weight, potentially revolutionizing drone usage across various sectors. Additionally, the article mentions the upcoming ICRA 2026 event scheduled for June 1-5, 2026, in Vienna, inviting readers to submit their robotics events for inclusion.

Video Friday: DARPA Challenge Focuses on Heavy Lift Drones

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-group-of-students-and-adults-from-different-countries-pose-with-robots-in-front-of-signage-for-the-first-global-robotics-compe.jpg?id=62186165&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C86%2C0%2C86"/><br/><br/><p>Aspiring engineers from 191 countries gathered in Panama City in October to compete in the <a href="https://first.global/fgc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FIRST Global Robotics Challenge</a>. The annual contest aims to foster problem-solving, cooperation, and inspire the next generation of engineers through three challenges that are inspired by a different theme every year. Teams of students from 14 to 18 years old from around the world compete in the three day event, remotely operating their <a data-linked-post="2661984163" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/robocup-robots-guide" target="_blank">robots</a> to complete the challenges. This year’s topic was “Eco-equilibrium,” emphasizing the importance of <a data-linked-post="2673968939" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/google-deepmind-alphaearth-foundations-ai" target="_blank">preserving ecosystems</a> and protecting vulnerable species.</p><h2>Turning Robotics Into a Sport </h2><p> Each team competed in a series of ranking matches at the event. The matches consisted of several simultaneous goals, lasting two minutes and 30 seconds. First students guided their robots in gathering “biodiversity units” (multicolored balls) and delivering them to their humans. Next the robots removed “barriers” (larger, grey balls) from containers and disposed of them in a set area. Then team members threw the biodiversity units into the now-cleared containers to score points. At the end of the match, each robot was tasked with climbing a 1.5 meter rope. The team with the most points won the match.</p><p>To promote collaboration, each match had two groups, which consisted of three individual teams and their robots, competing for victory. Each team controlled its own robot, but had to work together with the other robots in the group to complete the tasks. If all six robots managed to climb the rope at the end of the match, each team’s scores were multiplied by 1.5.</p><p>The top 24 teams were split into six “alliances” of four individual teams each to compete in the playoffs. The highest-scoring alliance was crowned the winner. This year’s winning teams were Cameroon, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela. Each student received a gold medal.</p><p>It may have been hard to tell it was a competition at first glance. When all six robots successfully climbed the rope at the end of the match, students across teams were hugging each other, clapping, and cheering.</p><p> “It’s not about winning, it’s not about losing, it’s about learning from others,” says Clyde Snyders, a member of the <a href="https://first.global/2025-nations/south-africa-2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">South Africa team</a>. His sentiment was echoed throughout the event. </p><h2>Making It Into the Competition</h2><p>Before the main event, countries all over the world run qualifying events where thousands of students show off their robotics skills for a chance to make it to the final competition. Each country chooses its team differently. Some pick the top-scoring team to compete, while others pick students from different teams to create a new one.</p><p>Even after qualifying, for some students, physically getting to the competition isn’t straightforward. This year <a href="https://first.global/2025-nations/jamaica-2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team Jamaica</a> faced challenges after Hurricane Melissa struck the country on 28 October, one day before the competition began. It was the strongest storm that has ever hit Jamaica, killing 32 people and leaving billions of dollars in infrastructure repairs. Because of the damage, the Jamaican team faced repeatedly cancelled flights and other travel delays. They almost didn’t make it, but FIRST Global organizers covered the costs of their travel. The students arrived on the second day, just in time to participate in enough matches to avoid being disqualified. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A smiling group of teenagers wave in front of signage that says First Global and Jamaica." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="725b4f8e25d967348bb6c2f088e310ea" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="ddd28" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-smiling-group-of-teenagers-wave-in-front-of-signage-that-says-first-global-and-jamaica.jpg?id=62186167&width=980"/> <small aria-label="To enrich screen reader interactions, please activate Accessibility in Grammarly extension settings" class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Team Jamaica arrived late due to Hurricane Melissa, but they remained positive. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Kohava Mendelsohn</small></p><p>“We are so happy to be here,” says Joelle Wright, the team captain. “To be able to engage in new activities, to compete, and to be able to showcase our hard work.” <span>Team Jamaica won a bronze medal.</span></p><h2>Working Together to Fix and Improve Robots</h2><p>Throughout the competition, it was a regular occurrence to see students from different teams huddled together, debugging problems, sharing tips, and learning together. </p><p>Students were constantly fixing their robots and adding new features at the event’s robot hospital. There, teams could request spare parts, get help from volunteers, and access the tools they need. </p><p>Volunteering in the robot hospital is demanding, but rewarding, says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-kapito-94049b1b1/?originalSubdomain=mw" target="_blank">Janet Kapito</a>, an electrical engineer and the operations manager at <a href="https://rflmw.com/" target="_blank">Robotics Foundation Malawi</a> in Blantyre. She participated in the FIRST Global Challenge when she was a student. </p><p>“[The volunteers] get to see different perspectives and understand how people think differently,” she says. It’s rewarding to watch students solve problems on their own, she adds. </p><p>The hospital was home to many high-stress situations, especially on the first day of the competition. The Ecuadorian team’s robot was delayed in transit. So, using the robot hospital’s parts, the students built a new robot to compete with. </p><p>Tanzanian team members were hard at work repairing their robot, which was having issues with the mechanism that allowed it to climb up the rope. </p><p>Collaboration played a key role in the hospital. When the South African team’s robot was having mechanical problems, the students weren’t fixing it alone—several teams, including Venezuela, Slovenia, and India, came to help. </p><p>“It was truly inspirational, and such a great effort in bringing teams from over 190 countries to come and collaborate,” says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephwei/" target="_blank">Joseph Wei</a>, director of <a href="https://ieee-region6.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Region 6</a>, who was in attendance at the event.</p><h2>The Importance of Mentoring Future Engineers</h2><p>Behind every team were mentors and coaches who provided students with guidance and experience. Many of them were past participants who are invested in teaching the next generation of engineers. </p><p>But the robots are designed and built by the students, says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robhaake/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rob Haake</a>, a mentor for <a href="https://first.global/2025-nations/united-states-of-america-2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Team United States</a>. He tried to stay as hands-off as possible in the engineering of the robot, he says, “so if you asked me to turn on the robot, I don’t even know how to do it.” </p><p> Haake is the COO of window and door manufacturing company <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/weiland-inc./" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Weiland, Inc</a>., in Norfolk, Neb. His passion is to teach kids the skills they need to build things. It’s important to teach students how to think critically and solve problems while also developing technical skills, he says, because those students are the future tech leaders. </p><p>One major issue he sees is the lack of team mentors. If you’re an engineer, he says, “the best way to help [FIRST Global] grow is to call your local schools to ask if they have a robotics team, and if not, how you can help create one.</p><p>“The answer may be a monetary donation or, more importantly, your time,” he says. The students you mentor may one day represent their country at a FIRST Robotics Challenge.</p>

في أكتوبر، اجتمع مهندسون طموحون من 191 دولة في مدينة بنما للمشاركة في تحدي FIRST العالمي للروبوتات. يهدف هذا الحدث السنوي إلى تعزيز حل المشكلات والتعاون بين الطلاب الذين تتراوح أعمارهم بين 14 و 18 عامًا من خلال سلسلة من التحديات المستوحاة من موضوع مختلف كل عام. كان موضوع هذا العام 'التوازن البيئي'، الذي يركز على أهمية الحفاظ على النظم البيئية وحماية الأنواع المعرضة للخطر. على مدار ثلاثة أيام، قامت الفرق بتشغيل روبوتاتها عن بُعد لإكمال المهام التي تهدف إلى جمع وحدات التنوع البيولوجي خلال مباريات التصنيف التي استمرت لمدة دقيقتين وثلاثين ثانية لكل منها.

En octubre, aspirantes a ingenieros de 191 países se reunieron en la Ciudad de Panamá para el FIRST Global Robotics Challenge. Este evento anual fomenta la resolución de problemas y la cooperación entre estudiantes de 14 a 18 años a través de una serie de desafíos basados en un tema diferente cada año. El tema de este año, 'Eco-equilibrio', se centró en la importancia de preservar los ecosistemas y proteger las especies vulnerables. Durante tres días, los equipos operaron sus robots de forma remota para completar tareas destinadas a reunir unidades de biodiversidad en partidos de clasificación que duraron dos minutos y treinta segundos cada uno.

En octobre, des ingénieurs en herbe de 191 pays se sont réunis à Panama pour le FIRST Global Robotics Challenge. Cet événement annuel encourage la résolution de problèmes et la coopération entre des étudiants âgés de 14 à 18 ans à travers une série de défis basés sur un thème différent chaque année. Le thème de cette année, 'Éco-équilibre', mettait l'accent sur l'importance de préserver les écosystèmes et de protéger les espèces vulnérables. Pendant trois jours, les équipes ont piloté leurs robots à distance pour accomplir des tâches visant à rassembler des unités de biodiversité lors de matchs de classement d'une durée de deux minutes et trente secondes chacun.

In October, aspiring engineers from 191 countries gathered in Panama City for the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge. This annual event encourages problem-solving and cooperation among students aged 14 to 18 through a series of challenges based on a different theme each year. This year's theme, 'Eco-equilibrium,' focused on the importance of preserving ecosystems and protecting vulnerable species. Over three days, teams remotely operated their robots to complete tasks aimed at gathering biodiversity units during ranking matches that lasted two minutes and thirty seconds each.

Students Compete—and Cooperate—in FIRST Global Robotics Challenge

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/sands-shift-in-a-glass-box-as-an-orange-robotic-worm-surfaces.gif?id=62162692&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C43%2C0%2C44"/><br/><br/><p>While there are many useful questions to ask when encountering a new robot, “can I eat it” is generally not one of them. I say ‘generally,’ because <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/edible-robots" target="_self">edible robots are actually a thing</a>—and not just edible in the sense that you can technically swallow them and suffer <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/magnetic-pill-sized-robot-cartwheel" target="_self">both the benefits and consequences</a>, but <em><em>ingestible</em></em>, where you can <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/edible-robots-2667244222" target="_self">take a big bite out of the robot</a>, chew it up, and swallow it.</p><p>Yum.</p><p>But so far these ingestible robots have included a very please-don’t-ingest-this asterisk: the motor and battery, which are definitely toxic and probably don’t taste all that good. The problem has been that soft, ingestible actuators run on gas pressure, requiring pumps and valves to function, neither of which are easy to make without plastic and metal. But in <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202509350" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a new paper</a>, researchers from <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dario Floreano’s Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL in Switzerland</a> have demonstrated ingestible versions of both of batteries and actuators, resulting in what is, as far as I know, the first entirely ingestible robot capable of controlled actuation.</p><hr/><p><br/></p> <p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="An ingestible actuator." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b38e0fbaf88c6867ac6ada8ff20fcde1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="ae250" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/an-ingestible-actuator.jpg?id=62176243&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">EPFL</small></p> <p>Let’s start with the battery on this lil’ guy. In a broad sense, a battery is just a system for storing and releasing energy. In the case of this particular robot, the battery is made of gelatin and wax. It stores chemical energy in chambers containing liquid citric acid and baking soda, both of which you can safely eat. The citric acid is kept separate from the baking soda by a membrane, and enough pressure on the chamber containing the acid will puncture that membrane, allowing the acid to slowly drip onto the baking soda. This activates the battery and begins to generate CO<sub>2</sub> gas, along with sodium citrate (common in all kinds of foods, from cheese to sour candy) as a byproduct.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="GIF of an ingestible battery operating." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f109514b330bcac5345549ab2b4262fc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="a618d" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/gif-of-an-ingestible-battery-operating.gif?id=62177237&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..." style="max-width: 100%;">EPFL</small></p><p><span>The CO2 gas travels through gelatin tubing into the actuator, which is of a </span><a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/soft-selfhealing-materials-for-robots-that-cannot-be-destroyed" target="_self">fairly common soft robotic design</a> that uses interconnected gas chambers on top of a slightly stiffer base that bends when pressurized. Pressurizing the actuator gets you one single actuation, but to make the actuator wiggle (wiggling being an absolutely necessary skill for any robot), the gas has to be cyclically released. The key to doing this is the other major innovation here: an ingestible valve. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25 rm-float-left" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="GIF of an ingestible valve snap-buckling." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="91676d61036ac723b5b557d07dd1b13c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d39c6" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/gif-of-an-ingestible-valve-snap-buckling.gif?id=62166207&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">EPFL</small></p><p><span>The valve operates based on the principle of snap-buckling, which means that it’s happiest in one shape (closed), but if you put it under enough pressure, it rapidly snaps open and then closed again once the pressure is released. The current version of the robot operates at about four bending cycles per minute over a period of a couple of minutes before the battery goes dead.</span></p><p>And so there you go: a battery, a valve, and an actuator, all ingestible, makes for a little wiggly robot, also ingestible. Great! But <em><em>why</em></em>?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c36608eec0754bd16ce2bd26e3562252" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2cr_xAcTTY4?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> </p><p>“A potential use case for our system is to provide nutrition or medication for elusive animals, such as wild boars,” says lead author Bokeon Kwak. “Wild boars are attracted to live moving prey, and in our case, it’s the edible actuator that mimics it.” The concept is that you could infuse something like a swine flu vaccine into the robot. Because it’s cheap to manufacture, safe to deploy, completely biodegradable, and wiggly, it could potentially serve as an effective strategy for targeted mass delivery to the kind of animals that nobody wants to get close to. And it’s obviously not just wild boars—by tuning the size and motion characteristics of the robot, what triggers it, and its smell and taste, you could target pretty much any animal that finds wiggly things appealing. And that includes humans!</p><p>Kwak says that if you were to eat this robot, the actuator and valve would taste a little bit sweet, since they have glycerol in them, with a texture like gummy candy. The pneumatic battery would be crunchy on the outside and sour on the inside (like a lemon) thanks to the citric acid. While this work doesn’t focus specifically on taste, the researchers have made other versions of the actuator that were flavored with grenadine. They <a href="https://swissnex.org/news/first-tasting-of-the-robocake-epfl/" target="_blank">served these actuators out to humans earlier this year</a>, and are working on an ‘analysis of consumer experience’ which I can only assume is a requirement before announcing a partnership with Haribo. </p><p>Eatability, though, is not the primary focus of the robot, says PI Dario Floreano. “If you look at it from the broader perspective of environmental and sustainable robotics, the pneumatic battery and valve system is a key enabling technology, because it’s compatible with all sorts of biodegradable pneumatic robots.” And even if you’re not particularly concerned with all the environmental stuff, which you really should be, in the context of <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/otherlab-apsara-aerial-delivery-system" target="_self">large swarms of robots in the wild</a> it’s critical to focus on simplicity and affordability just to be able to usefully scale.</p><p>This is all part of the EU-funded <a href="https://www.robofood.org/research/" target="_blank">RoboFood project</a>, and Kwak is currently working on other edible robots. For example, the elastic snap-buckling behavior in this robot’s valve is sort of battery-like in that it’s storing and releasing elastic energy, and with some tweaking, Kwak is hoping that edible elastic power sources might be the key for <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admt.202401230" target="_blank">tasty little jumping robots that jump right off the dessert plate and into your mouth</a>.</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p><a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202509350" target="_blank">Edible Pneumatic Battery for Sustained and Repeated Robot Actuation</a>, by Bokeon Kwak, Shuhang Zhang, Alexander Keller, Qiukai Qi, Jonathan Rossiter, and Dario Floreano from EPFL, is published in <em><em>Advanced Science</em></em></p><p>.</p>

أدى تطور جديد في مجال الروبوتات إلى إنشاء روبوت ناعم يمكن تناوله بالكامل، بما في ذلك بطاريته. تثير هذه الابتكارات تساؤلات مثيرة حول مستقبل الروبوتات وتكنولوجيا الغذاء. على الرغم من أن الروبوتات القابلة للأكل ليست جديدة تمامًا، إلا أن النسخ السابقة كانت تحتوي عادةً على مكونات غير قابلة للأكل مثل المحركات والبطاريات. تم تصميم هذا النموذج الأخير، الذي تم تطويره في مختبر داريوا فلوريانو للأنظمة الذكية، ليكون قابلاً للهضم بالكامل، مما يسمح للمستخدمين بتناوله بأمان. ومع ذلك، من المهم ملاحظة أن النسخ السابقة من الروبوتات القابلة للهضم كانت تحتوي على عناصر سامة، مثل المحركات والبطاريات، التي لا تعتبر آمنة للاستهلاك. قد يمهد هذا التقدم الطريق لتطبيقات جديدة في التكنولوجيا الطبية والاستدامة البيئية.

Un nuevo desarrollo en robótica ha llevado a la creación de un robot blando que es completamente comestible, incluida su batería. Esta innovación plantea preguntas intrigantes sobre el futuro de la robótica y la tecnología alimentaria. Si bien los robots comestibles no son completamente nuevos, las versiones anteriores generalmente contenían componentes no comestibles como motores y baterías. Este último modelo, desarrollado por el Laboratorio de Sistemas Inteligentes de Dario Floreano, está diseñado para ser completamente ingerible, permitiendo a los usuarios consumirlo de manera segura. Sin embargo, es importante señalar que las iteraciones anteriores de robots ingeribles incluían elementos tóxicos, como motores y baterías, que no son seguros para el consumo. Este avance podría allanar el camino para nuevas aplicaciones en tecnología médica y sostenibilidad ambiental.

Une nouvelle avancée dans le domaine de la robotique a conduit à la création d'un robot souple entièrement comestible, y compris sa batterie. Cette innovation soulève des questions intrigantes sur l'avenir de la robotique et de la technologie alimentaire. Bien que les robots comestibles ne soient pas entièrement nouveaux, les versions précédentes contenaient généralement des composants non comestibles comme des moteurs et des batteries. Ce dernier modèle, développé par le laboratoire de systèmes intelligents de Dario Floreano, est conçu pour être entièrement ingérable, permettant aux utilisateurs de le consommer en toute sécurité. Cependant, il est important de noter que les itérations antérieures de robots ingérables comprenaient des éléments toxiques, tels que des moteurs et des batteries, qui ne sont pas sûrs à consommer. Cette avancée pourrait ouvrir la voie à de nouvelles applications dans la technologie médicale et la durabilité environnementale.

A new development in robotics has led to the creation of a soft robot that is entirely edible, including its battery. This innovation raises intriguing questions about the future of robotics and food technology. While edible robots are not entirely new, previous versions typically contained non-edible components like motors and batteries. This latest model, developed by Dario Floreano's Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, is designed to be fully ingestible, allowing users to consume it safely. However, it is important to note that earlier iterations of ingestible robots included toxic elements, such as motors and batteries, which are not safe for consumption. This advancement could pave the way for new applications in medical technology and environmental sustainability.

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