Leiden researchers Professor Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have created microscopic robots that move without sensors, software, or external control. Instead, their behavior emerges entirely from their shape and the way they interact with their environment. They are only a few tens of micrometers long—far smaller than the width of a human hair—yet these robots can swim, sense, navigate and adapt in ways that look surprisingly life-like. And all this without having a brain.
Claire chatted to Vikas Enti from Reframe Systems about using robotics and automation to build climate-resilient, high-performance homes.
Vikas Enti is the co-founder and CEO of Reframe Systems, a physical AI company rethinking how homes are built through automation and localized fabrication. He previously spent more than a decade at Amazon Robotics, where he helped scale advanced robotics systems across global logistics networks. Today, he is applying those same principles of systems design and repeatable production to address the housing shortage. Vikas focuses on building climate-resilient, high-performance homes faster and more predictably than traditional methods.
AmbiVision was born out of the development of Ambi Robotics’ robotic stacking system, AmbiStack, and leverages the same AI skills that power the robot’s ability to perceive and interact with packages.
What if technology, such as self-driving cars, drones, or intelligent navigation systems, could understand the world the way we do—not just seeing shapes, but recognizing meaning? A person waiting at a crosswalk, a bicycle left on the pavement, or a dog running across a yard—for us, these distinctions are instant. For systems that rely on data, they have long been a challenge.
Our latest voice model has improved precision and lower latency to make voice interactions more fluid, natural and precise.
In a major step toward more adaptable and intuitive machines, Kempner Institute Investigator Yilun Du and his collaborators have unveiled a new kind of artificial intelligence system that lets robots "envision" their actions before carrying them out. The system, which uses video to help robots imagine what might happen next, could transform how robots navigate and interact with the physical world.
In a major step toward more adaptable and intuitive machines, Kempner Institute Investigator Yilun Du and his collaborators have unveiled a new kind of artificial intelligence system that lets robots "envision" their actions before carrying them out. The system, which uses video to help robots imagine what might happen next, could transform how robots navigate and interact with the physical world.
Inside a giant autonomous warehouse, hundreds of robots dart down aisles as they collect and distribute items to fulfill a steady stream of customer orders. In this busy environment, even small traffic jams or minor collisions can snowball into massive slowdowns. To avoid such an avalanche of inefficiencies, researchers from MIT and the tech firm Symbotic developed a new method that automatically keeps a fleet of robots moving smoothly.
A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Nitin J. Sanket has shown that ultrasound sensors and a form of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable palm-sized aerial robots to navigate with limited power and computation through fog, smoke, and other challenging conditions during search-and-rescue operations.
Performance does not increase linearly as additional robots are deployed. Beyond a certain threshold, traffic conflicts, task contention, and route overlap can degrade system efficiency if orchestration logic is not sufficiently advanced.
Deepfake X-rays created by AI are now convincing enough to fool both doctors and AI models. In tests, radiologists had limited success identifying fake images, especially when they didn’t know they were being shown. This opens the door to risks like fraudulent medical claims and tampered diagnoses. Experts say stronger safeguards and detection tools are critical as the technology advances.
AI-powered robots are set to track across thousands of kilometers of baked, uneven ground, reducing the danger for maintenance workers on Australia's large-scale solar farms. A successful trial by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, repurposed autonomous robots originally designed for the mining industry. Without robots, the work is done on foot, bringing significant cost and safety risks.
Google DeepMind researches AI's harmful manipulation risks across areas like finance and health, leading to new safety measures.
Introducing Lyria 3 Pro, which unlocks longer tracks with structural awareness. We’re also bringing Lyria to more Google products and surfaces.
While space structures and robotic arms require lightweight actuation devices capable of repetitive movement, conventional motor-based systems face limitations due to their heavy weight and complex structures. A KAIST research team has developed a smart material-based actuation technology that operates rapidly in less than a second without a motor, suggesting new possibilities for next-generation robotics and space deployable structures.