Imitation learning Latest coverage

Motors Don't Need Upgrades, Robots Can Run Faster! Beihang University Science Subjournal Reveals New Logic for Quadruped Locomotion

Professor Shi Qing's team from Beijing Institute of Technology was inspired by the high-speed running mechanism of the elephant shrew. They designed a micro quadruped robot named FLEXOR equipped with a dual-joint coupled spine. Through dynamic spine-leg coordination, the robot achieved a 31.6% increase in speed and a 32.2% reduction in energy consumption without upgrading its motors. The study reveals the critical role of the timing coordination between the spine and legs in locomotion performance and verifies the universality of this mechanism across different robot morphologies, providing new insights for highly mobile embodied intelligent robots.

GPT-6 Astra Connects to Unitree G1, Cleans the Kitchen!

The Stanford team's HomeBody project demonstrates how GPT-6 Astra controls the Unitree G1 robot to complete kitchen cleaning tasks through a three-step process: spatial exploration, digital twin simulation, and task execution. The system uses pre-trained models and a skill library to perform complex operations in new environments without additional training.

Humanoid Robot Patents: China Claims 60% Share, What Next?

The article analyzes China's leading position in the field of humanoid robot patents, noting that as of the first half of 2026, China holds 60.8% of relevant patents, significantly surpassing the United States and South Korea. The article examines the evolution of patent strategies, the trend of technological shift from hardware to software, and the progress made by Chinese companies in patent quality, application scenarios, and global layout. It also points out that patent quantity does not equate to comprehensive technological leadership, emphasizing the challenges of manufacturing costs and quality, as well as the dual role of patents in industrial competition.

Robotics Roadmaps from Around the World: Spotlight of the Month - China

China is pursuing a strategic roadmap through its Five-Year Plans to dominate the global robotics industry, focusing on embodied AI and humanoid robotics. The 13th and 14th FYPs laid the foundation for industrial automation, while the 15th FYP emphasizes embodied intelligence, with state support for R&D and mass deployment of humanoids. Despite achievements in market share and production scale, challenges remain in precision hardware and semiconductor self-sufficiency, with risks of overcapacity and market volatility.

Robotic Systems Lab@leggedrobotics· 15:13SignalEditorial score6363

PragmaBot enables robots to learn from real-world failures through online in-context learning, reflecting on past experiences, storing lessons in memory, and retrieving them for new tasks. This approach avoids the need for retraining, addressing limitations in using VLMs for embodied robotics.

Robotic help in high-risk twin pregnancies

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a robotic platform with a magnetically controllable endoscope to improve the safety and precision of fetal surgery for twin pregnancies with shared placentas. The system uses magnetic fields to bend the endoscope, enabling better access to blood vessels, and combines panoramic imaging with real-time navigation. The technology has been tested in an animal model and is now being refined for human clinical use.

Robots Are Learning to Feel

This article explores how tactile data is helping robots improve their dexterous manipulation skills. Researchers are creating large tactile datasets and models that can use tactile feedback to enhance robot performance in tasks like folding laundry or turning keys. Challenges include the difficulty of integrating tactile data with vision-based models and the need for more diverse and scalable datasets to achieve significant improvements in robot dexterity.

Will a cyborg cockroach paramedic save your life in the future?

Researchers at the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales have developed 'paraborgs'—cyborg cockroaches equipped with drug-delivery systems for search-and-rescue missions. These insects can navigate through rubble, locate survivors, and administer medication using remote control and spring-loaded needles. While the technology shows promise with high success rates in tests using silicone and pig skin, human trials have not yet been conducted.

Cyborg Roaches Can Stab You With Needles

Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed 'Paraborgs'—cyborg cockroaches equipped with needles and cameras to assist in search-and-rescue missions. These insects, grafted with electronic interfaces, can navigate rubble, deliver drugs, and operate in teams. The study addresses challenges in autonomy, communication, and human interaction with the technology.

Hy-Embodied-0.5-VLA — LeRobot Model Conversion

LeRobot has released a converted version of the Hy-Embodied-0.5-VLA-UMI model, ensuring full tensor compatibility and validation. The model supports a 16D dual-arm embodiment but cannot express 12D mobile-manipulator actions, indicating limitations in the current representation.

Gemini Robotics 2 brings whole body intelligence to robots

Google DeepMind has released Gemini Robotics 2, a new model that enables robots to perform complex tasks with whole-body intelligence, advanced dexterity, and multi-robot collaboration. The model supports real-time reasoning, on-device adaptation, and safety features for human-robot interaction.

NVIDIA Open Sources First GPU-Accelerated Medical Physics Simulation Framework

NVIDIA has released an open-source, GPU-accelerated Medical Physics Simulation framework as part of its Isaac for Healthcare platform. This tool enables developers to model anatomy-device interactions, generate complex scenarios, and train robot policies in simulation, significantly reducing development time and improving regulatory readiness.

New flapping robot swims and flies like a diving bird

Engineers at MIT and EPFL have developed a flapping-wing robot, or FAAV, that can swim underwater and then flap into the air, mimicking the movement of diving birds. The robot, weighing less than 300 grams, can transition between water and air using optimized wing size, flapping frequency, and tail angle. The study, published in Science, could enable new aerial-aquatic drones for oceanographic research and environmental monitoring.

NVIDIA Releases GR00T N1.7 Model for Generalized Humanoid Robot Reasoning and Skills

NVIDIA has released a cross-embodiment foundation model for humanoid robots, leveraging a Cosmos-Reason2/Qwen3-VL backbone and a flow-matching action transformer. The model is trained using LeRobot and is available for training and deployment under the Apache 2.0 license.

NVIDIA Releases Cross-Embodiment Foundation Model for Humanoid Robots

NVIDIA has released a cross-embodiment foundation model for humanoid robots, leveraging a Cosmos-Reason2/Qwen3-VL backbone and a flow-matching action transformer. The model is trained using LeRobot and is available for training and deployment via Hugging Face.

NVIDIA Releases Cross-Embodiment Foundation Model for Humanoid Robots

NVIDIA has released the 'gr00t17-lerobot-libero_object-640' model, a cross-embodiment foundation model for humanoid robot reasoning and skills. It uses a Cosmos-Reason2/Qwen3-VL backbone and a flow-matching action transformer, trained with LeRobot and available under the Apache 2.0 license. The model supports training and deployment through LeRobot, with detailed instructions provided.

NVIDIA Releases Cross-Embodiment Foundation Model for Humanoid Robots

NVIDIA has released a cross-embodiment foundation model for humanoid robots, leveraging a Cosmos-Reason2/Qwen3-VL backbone and a flow-matching action transformer. The model is trained using LeRobot and is available for training and deployment via the Hugging Face Hub.

Can football teach a robot to move?

Boston Dynamics explores how football can inform robot movement by using human demonstrations and reinforcement learning to train Atlas to perform a complex 'Ghost Rabona' kick, highlighting the intersection of sports and robotics in developing dynamic, whole-body control.

Universal Robots and Scale AI Launch Imitation Learning System to Accelerate AI Model Training, Bridging the 'Lab-to-Factory' Gap

Universal Robots and Scale AI have unveiled the UR AI Trainer, an imitation learning system designed to accelerate AI model training by capturing high-fidelity, synchronized robot and vision data. This system enables direct lab-to-factory AI training using UR robots with Direct Torque Control and force feedback, addressing challenges in data capture and hardware fragmentation. The collaboration also includes a large-scale industrial dataset and showcases real-world robotic foundation model performance.

Helix 02 Living Room Tidy

Helix 02, a single neural system that controls the full body directly from pixels, now performs end-to-end living room cleanup, including tasks like cleaning surfaces, handling flexible objects, and bimanual manipulation. The system learns new capabilities through data without requiring new algorithms or specialized engineering.