Papers & Evaluations Latest coverage

Rho: A Foundation for Efficiently Adaptable VLA Models

Rho is a new foundation model for vision-language-action (VLA) models in robotics, designed to improve adaptation to specific robots and tasks. The paper introduces a training recipe that separates embodiment adaptation from task adaptation, reducing the amount of task-specific data needed for fine-tuning. Rho variants are pre-trained on different robots and show strong performance on physical tasks, outperforming existing models in several benchmarks. The model also supports online adaptation through a latent policy that learns from human corrections.

Vision-Language-Action in Robotics: A Survey of Datasets, Benchmarks, and Data Engines

This paper presents a systematic analysis of Vision-Language-Action (VLA) research, focusing on datasets, benchmarks, and data engines. It identifies key challenges in data fidelity, scalability, and evaluation, and proposes a structured approach to address these issues. The authors release an open-source repository to support the community.

CMU Researchers Give Robots a Delicate Touch

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a robotic fingertip that enables robots to handle delicate tasks, such as picking up fragile or tiny objects like pills and potato chips. The fingertip, which attaches to the DeltaHands device, uses a strain gauge and contact microphone to measure pressure and capture microvibrations, allowing the robot to sense and manipulate objects with greater precision. The low-cost, 3D-printable design offers versatility for a range of tasks, from counting paper cups to identifying material compositions through vibrations. The work was presented at the 2026 Intelligent Robots and Systems Conference.

CoRL 2026｜Making Robots More Agile: Starting with Learning to Walk

This paper presents LeaP, a learnable source prior for generative robot policies, which replaces fixed standard Gaussian distributions with state-dependent random initialization. LeaP jointly learns the mean and variance of an initial Gaussian distribution, improving action generation in robotic tasks. The method achieves an average success rate of 81.6% in simulation and 80.0% on real robotic arms, outperforming existing baselines like A2A and VITA. The paper is accepted at CoRL 2026, and the code is open-sourced.

TIGER: Task-Space Imitation Guidance for Efficient Reinforcement Learning

Sanctuary AI introduces TIGER, a reinforcement learning framework that uses imitation policies as dense reward signals to improve efficiency and safety. TIGER reduces interaction steps and safety resets on both simulated and real-world tasks, demonstrating its potential for deployment in industrial robotics.

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.

A continuous artificial muscle unlocks dexterous soft-robot motion

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have developed a continuous artificial muscle inspired by the neuromuscular control of an octopus. This design allows for precise, localized control of soft robotic arms without the need for multiple actuators. The system enables compact, lightweight robotic arms capable of complex movements and tasks such as sampling and object retrieval. The approach could have applications in confined spaces, aerial deployment, and industrial settings.

Soccer-playing humanoid robots score a major robotics goal for coordination

Researchers at Tsinghua University have developed a new control system for humanoid robots that enables coordinated soccer-playing behavior using onboard vision. The system was tested on a real robot and achieved an 80-90% success rate in scoring goals from the front half of the field, with a 64% reduction in response time compared to a rule-based system. The study was published in Science Robotics and demonstrates a significant advancement in embodied AI and robot coordination.

Robotic Systems Lab@leggedrobotics· 16:29SignalEditorial score7878

The team at ETH Robotic Systems Lab demonstrated high-speed rough-terrain locomotion on ANYmal using an automatic curriculum learning approach called LP-ACRL. This method dynamically samples terrain types, difficulty levels, and velocity commands based on policy performance, without requiring pre-defined training sequences. The work was presented at RAL 2026.

Powered by muscle cells, a paper-thin robot swims through a watery maze

MIT engineers have developed a soft, paper-thin robot that swims through water using a single layer of genetically engineered muscle cells. The robot's 'fins' are covered with live muscle cells that twitch in response to light, allowing it to flap and navigate through a watery maze. The study demonstrates the potential of biohybrid robots for delicate aquatic tasks, with the robot achieving a swimming speed of about four times its body length per minute.

Wind-up elastic robot jumps forever when fed infrared light

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a soft, non-electronic robot that jumps continuously using infrared light. The 'soft ring jumper' uses elastic energy stored through torsion, with a V-shaped aluminum stopper controlling the direction of movement. By adjusting the geometry of the V-stop, the robot can crawl, jump forward, or leap vertically. The design enables autonomous jumping without external resets, opening possibilities for use in environmental navigation and unstructured terrain.

LAMP Helps Robots Find a Way Through

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed LAMP, a system that allows multiple robots to work together to move objects through crowded spaces. LAMP combines learned models with search-based planning to enable efficient navigation and coordination, with successful testing in complex environments and a demonstration at the 2026 IROS conference.

Microscopic Robots Inspired by Fireflies and Cilia Sync to Reshape Surroundings

Cornell researchers have developed microscopic robots that can sense temperature and work together to alter their environment by pumping liquid between hot and cold regions. Inspired by natural systems like fireflies and cilia, these robots use synchronized motion and electronic communication to achieve collective behavior, marking a significant step toward advanced micro-robotics with potential applications in medical and agricultural settings.

Small robot propulsion: low-power twisting enables hopping, swimming

Researchers at the University of Michigan and UCLA have developed a new propulsion mechanism for small robots using low-power twisting of elastic rods. This method enables hopping and swimming motions by utilizing snapping mechanics. The mechanism works on challenging surfaces such as slippery cloth and grass-covered ground, producing frog-like motion. The study, published in Science Advances, was co-led by Khalid Jawed and Xiaonan (Sean) Huang, and demonstrates the potential for miniature robots to maneuver over uneven or slippery terrain.

Robotic lab sets up and runs optics experiments on demand

MIT researchers have developed a reconfigurable robotic lab that autonomously assembles, tunes, and dismantles optical experiments. The system uses robotic arms, 3D-printed component housings, and a cloud-based interface to enable remote operation. It can build and fine-tune a laser cavity in under 30 minutes, demonstrating the potential for fully automated optical experiments.

Skeleton-guided geometry-aware auto-labeling for robotic grasping: From 4-DoF learning to 6-DoF execution

This research introduces a novel algorithm for generating grasp keypoints using straight skeletons to identify high-potential regions for stable grasping. A fully automated pipeline enables large-scale annotation without human intervention, and a new architecture, SkelGG-CNN, is introduced for 4-DoF grasping. The method is extended to 6-DoF grasping using a generalized quasi-3D skeletonization algorithm, achieving high accuracy on multiple benchmarks and real-world experiments. The framework enables efficient training of lightweight models for real-world deployment.

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.

New method enables AI for safety-critical situations

MIT researchers have developed a new technique that helps generative AI models meet strict safety and task-specific constraints without sacrificing output quality. The method, called HardFlow, reformulates constraint satisfaction as a trajectory-optim, allowing models to explore more freely during generation while ensuring final compliance with hard constraints. It is tested on robotics, control, and computer vision tasks, consistently outperforming existing methods in constraint satisfaction and solution quality.

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.

Frog Muscle Put to Use in Swimming Robotic Manta Ray

Researchers at the Shenyang Institute of Automation have developed a wireless, light-controlled robotic manta ray powered by native frog muscle tissue. The biological actuator, derived from the gracilis muscle of a bullfrog, produces contractile forces up to 9.4 N and enables untethered control through near-infrared laser stimulation. The robot achieves speeds of up to 2.7 cm/s and demonstrates maneuverability in water, with potential applications in environmental monitoring. Challenges include limited tissue lifespan and reliance on external energy sources.