Tag Archives: Robots

This Interstellar-Inspired Robot Actually Walks and Rolls

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Remember that sarcastic rectangular robot from Interstellar that somehow managed to walk, roll, and save humanity while delivering deadpan one-liners? Yeah, turns out someone actually built a working version of TARS, and it’s just as mesmerizing as you’d hope.

Meet TARS3D, the brainchild of roboticist Aditya Sripada and his longtime collaborator Abhishek Warrier. What started as what Sripada calls “a desire to reconnect with the simple joy of building robots” has turned into something that looks like a collapsing sculpture decided to get up and move across your living room floor. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s earning serious academic recognition.

Designers: Aditya Sripada and Abhishek Warrier

If you’ve seen Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, you know TARS. That blocky, impossibly versatile assistant robot that accompanied astronauts across alien landscapes, morphing from a walking tower of metal rectangles into a rolling wheel when speed was needed. The movie version was actually a human-sized puppet with operators digitally erased from scenes, and its wheel form was attached to a motorized dolly. Movie magic, not actual robotics. But Sripada, who holds a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and works as a senior robotics engineer at Nimble.ai, wasn’t satisfied with movie illusions. He wanted the real deal.

TARS3D features four independently articulated telescopic pillars that transform into an X-shape faster than you can say “Cooper, this is no time for caution.” Pillars one and three rotate forward while pillars two and four swing back, and curved pads extend from the tops and bottoms of each pillar to serve as feet. The result? An eight-spoke double rimless wheel that actually rolls. According to Sripada, this is the only recreation of TARS that can genuinely both walk and roll.

What makes this even cooler is the tech behind the transformation. Sripada and Warrier wrote an entire research paper titled “Walking, Rolling, and Beyond: First-Principles and RL Locomotion on a TARS-Inspired Robot,” which explores reinforcement learning-based control for the robot’s gait. They’re combining first-principles physics with modern learning techniques, a hybrid approach that opens new possibilities for adaptable locomotion in robotics. The paper was named a finalist for the Mike Stilman Award at the 24th IEEE RAS Humanoids Conference in Seoul, which is essentially the Olympics of humanoid robotics research. Pretty impressive for what started as a curiosity project.

Here’s the thing that makes TARS3D particularly fascinating: it challenges our assumptions about what robots should look like. Most robotic locomotion research focuses on biomimicry, trying to recreate how animals and humans move. But Sripada and Warrier note in their research that robots operating in human-engineered environments might actually benefit from non-anthropomorphic forms. Why make a robot look like a person when you can make it look like an alien geometry problem that somehow solves itself?

The implications reach beyond just being a really awesome tribute to a beloved sci-fi film. This kind of adaptable, multi-terrain locomotion could have real applications for space exploration. NASA and planetary robotics programs are always looking for designs that can handle unpredictable alien landscapes. A robot that can walk carefully across rough terrain, then transform into a wheel to speed across flat surfaces? That’s the kind of versatility you want on Mars or the Moon.

There’s something refreshing about TARS3D’s existence in our current robotics landscape dominated by humanoid bots trying to walk like people or dog-like machines trotting around warehouses. This project reminds us that inspiration can come from anywhere, even a fictional robot from a movie about wormholes and time dilation. And sometimes the best solutions don’t look like anything nature ever designed.

What Sripada and Warrier have created proves that with enough engineering know-how, determination, and probably more than a few late nights, you can turn movie magic into reality. TARS3D might not crack jokes about its humor setting being at 75%, but watching it transform from walker to roller is its own kind of entertainment. Science fiction has a way of becoming science fact when the right people decide to make it happen.

The post This Interstellar-Inspired Robot Actually Walks and Rolls first appeared on Yanko Design.

This First-Response Drone’s Bladeless Design Could Change Emergency Rescue Forever

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You know, we see a lot of drone concepts float across our screens, and most of them look like they were designed by either the military or an insect. They’re all sharp angles, matte black paint, and an unnerving number of sensors. Then you see something like VITA, an EMS drone that just won a Red Dot award, and the first thing you notice is that it has a face. A simple, friendly, almost disarming little face.

And that’s the whole point. It’s literally user-centric, given that this drone was designed as a first-responder aerial unit. If this thing is going to land at a chaotic accident scene, the last thing it should do is add to the panic. The designers clearly thought about the human side of the equation. It’s a little detail that tells you everything you need to know about the project’s philosophy: this is about making high-tech emergency care feel helpful, not hostile.

Designer: Hongyi Sun

That friendly face is doing some heavy lifting. Imagine you’re at the scene of an accident; you’re disoriented, maybe hurt, and suddenly a machine descends from the sky. If it looks like a weaponized hornet, your instinct (fueled by hundreds of sci-fi movies) is to back away. But if it looks like a helpful little robot from a movie, you’re far more likely to approach it. This is functional empathy built right into the industrial design. The goal is to get people on the ground to trust it instantly, so they can follow instructions from a remote paramedic or grab the life-saving equipment it’s carrying without a second thought.

The cleverness doesn’t stop at the surface. The design backs up that friendly promise with some serious safety engineering. VITA uses ducted fans instead of the exposed, spinning blades we see on nearly every consumer drone. This is a massive deal. It means you, or a first responder, or even a child, could walk right up to it without the risk of getting seriously injured. In the unpredictable environment of a crash site, where people are moving around and debris is everywhere, eliminating that obvious hazard is a non-negotiable feature. It’s the kind of practical, real-world thinking that separates a cool render from a viable concept.

When you see the renders showing VITA being held in one hand, it all clicks into place. This isn’t some huge, intimidating aircraft; it’s a nimble and accessible tool. It’s small enough to get into tight spaces between cars and light enough for anyone to handle. Every element, from the approachable face and safe rotors to its compact size and clear markings, works together to serve one mission: delivering critical aid as quickly and safely as possible. VITA isn’t just another concept for a delivery drone; it’s a cohesive vision for how we can design automated systems to work with us, not just for us, especially when it matters most. That’s what makes it stand out.

The post This First-Response Drone’s Bladeless Design Could Change Emergency Rescue Forever first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Robot Changes Shape to Match Any Terrain You Throw at It

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Imagine a robot that can’t decide whether it wants to be a dog or a person, so it just becomes both. That’s essentially what Hong Kong’s Direct Drive Technology has created with the D1, a shape-shifting machine that’s making waves in the robotics world.

This isn’t your typical tech demo that looks cool but has zero practical use. The D1 is a seriously clever piece of engineering that addresses a real problem: different terrains require different types of movement. Need to haul something heavy across rough ground? The D1 becomes a stable four-legged robot that can carry up to 220 pounds without breaking a sweat. Got a narrow hallway or smooth surface to navigate? It splits into two sleek bipedal units that roll along at speeds up to 7 mph.

Designer: Direct Drive

What makes the D1 truly fascinating is its modular design philosophy. Rather than trying to create one robot that does everything mediocrely, Direct Drive Technology took a different approach. They built two independent bipedal robots that can operate solo or dock together to form a quadruped when the situation demands it. It’s like having a transformer that actually serves a purpose beyond looking awesome in action sequences (though it does that too).

Each half of the D1 weighs about 54 pounds and runs on a lithium battery that provides over five hours of operation per two-hour charge. The brains behind the operation is a Jetson Orin NX 8GB processor running Ubuntu, which enables both remote control and autonomous decision-making. This means the D1 can figure out on its own when it needs to split apart or come together based on what it’s facing.

The real-world testing footage shows the D1 tackling scenarios that would trip up most robots. In one clip, it takes a nasty fall on rough terrain but recovers its balance with the kind of precision that makes you wonder if someone’s secretly controlling it. Another scene shows it rolling across water without losing its footing, which is the kind of versatility that could make this robot genuinely useful in disaster response, industrial inspection, or military applications.

What’s particularly smart about this design is how it leverages the strengths of both biped and quadruped configurations. Four-legged robots are notoriously stable and excel on uneven surfaces, which is why we see so many robotic dogs being developed for rough terrain exploration. Meanwhile, bipedal robots are typically lighter, more compact, and better suited for flat surfaces where speed and efficiency matter more than stability. Direct Drive Technology essentially looked at that trade-off and said, “Why choose?” The result is a robot that doesn’t have to compromise. When it needs to be a scout vehicle patrolling smooth terrain, it operates in its speedy biped mode with wheels. When stability and payload capacity become priorities, it transforms into a sure-footed quadruped that can handle chaos.

The timing of this innovation is interesting too. As robots move out of controlled factory environments and into the messy real world, adaptability becomes crucial. A delivery robot that can handle both indoor corridors and outdoor terrain without needing two different machines makes a lot of economic sense. The same goes for search and rescue operations where conditions can change dramatically within a single mission.

Direct Drive Technology is calling the D1 the world’s first fully modular embodied intelligence robot, which is a bold claim in a field that’s moving incredibly fast. But watching the demonstration video, it’s hard to argue with the innovation on display. This is a robot that fundamentally rethinks how we approach locomotion in machines. Whether the D1 becomes commercially successful or remains a fascinating proof of concept, it represents something important: a shift from specialized robots toward truly adaptable ones that can handle whatever environment you throw at them. And in a world that’s increasingly complex and unpredictable, that kind of flexibility might be exactly what we need.

The post This Robot Changes Shape to Match Any Terrain You Throw at It first appeared on Yanko Design.

Black Friday deals include this Roomba robot vacuum for only $130

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Robot vacuums can be a huge help, keeping your floors clean regularly without much extra work on your part. Black Friday deals often include some of our favorite robovacs, and this year is shaping up to be no different. iRobot's entry-level Roomba 104 Vac robot vacuum is available for 48 percent off right now, bringing it down to a record low of $130. A number of other Roombas are on sale for Black Friday, too.

In iRobot's lineup of robot vacuums, the Roomba 104 sits on the low end, adept at vacuuming up dust and hair, but without the mopping ability of its more expensive Max, Plus or Combo counterparts. The Roomba 104 Vac makes for a great first robot vacuum all the same, though, because of its four levels of powerful suction, and easy-to-use app. Like iRobot's other vacuums, the Roomba 104 maps and navigates your home with LiDAR, which helps it avoid obstacles. And using the Roomba Home app, you can schedule it to clean specific rooms, and even spot-clean particularly dirty spots.

An earlier version of the Roomba Vac is Engadget's favorite budget robot vacuum, and you'll get the same great performance out of the newer Roomba 104 Vac. That includes a specialized brush for cleaning the hard-to-reach corners of your home, and also a charging dock that the vacuum can automatically return to once it's down charging.

This sale on Roomba vacuums comes at an admittedly difficult time for iRobot at large, with the company dealing with a serious financial shortfall as of its last earning statement. Regardless of what happens to iRobot, though, the Roomba 104 Vac's offline mode should mean that it can clean your home and charge itself without the need of an app or an internet connection. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/black-friday-deals-include-this-roomba-robot-vacuum-for-only-130-191506142.html?src=rss

DoorDash customers in Miami can now receive their food orders from robots

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DoorDash is bringing its robot delivery service to Miami, following an initial rollout in Los Angeles and Chicago earlier this year with over 600 participating merchants. The company continues to work with Coco Robotics as part of its push towards a "muliti-modal system" that allows it to make human, robot and drone deliveries at scale.

As well as adding a third city to the initiative, DoorDash also now takes orders from DashMart, its delivery-only convenience store chain for groceries and household items. This means customers will receive robot deliveries from national grocers and retailers as well as restaurants. 

DoorDash has a dedicated robotics and automation division called DoorDash Labs, which is focused on forging new partnerships that allow it to meet increased demand with more environmentally friendly methods of delivery. Earlier this year it began operating drone deliveries in Charlotte with Wing, and as well as using Coco’s self-driving robots, DoorDash recently introduced its own in-house developed delivery robot called Dot.

Decidedly cuter than its Coco colleague, Dot is designed for quick neighborhood trips and is able to navigate roads, as well as bike lanes and sidewalks. Dot is currently being piloted in Arizona, and when rolled out more widely is expected to fulfill cheaper deliveries, with DoorDash ensuring its human staff that the robot will complement, rather than replace them.

With fully autonomous technology still in its infancy, lower-risk hyper-local deliveries are being explored by a number of food delivery companies that have traditionally relied on gig workers to fulfill orders. At the beginning of this year, GrubHub partnered with the autonomous robot delivery company Avride to scale up the latter’s existing robot delivery offering on college campuses including the Ohio State University.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/doordash-customers-in-miami-can-now-receive-their-food-orders-from-robots-140017928.html?src=rss

DJI’s Latest Drone Was Designed To 3D-Scan Landscapes (And Maybe Find Hidden Treasure)

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DJI just made professional-grade aerial LiDAR look affordable – for companies, governments, and organizations, at least. The Zenmuse L3, launched November 4, packs technology that would typically cost $150,000 to $250,000 into a $14,600 package that weighs just 1.6 kilograms. Its dual 100-megapixel cameras and laser system can map 100 square kilometers per day with centimeter-level precision – capabilities that open doors far beyond traditional surveying into realms like archaeological discovery and terrain analysis that were previously the domain of well-funded research institutions.

While the L3 targets professional surveyors, utility companies, and mining operations, the technology has captured imaginations far beyond its intended audience. DJI’s launch video has racked up over half a million views, suggesting that even those who can’t justify the five-figure price tag (like me, for example) are fascinated by what the system can do: strip away forest canopies with laser precision, reveal hidden terrain features, and create detailed 3D models of landscapes that might conceal everything from ancient ruins to forgotten infrastructure – or perhaps even treasure waiting to be discovered.

Designer: DJI Enterprise

So here’s the thing about LiDAR that makes it fundamentally different from just strapping a really good camera to a drone. Cameras see surfaces, whatever light bounces back to the lens. LiDAR shoots invisible laser pulses at the ground, measures how long they take to bounce back, and uses that timing to calculate exact distances. Fire enough of these pulses fast enough, in enough directions, and you’re essentially building a 3D point cloud of everything below you. The L3 fires up to 2 million laser pulses per second, which is an absurd number when you think about it. Each pulse that hits something creates a data point in three-dimensional space, and when you’ve got millions of them, you can reconstruct terrain with the kind of detail that makes traditional surveying look quaint.

What gets interesting is how far these lasers can actually reach. DJI claims 950 meters at lower pulse frequencies, which means you can fly this thing higher than most photography drones and still get usable data. Fly at 300 meters and you’re covering massive ground while maintaining accuracy within a few centimeters. That’s the kind of precision that lets utility companies inspect power lines without getting dangerously close, or lets mining operations map their entire site in a single day instead of sending survey crews out for weeks. The laser spot it creates is tiny, about 41mm across at 120 meters up, which is roughly the size of a golf ball. Smaller spots mean more precise measurements, and the L3’s spot is apparently one-fifth the size of what the previous model could do.

But the real party trick is how this thing handles obstacles like trees. When a laser pulse hits a forest canopy, it doesn’t just bounce off the first leaf it encounters and call it a day. Modern LiDAR systems can capture multiple returns from a single pulse. Think of it like the laser passing through gaps in the leaves, hitting a branch, continuing down, hitting more foliage, then finally hitting the ground. The L3 captures up to 16 of these returns, which is double what high-end professional systems typically manage. Every return gives you another layer of information about what exists in that vertical column of space. For someone trying to map terrain under dense vegetation, this is the difference between seeing a green blob and actually understanding the ground elevation beneath it. Archaeologists have used this exact technique to discover ancient Mayan cities hidden under jungle canopy, and while DJI isn’t marketing this as a treasure-hunting tool, the capability is absolutely there.

The dual 100-megapixel cameras add context that pure laser data can’t provide. Point clouds are incredibly accurate but they’re also just clouds of points, no color, no texture, nothing that helps a human brain quickly understand what they’re looking at. High-resolution cameras flying alongside the LiDAR capture regular photos that get mapped onto the 3D point cloud, giving you models that actually look like the real world. At 300 meters up, each pixel in those photos represents 3 centimeters on the ground, which is detailed enough to see road markings, individual shrubs, basically anything larger than a soccer ball. The system takes both types of data simultaneously, so you’re not making multiple passes or trying to align datasets captured at different times under different lighting conditions.

Traditionally, capturing LiDAR data was the easy part and processing it was where everything ground to a halt. You’d come back with terabytes of raw laser measurements that needed heavy computation to turn into usable maps or models, often requiring expensive software and workstations that could actually handle the processing load. DJI bundles their Terra software for free, no additional licenses, and they’ve optimized it so you can open massive datasets on fairly modest hardware. They’re also doing something clever with real-time preview, letting you see the point cloud data and take measurements while you’re still flying. You’re not waiting until you get back to the office to discover your flight parameters were wrong or you missed a critical area. That kind of immediate feedback changes how you approach the actual data collection because you can adjust on the fly instead of scheduling another expensive flight mission.

The whole package weighs 1.6 kilograms and mounts exclusively to DJI’s Matrice 400 drone platform, which is their heavy-lift enterprise model. You’re looking at around $34,000 for the complete system, drone included, which puts it firmly in the realm of business investment rather than hobbyist experimentation. But that price point is what makes this notable. Five years ago, getting this level of LiDAR capability meant spending six figures on specialized equipment. DJI’s approach has been to take technology that existed only in high-end professional contexts and compress it into something that mid-sized organizations can actually justify purchasing. A regional utility company, a municipal government, a decent-sized construction firm, these are entities that can suddenly afford aerial LiDAR when they couldn’t before. And apparently, based on those YouTube view counts, a whole lot of people who will never touch one of these systems are still captivated by what it represents. There’s something fundamentally cool about technology that lets you see through forests and map the world in three dimensions, even if the only treasure most users will find is more efficient powerline inspections.

The post DJI’s Latest Drone Was Designed To 3D-Scan Landscapes (And Maybe Find Hidden Treasure) first appeared on Yanko Design.

Get $430 off this Roomba robot vacuum and mop with an AutoWash dock

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While Black Friday can be a great opportunity to score deals on your Christmas shopping, sometimes it's just a way to get the things you need at better prices. Take the iRobot Roomba Max 705 Combo Robot Vacuum & Mop, which is down to $869 from $1,300 at Wellbots. This practical purchase is available for a Black Friday discount by using the code ENGABF430 at checkout. 

We're big fans of iRobot, with the company making two of our favorite robot vacuums for 2025. Its Roomba Max 705 Combo offers both a vacuum and a mop to, hopefully, get out any messes this holiday season. The device also comes with an AutoWash Dock, which empties the robovac, washes the mop, dries it with heat and then charges its battery. 

The robot vacuum has dual rubber brushes for cleaning up any debris, while the PowerSpin roller mop gets rid of extra grime and streaks. The company uses PrecisionVision AI and ClearView Pro LiDAR to make a 3D map of all rooms and to avoid obstacles like dogs and their toys. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-430-off-this-roomba-robot-vacuum-and-mop-with-an-autowash-dock-140023379.html?src=rss

Dyson Black Friday deals: Robot vacuums and cordless vacuums are up to $600 off right now

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Black Friday deals are here, and a great one to check out is at Dyson. The discounts on Dyson's site right now are some of the best we've seen; one of those is $600 off the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum, which is down to a record low of $400.

Dyson was pretty late to the robot-vacuum party, but its entry was (and remains) one of the strongest in the category. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles like a self-emptying base or mopping capabilities, but it makes up for that by having probably the best suction power of any robovac we've tested. All kinds of debris will fall in its path: dirt, dust, food crumbs, pet hair and more. It also has excellent obstacle avoidance, so you'll rarely — if ever — have to dislodge it from getting stuck on the edge of a carpet or wedged in between furniture. Dyson's mobile app is easy to use as well, so if you're looking for a robot vacuum that does its main job incredibly well and you don't mind skipping on some extras, the 360 Vis Nav is a great option.

Cordless vacuums are also a part of the sale. Take the Dyson V9 Motorbar cordless vacuum on sale for just $270 at both Dyson and Amazon, which is a discount of $330. That's more than half off. Dyson devices are all over our list of the best cordless vacuums, and for good reason. The company makes effective products. The V9 Motorbar has been designed to clean all floor types, in addition to upholstery. It's also been engineered to squeeze into tight spots, which is great for hitting those oft-neglected parts of the home.

The suction power is on point and the battery lasts for 40 minutes before requiring a charge. That's just enough time to vacuum a standard-sized home if you don't stop for too many breaks. The V9 is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth. If you want a newer model, the V11 Extra is on sale for $400, which is a discount of $260. This one boosts the suction power and increases the battery life to 60 minutes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/dyson-black-friday-deals-robot-vacuums-and-cordless-vacuums-are-up-to-600-off-right-now-173533897.html?src=rss

This Massive Robot Wants To Replace An Entire Restaurant

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Inside a seven-square-meter glass enclosure, two robotic arms move with startling precision. One retrieves ingredients from climate-controlled silos, another works over a heating element, and within minutes, a perfectly assembled, hot meal is delivered to a collection window. There are no chefs, no line cooks, and no human intervention whatsoever. This is the Circus Autonomy One, a robot designed with a single, ambitious goal: to automate every step of the food production process, from inventory management to cooking and even cleaning. It’s not a kitchen assistant; it is a full-stack replacement, and it represents one of the boldest attempts yet to redefine what a restaurant can be.

The company behind this, Munich-based Circus SE, is pushing the narrative that this solves labor shortages and boosts efficiency. They are not wrong, but that is an incredibly sanitized way of looking at what is essentially a job-elimination machine. The CA-1 is a marvel of industrial design, a self-contained unit powered by a proprietary AI called CircusOS that makes adaptive decisions in real time. With its pilot program already running in German REWE supermarkets, this isn’t some vaporware concept sitting in a lab. It is a commercially deployed system that is actively taking orders and feeding people, and that means we need to talk about what it is actually doing.

Designers: Gustavo Kemmerich and Circus SE Team

Seven square meters is the entire footprint. You could barely fit a decent-sized walk-in closet in that space, yet the CA-1 can pump out 120 dishes an hour from it. That breaks down to a meal every 30 seconds, a rate of production that most human-staffed kitchens would struggle to match without breaking a sweat. The whole operation is a sterile, closed loop of logic. Ingredients are tracked and stored in smart silos, the robotic arms handle the assembly and cooking, and an integrated Winterhalter commercial dishwasher cleans up after. From an engineering perspective, it is a cold, hard box of ruthless efficiency designed to extract maximum value from minimum space.

You do not achieve that level of optimization without a body count, metaphorically speaking. Forget the sanitized PR about “solving labor shortages.” The CA-1 is designed to eliminate labor, period. It replaces the prep cook, the line cook, the expeditor, and the dishwasher in one fell swoop. This is not a collaborative robot, or “cobot,” built to assist a human worker. It is a fully autonomous system engineered from the ground up to make a whole class of kitchen staff obsolete. For every one of these units installed in a supermarket, hospital, or university, a handful of jobs simply evaporate. The efficiency it provides comes at a direct and obvious cost.

So what we are really looking at here is a ghost kitchen in a box, a blueprint for the future of automated food service. Its successful deployment in a major European supermarket chain is a powerful proof of concept, and you can bet that fast-food executives and large-scale catering operators are paying very close attention. Circus SE even lists the defense sector as a potential market, which is its own can of worms. This machine is a stark reminder that automation doesn’t ask for permission. The CA-1 is a brilliantly engineered answer to a question that maybe we shouldn’t be so eager to ask.

The post This Massive Robot Wants To Replace An Entire Restaurant first appeared on Yanko Design.