Science Trends

53 reports

Robotic Hands Struggle With Real Objects Despite Athletic Feats

Humanoid robots can now perform acrobatics and dance routines but still fail at reliably folding laundry or handling fragile objects. New research highlights why tactile sensing and unpredictable environments remain unsolved barriers.

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China's AI chip makers take on Nvidia's dominance in model training

Nvidia's lead in AI model training is under pressure as Chinese companies like Huawei, Cambricon, Moore Threads, and Biren Technology push to develop homegrown chips and software, aiming to reduce dependence on foreign hardware.

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Lynx Wheel Legged Robot Tackles Desert Terrain in Field Test

DEEP Robotics has released new footage of its Lynx wheel legged robot navigating loose sand and steep slopes in a desert environment, demonstrating the platform's hybrid mobility and environmental resilience for hazardous industrial tasks

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Autonomous Bricklaying Robots Face Real Construction Site Obstacles

Monumental has begun deploying autonomous robots to build brick walls on commercial construction sites, aiming to address labor shortages and rising costs. The company's approach highlights the technical and operational hurdles of moving robotics from controlled labs to unpredictable real-world environments

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Quantum Preconditioning Cuts Classical Solver Time by Orders of Magnitude

Rigetti Computing and Purdue University have experimentally shown that quantum-derived correlation matrices can accelerate classical mixed-integer programming solvers, reaching near-optimal solutions for hard-constrained combinatorial problems up to 100 times faster

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ROBOTIS Open Humanoid GYM Lets Students Train Robots With Real Hardware

ROBOTIS has launched the Open Humanoid GYM Project, giving university teams direct access to humanoid robots and simulation tools for hands-on AI behavior development, bridging the gap between virtual training and physical deployment

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How Enterprises Can Identify Real Quantum Computing Opportunities

A four-step process aims to help enterprise managers pinpoint where quantum computing could deliver measurable value, avoid hype, and integrate new solutions with existing IT infrastructure

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Berkeley Humanoid Lite Uses 3D-Printed Actuators to Slash Robot Costs

A research team at UC Berkeley has released the open-source Berkeley Humanoid Lite, a customizable robot platform built with 3D-printed actuators and off-the-shelf parts, aiming to lower the barrier to humanoid robotics research and experimentation

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Why More Data Alone No Longer Advances Generative AI Systems

Recent advances in generative AI have relied on scaling up models, datasets, and computing resources. However, evidence now suggests that simply increasing data volume is no longer enough to improve performance, especially for complex tasks like software development

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Diraq Expands US Silicon Spin-Qubit Engineering With Santa Monica Hub

Diraq has opened a new engineering facility in Santa Monica, California, focused on silicon spin-qubit processor development using commercial CMOS foundry processes, as part of its trans-Pacific quantum computing infrastructure

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UFO Claims Face Scrutiny as New Book Examines Evidence and Uncertainty

A new book by Adam Kirsch investigates the enduring fascination with UFOs, comparing eyewitness accounts to scientific standards and exploring why concrete evidence remains elusive despite decades of reports

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Chinese Robotics Firms Demonstrate Humanoids for Aviation and Security Tasks

At the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing, Chinese companies are presenting humanoid and quadruped robots for aviation, security, and industrial roles, with demonstrations highlighting both technical progress and ongoing challenges in real-world deployment

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RealMan Robotics Targets 1,000 RealBOT Deployments With Remote Control

RealMan Robotics plans to deploy nearly 1,000 RealBOT robots in 2026, using remote human control and real-world data to improve performance in unpredictable environments such as pharmacies, factories, and kitchens

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AI Models Now Optimize Quantum Algorithms for Real Hardware

Recent advances show AI systems are now directly optimizing quantum algorithms for cryptography and hardware compatibility, with measurable improvements in circuit efficiency and potential impact on quantum workforce development

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Humanoid Robots Face Real-World Hotel and Library Tasks in Beijing

China's World Humanoid Robot Games evaluated robots on hotel service, household chores, and library shelving, testing their ability to operate autonomously and adapt to unpredictable real-world environments

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China Demonstrates Teleoperated Humanoid Robot for Hazardous Missions

China North Industries Group Corporation has presented Fuxi, a full-size humanoid robot designed for remote-controlled reconnaissance and operations in hazardous environments, highlighting the technical and economic challenges of real-world deployment

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Unitree Humanoid Robot Demonstrates Unverified Record Speed and Jump

Unitree Robotics has released video evidence of a humanoid robot prototype performing a 2-meter standing jump and running at speeds exceeding elite human sprinters, but the results have not been independently verified

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Robotic 3D Printing Scales Up in Colorado Housing Development

A 55-acre project in Salida, Colorado, is deploying autonomous 3D-printing robots to construct more than 65 homes, testing whether robotic construction can deliver full-scale residential communities with integrated infrastructure

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Feagine's Fi0 Model Tested for Cross-Body Robot Task Transfer

Feagine Robotics has introduced Fi0, a foundation model designed to transfer task knowledge across different soft robot arms, aiming to reduce retraining when hardware changes. Early tests used three tendon-driven manipulators with varying morphologies

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Humanoid Robots Struggle With Real-World Firefighting Tasks in Beijing Test

A large-scale robotics competition in Beijing tested 23 humanoid robots in a simulated firefighting and rescue scenario, revealing persistent challenges in perception, manipulation, and reliability outside controlled laboratory settings

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SMIC Struggles to Meet AI Chip Demand as Capacity Hits 93.7 Percent

China's largest contract chipmaker, SMIC, reports near-maximum factory utilization as demand for mature-node chips supporting AI infrastructure outpaces supply, prompting price increases and plans for further capacity expansion

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China Unveils Detailed Lunar Map and New Geologic Timeline

Chinese researchers have released a new 1:5 million scale map of the Moon, updating lunar geologic eras and far side data using recent sample-return missions and reprocessed spectral analysis

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Record Number of Humanoid Robots to Compete in Beijing Games

Beijing will host the second World Humanoid Robot Games from August 22-26, bringing together over 2,000 robots from 16 countries to compete in 51 events, with stricter rules and expanded real-world challenge scenarios.

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DOBOT LUMO Demonstrates All-Terrain Humanoid Mobility and Interaction

DOBOT has presented LUMO, a humanoid robot designed to navigate varied indoor and outdoor environments, combining computer vision, voice interaction, and motion control to adapt its behavior to different users and tasks

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Expressive Humanoid Robots Lose User Trust Rapidly After Errors

A Drexel University study found that people quickly trust expressive humanoid robots, but even minor conversational mistakes can cause trust to collapse, raising new challenges for social robot design in healthcare, education, and homes

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Qoro Quantum Tests Middleware for Multi-QPU and Simulator Integration

Qoro Quantum has developed middleware that automates the routing of quantum circuits to multiple quantum processors and simulators, aiming to simplify access and improve resilience for users working with diverse quantum hardware and high-performance computing environments

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Mitsubishi to Build 1,000 Humanoid Robots Monthly at Kyoto Plant

Mitsubishi Motors and Highlanders plan to mass-produce AI-enabled humanoid robots for industrial automation at a repurposed Kyoto facility, targeting up to 1,000 units per month by early 2027, with initial deployment on engine assembly lines

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Centaur-Inspired Robot Threehalves Demonstrated for Hazardous Environments

A steel centaur-like robot called Threehalves has drawn attention for its four-legged design and modular tool system, aiming to perform dangerous tasks in unstable or hazardous settings where conventional robots struggle

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BYD to Demonstrate Functional Humanoid Robots at Di Space in August

BYD, a leading Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, will unveil its first functional humanoid robots in August, aiming to compete with Tesla's Optimus and leverage its large-scale manufacturing and battery expertise

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Atlas to Expand Driverless Truck Fleet for Oilfield Sand Transport

Atlas Energy Solutions plans to increase its AI-enabled driverless truck fleet in the US Permian Basin, aiming for 100 vehicles by mid-2027, to automate sand delivery for hydraulic fracturing across private oilfield routes

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China Surges Ahead in Humanoid Robotics Patent Innovation

A LexisNexis analysis of over 26,000 patent families finds Chinese startups leading global innovation in humanoid robotics, with six of the top ten most active companies and rapid growth in patent filings

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Communicating Quantum Technology: Challenges for Public Understanding

As quantum computing research accelerates, effective communication strategies are needed to explain complex quantum concepts, address technical jargon, and reach diverse audiences across the quantum sector

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Starship Captured on Video by a Starlink V3 Satellite

A camera-equipped Starlink V3 satellite recorded SpaceX's Starship upper stage after Flight 13, offering an unusual view of the vehicle's engines, thrusters and separation in space

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Crusoe and Aalo plan nuclear-powered data center for AI workloads

Crusoe and Aalo Atomics have announced a partnership to build a modular data center powered by a small nuclear reactor, aiming to test nuclear energy's suitability for large-scale AI computing at Idaho National Laboratory in 2027

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Ohio AI Data Center to Operate on 350 MW Off-Grid Microgrid

A new AI data center campus in Ohio will use a dedicated 350 megawatt microgrid, operated by Veolia, to supply all its electricity needs, bypassing the regional grid and aiming to accelerate deployment of large-scale computing infrastructure

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