MIT’s AI Robotics Lab Director Is Building People-Centered Robots
Daniela Rus has spent her career breaking barriers—scientific, social, and material—in her quest to build machines that amplify rather than replace human capability. She made robotics her life’s work, she says, because she understood it was a way to expand the possibilities of computing while enhancing human capabilities.“I like to think of robotics as a…
Video Friday: Disney’s Robotic Olaf Makes His Debut
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.SOSV Robotics Matchup: 1–5 December 2025, ONLINEICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNAEnjoy today’s videos! Step behind…
Guest Editorial: Special Issue on Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction and Building
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Video Friday: Drone Easily Lands on Speeding Vehicle
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.World Robot Summit: 10–12 October 2025, OSAKA, JAPANIROS 2025: 19–25 October 2025, HANGZHOU, CHINAEnjoy today’s videos!…
Decentralized Control of Crop Growth Conditions in Vertical Farms Under Dynamic Energy Markets
The growing global population and the increasing scarcity of arable land highlight the urgent need for reliable and efficient food production systems. With their controlled environments, vertical farms (VFs) offer a promising solution for sustainable food security. Nevertheless, their high energy demands call for innovative approaches to optimize energy consumption while maintaining optimal growing conditions.…
Robot Navigates Tough Terrain With New 3D Mapping Technique
This article is part of our exclusive IEEE Journal Watch series in partnership with IEEE Xplore.Four-legged robots are making great strides in their ability to safely traverse complex terrains. In a recent advance, researchers in Hong Kong have developed a novel mapping model for quadrupedal robots that allows them to autonomously crawl under and leap…
Joint Optimization of Order Sequencing and Temporary Rack Shelving for Separated Bin-Picking Systems
As the adoption of warehouse automation continues its upward trajectory, “parts-to-picker” order picking systems, epitomized by the Robotic Mobile Fulfillment System (RMFS), are increasingly deployed across diverse enterprises. Considering that current automation systems are economically unfriendly to the traditional warehouse transformation, and other shortcomings such as low space utilization, a separated bin-picking system has been…
Video Friday: A Billion Dollars for Humanoid Robots
Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ACTUATE 2025: 23–24 September 2025, SAN FRANCISCOCoRL 2025: 27–30 September 2025, SEOULIEEE Humanoids: 30 September–2 October…
Adaptive Excavation Automation in Complex Soil Environments Using Reinforcement Learning
This paper presents an advanced excavation automation framework that improves trajectory efficiency and improves operational stability in diverse and complex soil conditions. The framework integrates the fundamental equation of earthmoving (FEE) with the proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm to enable adaptive trajectory planning during excavation. Using these estimates, the PPO algorithm iteratively optimizes excavation strategies…
Input-Output Data-Driven Safe Control of Unknown Discrete-Time Linear Systems
This paper presents a data-driven quadratically constrained quadratic program for designing safe and stable controllers using only input-output measurements. Input-output-based control Lyapunov functions (CLFs) and control barrier functions (CBFs) are integrated to derive safe and stable control inputs for discrete-time linear systems with unknown system dynamics. An augmented system is formed using historical input-output measurements…