Happy Friday from RobotCafe, where humanoids are shedding weight, regulators are picking a color, and a quadruped is apparently better at Rubik's Cubes than most of us. Autonomy dominates today's slate, from cyan-lit robotaxis to drone-launching tanks, with a thoughtful detour into construction robotics along the way.

In today’s roundup

• NEURA’s 20% lighter humanoid robot with touch and force sensing moves toward production — Interesting Engineering
  NEURA's 4NE1 Gen 4 trims 20% of its weight while adding touch and force sensing, signaling a serious push from prototype toward actual serial production.
• Video Friday: Quadruped Robot Solves Giant Rubik’s Cube by Itself — IEEE Spectrum Robotics
  This week's video roundup stars a quadruped solving a giant Rubik's Cube solo, proving legged robots can moonlight as puzzle-solvers when no one's watching.
• Feds want robotaxis to signal ‘I’m driving’ with cyan-colored lights — The Verge
  After years of debate over how driverless cars should announce themselves, NHTSA has settled on cyan lights as the universal signal that no human is at the wheel.
• Robot Talk Episode 167 – Automating construction, with Jan Petrš — Robohub
  EPFL's Jan Petrš brings an architect's eye to robotics, discussing novel machine designs built specifically for the messy realities of construction sites.
• Four DJI FPV goggles just got firmware updates — DroneDJ
  Four DJI FPV goggle models get fresh firmware, a routine but worthwhile reminder to update your gear before the next flight.
• Chuyka 4.5.0. — sUAS News
  Named after Ukrainian military slang for 'all clear,' this release hints at drone software shaped directly by the demands of the battlefield.
• Gov. Whitmer awards $1.7M to launch 12 Advanced Air Mobility projects statewide 12 pilot projects will demonstrate advanced air mobility technologies in real-world applications across Michigan — sUAS News
  Michigan is backing 12 advanced air mobility pilots with $1.7M, pushing drone and aerial tech from concept into real-world demonstrations across the state.
• US Abrams tank gains new kit to launch kamikaze drones at targets beyond 18 miles — Interesting Engineering
  General Dynamics' PERCH 2.0 kit lets Abrams tanks launch kamikaze drones beyond 18 miles, folding loitering munitions into armored warfare's toolkit.

Read this roundup on RobotCafe →

The Daily Grind · RobotCafe · robotcafe.com