Sunday's lineup leans hard into the practical and the tactical: what happens when a humanoid finally gives out, and how militaries are learning to both fly drones and shoot them down. There's a notable acquisition from SoftBank too, plus an ETH Zurich creation with impeccable Halloween timing.

In today’s roundup

• What do you do with a humanoid robot when it breaks down? — The Robot Report
  As humanoids proliferate, their end-of-life becomes a serious question—this reframes decommissioning as delicate surgery rather than simple scrapping.
• 6 days left to get ahead at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — TechCrunch Robotics
  A ticket-pricing reminder for Disrupt 2026, worth noting if you're planning to be among the founders and investors gathering next week.
• Pentagon to give Cape Canaveral a much-needed anti-drone security overhaul — Interesting Engineering
  The Space Force's key launch site is getting anti-drone defenses, a sign that spaceport security now has to reckon with airborne threats.
• US Marine Corps share videos of what training with drones looks like — DroneDJ
  The Marines offer a rare look at how drones are being woven into unit training, from first lessons to large-scale exercises.
• Teaching a Robot Hand to Walk — Hackaday Robots
  ETH Zurich researchers got a robotic hand to walk on its fingers—unsettling, clever, and conveniently spooky just ahead of Halloween.
• Low-cost US interceptor destroys drones without jamming their signals — Interesting Engineering
  A startup's cheap kinetic interceptor kills small drones by hitting them directly, sidestepping the limits of jamming-based defenses.
• SoftBank agrees to acquire Robotics and AI Institute — The Robot Report
  SoftBank's long-rumored purchase of the Robotics and AI Institute is now official, pending a US foreign-investment review.

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The Daily Grind · RobotCafe · robotcafe.com