Robot IQ @robot__iq

How did two scuba divers end up conquering the world of mobile robots? This is the story of how Oceaneering pulled off one of the most impressive pivots in the industry. Let's dig into how they went from deep-sea ROVs to autonomous forklifts. ⬇️

🚴‍♂️ Humans on bikes can move through 3D space in ways that seem impossible - bouncing between obstacles, launching vertically from horizontal momentum. @rai_inst just replicated this with their UMV robot. Let's dig into the physics they solved to make this happen

🤖 Why is a NASCAR team building defense robots? @ScoutAI_ just partnered with @TeamHendrick on NOMAD - a new unmanned ground vehicle. Key specs: - 90% smaller hardware vs previous gen - Beyond line-of-sight operation - Can autonomously follow human teammates The…

Do you need to place 50,000 components per hour with micron-level precision? – Lightning-speed placement - High-end systems achieve 50,000-200,000 components per hour. – Micron-precision accuracy - Purpose-built linear drives and specialised vision deliver ±25-50 micron…

This week’s newsletter: - 1,010 robotics jobs (40% hot) - Deep dive: How China took over a top EU robotics company - Robotics news: $405M raised, UFC robots, dextrous humanoids & more - BONUS: What robotics can learn from Coffee

Thread: How Amazon's $775M Acquisition Accidentally Launched an Entire Industry Here's a wild story about unintended consequences: Amazon acquired a robotics company and nearly tanked the industry by removing it from the market. This seeming disaster helped catalyse a $40…

Do valet parking robots make sense? The idea: an ultra-thin robot slides under any car and parks it for you. No one talks about it, but car parks are a nightmare for autonomous vehicles: - No GPS - Confusing, visually similar/sparse environments - Tight spaces requiring…

Is machine tending the #1 cobot application? This video shows why it might be - 728 dental mould sets from two 3D printers in 24 hours, fully automated. Machine tending is perfect for cobots because: ✓ Simple, repetitive motions ✓ Limited intelligence required for robust…

It's official - robots will be fighting in the UFC by 2026. Ok, it's not official, but @REKrobot has it covered for now. Question for everyone - what year will a humanoid beat a human in an MMA fight? @NimaZeighami @cixliv

Check out this spherical robot from Texas A&M designed for navigating lunar craters. It's a unique solution but why a sphere? - Inherent Stability: Its design ensures stability and self-righting capabilities, crucial for maintaining operation 220k miles from Earth. -…

☕ Coffee extraction: a $100B optimisation problem disguised as a 30-second routine. Every shot balances 6 variables and 1000+ molecules. One parameter off? Expensive disappointment. You'd think this has nothing to do with robotics but you would be wrong, lets dig in ⬇️

The Broader Lesson Perfect espresso demonstrates that complex optimisation problems are sometimes best solved through strategic human-machine collaboration, not full automation. When machines do have the right sensors, they dont have the right data. The winning formula…

Quick sentiment poll

If you think robot guns are a bad idea, here are the key ideas from their manifesto: - China makes 90%+ of the world's drones. DJI alone has 70% market share. Their assessment: we're 20 years behind in manufacturing, not 5. - In Ukraine: $500 drones are destroying $millions in…

Watched a factory tour of @allencontrol - here are 4 things I learned about their counter-drone tech: 1️⃣ Their "Bullfrog" system uses computer vision + neural networks to distinguish drones from birds, then lets human operators select targets. 2️⃣ The tech is impressive from an…

Robots Making Robots in China 🤖 Kuka's Shunde factory produces one industrial robot every 30 minutes, with plans to reduce this to one minute per unit. The facility outputs 30,000 robots annually for industries from automotive to medical applications. The German company's…

AI vision models perform well on standard benchmarks like ImageNet, often matching or exceeding human accuracy. But here's what they don't tell you: Move an image by ONE PIXEL and these same models have a meltdown 40% of the time. This brittleness is breaking real systems.

What can robotics learn from watch design? - Hundreds of parts packed into a coin-sized case, - keeping time within ±20 seconds daily - enduring decades of use Mechanical design at its most optimal. Let's explore the mechanisms that make watches tick ⬇️

"A $500 FPV drone can easily destroy a $10M tank. We’re losing this asymmetric cost warfare. The solution is NOT $100,000 missiles, it's affordable systems like @sentradel." From: @camrrowe @sts_3d

Interesting article from @kyleichan about China's industrial approach. The key point: China doesn't develop industries in isolation—it builds overlapping ecosystems that reinforce each other. China's EV success built on existing capabilities: - Industrial automation expertise…