EP.3 HUMAN-LIKE ROBOT STRAIGHT FROM WESTWORLD

Pretzel-packing robots, sneaker-wearing humanoid, huge robotics updates from NVIDIA & much more...

Polish humanoid with artificial muscles ??

Poland’s Clone Robotics is earning accolades for its Torso project, a humanoid android inspired by HBO’s Westworld. Still, in early development, Torso has impressed top robotics experts with its lifelike design and advanced functionality.

Founded in Wroc?aw (I USED TO LIVE HERE!) in 2014, Clone Robotics began by developing pneumatic muscles and later introduced the Clone Hand, a robotic hand with a human-like skeletal system. Torso, the company’s flagship project, builds on this with a rigid spine, mobile neck, and lifelike joints. Powered by a 500W electrohydraulic pump and a Raspberry Pi, it mimics human movement with eerie realism.

Experts like NVIDIA’s Jim Fan have praised Clone Robotics’ work, calling it a blend of beauty and complexity. As the project advances, the Torso may soon find applications in fields like manufacturing and healthcare.

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Sneaker-wearing humanoid navigates Gobi Desert ???

China’s Robot Era has taken its humanoid robots to the Gobi Desert, where two of its flagship Star1 models raced across rugged trails, grasslands, and winding roads. One robot ran barefoot, while the other sported a stylish pair of sneakers—and the sneaker-clad bot emerged as the clear winner, hitting speeds of up to 3.6 meters per second (8 mph) over a 34-minute run.

Robot Era, a newcomer to the humanoid robot scene since its 2023 launch from Tsinghua University, has already built a strong lineup of humanoids. The Star1 humanoid stands 1.71 meters (5.6 ft) tall, weighs 65 kg (143 lb), and navigates varied terrain with an unusual, straight-backed gait. Equipped with advanced joint motors and high-speed AI computing, both robots adapted to the Gobi’s challenges by modulating joint flexibility for smoother movement and fall prevention.

This desert showdown shows how adaptive humanoid robots are becoming, with applications ranging from rugged exploration to day-to-day assistance.

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NVIDIA Robotics is cooking again! ??????

At the recent ROSCon event in Odense, Denmark, NVIDIA announced major updates to its ecosystem of tools for Robot Operating System (ROS) developers, including new generative AI capabilities, simulation workflows, and perception tools.Key highlights include generative AI ROS nodes that enable robots to understand and navigate their surroundings, respond to voice commands, and make autonomous decisions. The ReMEmbR tool, for instance, uses large language models (LLMs) and vision language models (VLMs) to enhance robotic memory and interaction, while the WhisperTRT node leverages OpenAI’s Whisper model for responsive speech recognition on NVIDIA Jetson devices.For simulation, NVIDIA introduced new resources in its Isaac Sim platform, allowing developers to test AI-enabled robots in virtual environments safely. The upcoming Isaac ROS 3.2 release also adds advanced perception and manipulation tools, boosting robot navigation and object handling capabilities.

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Nimble gets more than $100 million in funding ??

Nimble, a San Francisco-based robotics company, has raised $106 million in a Series C funding round led by FedEx Corp. and Cedar Pine LLC, reaching a valuation of $1 billion. The investment supports Nimble’s vision of simplifying warehouse automation through general-purpose robots that easily handle tasks like picking, packing, and sorting.

Founder and CEO Simon Kalouche emphasized that Nimble’s end-to-end fulfillment system streamlines warehouse operations, eliminating the need for complex integrations with various equipment and software. Powered by the Nimble Cloud Logistics Platform, the company’s AI-enhanced robots make warehouse management more reliable, cost-effective, and scalable.

FedEx has entered a commercial agreement with Nimble, confident that the technology will expand its e-commerce capabilities and streamline fulfillment across North America. With this funding, Nimble plans to scale robot production, expand system deployments, and develop autonomous logistics solutions.