Rodney Brooks writes about the seven cognitive errors that lead to wildly mistaken predictions about the future of robotics and artificial intelligence. He frames four categories of predictions—Artificial General Intelligence, the Singularity, misaligned values, and evil AI entities—then dissects the reasoning failures behind them: overestimating short-term impact while underestimating long-term effects, treating far-future technology as unfalsifiable magic, confusing narrow task performance with broad competence, relying on ambiguous "suitcase words" like "learn" or "understand," extrapolating exponentials that will inevitably flatten, imagining Hollywood-style single-disruption scenarios, and ignoring the glacial pace of hardware deployment in the physical world.
- The OpenWorm project spent thirty years attempting to simulate C. elegans (302 neurons, 7,000 connections) bottom-up and was not yet halfway done as of 2017.
- iPod storage followed a perfect five-year exponential (10→160 GB) then collapsed abruptly once a single device could hold a complete music library.
- Modern factory automation still relies on PLCs introduced in 1968 that emulate electromechanical relays; Tesla was actively hiring PLC technicians at its Fremont factory.
- Autonomous vehicles drove on public roads in 1987 and coast-to-coast across the US in 1995, yet no large-scale deployment path had been identified by 2017.
- Brooks observes that humans coexisted with horses—autonomous agents with ongoing existences and super-human strength—for millennia without a single formal theorem about them.
- The OpenWorm project spent thirty years attempting to simulate C. elegans (302 neurons, 7,000 connections) bottom-up and was not yet halfway done as of 2017.
- iPod storage followed a perfect five-year exponential (10→160 GB) then collapsed abruptly once a single device could hold a complete music library.
- Modern factory automation still relies on PLCs introduced in 1968 that emulate electromechanical relays; Tesla was actively hiring PLC technicians at its Fremont factory.
- Autonomous vehicles drove on public roads in 1987 and coast-to-coast across the US in 1995, yet no large-scale deployment path had been identified by 2017.
- Brooks observes that humans coexisted with horses—autonomous agents with ongoing existences and super-human strength—for millennia without a single formal theorem about them.
Publication list for Leigh Klotz from 1982 to 1994, featuring work on digital document storage and user interfaces.
Kirsten Korosec writes that DoorDash is launching a new drone delivery service called DoorDash Air following receipt of FAA Part 135 air carrier certification. Developed by the company's robotics and autonomy team, this initiative aims to integrate custom-built aircraft into an existing network alongside human couriers and sidewalk robots through its "Autonomous Delivery Platform."
- Initial operations will likely consist of limited line-of-sight pilot programs.
- The service intends to eventually seek certification for Beyond Visual Line of Sight technology.
- DoorDash is maintaining current drone partnerships with Wing and Flytrex.
- Sidewalk bots named Dot are already operating in various cities across Arizona and California.
- Initial operations will likely consist of limited line-of-sight pilot programs.
- The service intends to eventually seek certification for Beyond Visual Line of Sight technology.
- DoorDash is maintaining current drone partnerships with Wing and Flytrex.
- Sidewalk bots named Dot are already operating in various cities across Arizona and California.
The Kindalive project by Drew Smith uses a simulated dot-matrix face to express emotions through the modeling of eight key neurochemicals like dopamine and cortisol. Rather than using discrete sentiment labels via LLMs, this approach simulates the organic decay and interplay between chemicals to create fluid mood changes. These emotional states are visually represented through twelve facial movements based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS).
- Models short-term and long-term moods through neurochemical simulation
- Uses nonverbal communication to increase robot relatability
- Employs 12 elements of the Facial Action Coding System for expression
- Models short-term and long-term moods through neurochemical simulation
- Uses nonverbal communication to increase robot relatability
- Employs 12 elements of the Facial Action Coding System for expression
A wireless 24GHz mmWave motion tracking system consisting of a standalone radar node that reports detected targets over Wi-Fi to a separate display unit.
Key details:
- Multi-target tracking for up to 3 people within a 7m range
- Live radar-style visualization on an Arduino GIGA Display Shield
- Distance-reactive audio alerts via a passive piezo buzzer
- Battery-powered operation with USB-C recharging and LED level indicators
- Includes 3D-printable enclosure files and full firmware for the XIAO ESP32-S3 and GIGA R1
Key details:
- Multi-target tracking for up to 3 people within a 7m range
- Live radar-style visualization on an Arduino GIGA Display Shield
- Distance-reactive audio alerts via a passive piezo buzzer
- Battery-powered operation with USB-C recharging and LED level indicators
- Includes 3D-printable enclosure files and full firmware for the XIAO ESP32-S3 and GIGA R1
This research presents penPal, a novel handheld drawing tool designed to support dynamic mark-making and creative decisions at the texture level. By integrating a tendon-driven continuum robot, the device allows its tip to move independently of the user's hand, providing an additional axis of control that combines manual manipulation with computer-assisted generation. Through studies involving participants and professional artists, the work examines how users negotiate multiple coordinate systems—including their own body, the paper, and the tool's tip—to construct complex compositions and explore generative potential through selective defamiliarization.
Key points:
* Use of tendon-driven continuum robots for handheld tools
* Texture-level creative control in drawing
* Negotiation of multiple coordinate systems during composition
* Integration of manual and computer-assisted mark-making
Key points:
* Use of tendon-driven continuum robots for handheld tools
* Texture-level creative control in drawing
* Negotiation of multiple coordinate systems during composition
* Integration of manual and computer-assisted mark-making
A collection of various LiDAR and ToF (Time-of-Flight) sensing solutions including 360 degree laser range scanners, depth cameras for ROS, and single-point ranging sensors. The selection features technologies such as DTOF, solid-state LiDAR, and RGB-D cameras suitable for SLAM and interactive AI applications.
Key product types:
RPLiDAR series (A1M8, A2M12, S2L, etc.)
STL DTOF sensors
CS depth cameras for ROS
TF series single-point ranging sensors
YDLIDAR linear array solid state LiDAR
Key product types:
RPLiDAR series (A1M8, A2M12, S2L, etc.)
STL DTOF sensors
CS depth cameras for ROS
TF series single-point ranging sensors
YDLIDAR linear array solid state LiDAR
These working notes by Russ Tedrake cover nonlinear dynamics and control with a specific focus on mechanical systems. The material explores how to achieve robust, efficient, and graceful robot movement through the integration of mechanical design, passive dynamics, and nonlinear control synthesis. Rather than relying solely on model-free approaches, the text emphasizes using the underlying structure of dynamical equations to develop more data-efficient and robust algorithms via optimization and machine learning.
Main topics include:
* Model systems such as pendulums, acrobots, cart-poles, and quadrotors
* Simple models of walking and running dynamics
* Nonlinear planning and control using trajectory optimization and LQR
* Lyapunov analysis for stability and reachability
* Estimation techniques including Kalman filters and Bayesian methods
* Learning-based approaches such as imitation learning, policy search, and system identification
* Contact-implicit trajectory optimization and hybrid systems
Main topics include:
* Model systems such as pendulums, acrobots, cart-poles, and quadrotors
* Simple models of walking and running dynamics
* Nonlinear planning and control using trajectory optimization and LQR
* Lyapunov analysis for stability and reachability
* Estimation techniques including Kalman filters and Bayesian methods
* Learning-based approaches such as imitation learning, policy search, and system identification
* Contact-implicit trajectory optimization and hybrid systems
NocKinematics is a modern, modular, and lightweight C++ Inverse Kinematics library designed specifically for Arduino and ESP32 microcontrollers. It utilizes the FABRIK (Forward And Backward Reaching Inverse Kinematics) algorithm to provide fast, iterative computations that are more efficient than traditional Jacobian Matrix approaches. The library is optimized for memory-constrained systems like AVR and ESP8266 by using specialized dynamic memory allocation to prevent RAM fragmentation.
Key features and topics:
* N-Joint Support for arbitrary numbers of connected joints.
* Memory-optimized architecture avoiding heavy std::vector usage.
* Platform agnostic compatibility with Arduino Uno, Nano, Mega, ESP8266, and ESP32.
* Practical implementation examples ranging from basic logic verification to multi-DOF servo motor control.
* Support for complex mechanisms like snake or tentacle simulations via the MultiJointSnake example.
Key features and topics:
* N-Joint Support for arbitrary numbers of connected joints.
* Memory-optimized architecture avoiding heavy std::vector usage.
* Platform agnostic compatibility with Arduino Uno, Nano, Mega, ESP8266, and ESP32.
* Practical implementation examples ranging from basic logic verification to multi-DOF servo motor control.
* Support for complex mechanisms like snake or tentacle simulations via the MultiJointSnake example.
An introduction to JD Robotics and the Stewy V2 platform, designed as an approachable learning tool for robotics. The project emphasizes open-source development, simple yet capable hardware designs that maximize motor utility, and active community support for troubleshooting and customization.
