“The Jetsons” debuted September 23, 1962. The first episode, titled “Rosey the Robot,” was an origin story of sorts for the titular character, describing how an overworked Jane hired the housekeeper. Sixty-two years after her debut, Rosey remains an important pop cultural touchstone for the unfulfilled promise of home robots. The home of 2024 isn’t […]
Researchers develop hair-thin battery to power tiny robots
The biggest limitation of tiny robots is, naturally, their size. The smaller the robot, the more difficult it is to develop components. Among the key challenges is finding a power source. Some systems utilize clever work-arounds, like these cell-sized bots, which use a photodiode to access the minute level of electricity to do their jobs. […]
Ecovacs home robots can be hacked to spy on their owners, researchers say
Malicious hackers can take over control of vacuum and lawn mower robots made by Ecovacs to spy on their owners using the devices’ cameras and microphones, new research has found. Security researchers Dennis Giese and Braelynn are due to speak at the Def Con hacking conference on Saturday detailing their research into Ecovacs robots. When […]
Researchers are training home robots in simulations based on iPhone scans
There’s a long list of reasons why you don’t see a lot of non-vacuum robots in the home. At the top of the list is the problem of unstructured and semi-structured environments. No two homes are the same, from layout to lighting to surfaces to humans and pets. Even if a robot can effectively map […]
Elon Musk sets 2026 Optimus sale date. Here’s where other humanoid robots stand.
Ahead of Tuesday’s earnings, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the carmaker will begin selling its Optimus humanoid robot in 2026. In fact, Optimus has already started performing tasks autonomously, like handling batteries, in one of Tesla’s facilities, according to its earnings report. “Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla […]