Video Friday: Happy Robot Halloween!
Video Friday: A Collection of Robotics Videos and Insights
Introduction
Welcome to Video Friday, a weekly selection of awesome robotics videos curated by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. If you have any events you'd like to include, please send them our way.
Upcoming Events
- ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNA
- ICRA 2025 keynote by Angela Schoellig at Technical University of Munich, on "Powering Robotics with AI"
- Carnegie Mellon University, Robotics Institute (CMU RI) Seminar by Nancy Pollard, on "Bringing Dexterity to Robot Hands in the Real World"
Happy Halloween from the Robotics Community
Happy Halloween from various robotics labs and companies, including:
- University College London (UCL)
- Kinetic Intelligent Machine Lab (KIMLAB)
- DRAGON Lab, University of Tokyo
- Agility Robotics
- HEBI Robotics
1X: A Robotics Company with a Focus on Data Collection
1X is a company that allows users to collect data in their homes for a monthly fee of $500. Their test warehouse recreates customers' inbound operations, from dock configuration and conveyors to freight and beyond.
Boston Dynamics: Warehouse Automation and Robotics
Boston Dynamics has a testing facility where they demonstrate the latest developments in warehouse automation and robotics. They recreate various scenarios to ensure robust and reliable performance in real-world environments.
Istituto Italiano de Tecnologia: A Multimodal Tactile Finger
Istituto Italiano de Tecnologia has developed a multimodal tactile finger called SpikeATac. It combines a taxelized and highly sensitive dynamic response (PVDF) with a static transduction method (capacitive) for multimodal touch sensing.
ROAM Lab, Columbia University: Effectively Integrating Diverse Sensory Representations
The ROAM Lab at Columbia University has developed a method for effectively integrating diverse sensory representations. Their approach factorizes the policy into a set of diffusion models, each specialized for a single representation (e.g., vision or touch), and employs a router network that learns consensus weights to adaptively combine their contributions.
GitHub: A Repository for Robotics Research
The ROAM Lab's research is available on GitHub, where users can access their code and contribute to their projects.
ORCA Hand: A Reliable and Anthropomorphic Robotic Hand
The ORCA hand is an open-source, 17-DoF tendon-driven robotic hand with integrated tactile sensors. It is fully assembled in less than eight hours and built for a material cost below 2,000 CHF.
University of Chicago: Programming Robots for Empathetic Responses
University of Chicago computer scientist Sarah Sebo is programming robots to give empathetic responses and perform nonverbal social cues like nodding. The goal is to develop robots that can improve performance in human-robot teams, such as enhancing learning outcomes for children.
DJI: A Robot Vacuum with a Focus on Cleaning
DJI has developed a robot vacuum that is designed for cleaning. While it may not be the most exciting development, it is a practical application of robotics technology.
ICRA 2025 Keynote: Powering Robotics with AI
Angela Schoellig's ICRA 2025 keynote on "Powering Robotics with AI" explores the potential of artificial intelligence in robotics.
Carnegie Mellon University, Robotics Institute (CMU RI) Seminar: Bringing Dexterity to Robot Hands in the Real World
Nancy Pollard's CMU RI Seminar on "Bringing Dexterity to Robot Hands in the Real World" discusses the challenges of dexterous manipulation and how to incorporate various factors that contribute to dexterity into robots and systems.
Conclusion
Video Friday is a collection of robotics videos and insights that showcase the latest developments in the field. From robotics labs and companies to research institutions and conferences, there is a wealth of information available for those interested in robotics. Whether you're a researcher, engineer, or simply a curious individual, there's something for everyone in the world of robotics.
Source: https://spectrum.ieee.org/video-friday-robot-halloween-2674252642
