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A drone or a submarine? 🫧 A student just built a drone that flies through the air and swims underwater — and it actually works. As part of his Bachelor’s project, Andrei Copaci created a 3D-printed, hybrid drone with variable pitch propellers, meaning the blades shift mid-flight to adapt between air and water. Just a laptop, a printer, and a smart idea. The drone is fully custom-coded and transitions seamlessly between flying and swimming. We're entering a new era, where curious students can prototype what once took massive funding and R&D efforts.

🧵 Farming robots are no longer experimental. They're deployed, profitable, and reshaping agriculture. In orchards, vineyards, vegetable fields, and beyond, they're tackling labor shortages, precision spraying, and chemical reduction at scale. This is how robotics is quietly becoming the backbone of next-gen agriculture [Save this thread for later 📌]

🧵The quiet revolution in robotics isn't humanoids. It's the rise of inspection & maintenance robots, quietly scaling across dirty, dangerous, and distant industrial environments. This sector is projected to hit $8.3B by 2030. Let's break down why it's growing so fast. [Save this thread for later 📌]

Inflatable + robots = better VR haptics 💥 Get ready to experience VR with InflatableBots, a groundbreaking innovation in shape-changing inflatable robots for large-scale encountered-type haptics. This robot from the University of Calgary gives it a much better experience with

Detection of cracks by drones! 🛸 The use of drones and 3D reconstruction allows for efficient and detailed inspections of bridges, providing accurate and repeatable information on their structural condition. Engineers and asset owners can better understand a structure's health by detecting cracks and efflorescence. Compared to traditional inspection methods, this technology can also save time and resources. Accurate data collection is essential for tracking changes over time and making informed decisions about the structure's maintenance.

It's a 3D printer, and 3D assembly station! 🖨️ The Functgraph developed at Meiji University starts as a regular 3D printer but upgrades itself into a mini factory. It can print parts for its own tools, pick them up, clean them, and put them together, all by itself. Think of it like a robot that can 3D print a spatula, assemble it, and then use it to flip pancakes. 🥞 Instead of just printing objects, the Functgraph can actually perform physical tasks, like folding laundry or slicing vegetables, by using printed and assembled tools. It’s a step toward the idea of a robot that can download "apps" as physical skills, much like your phone downloads software! 👀

Roomba just got an upgrade? 👀 Introducing a robot vacuum and mop cleaner that can climb stairs. 🧼 Ascender effortlessly navigates stairs of up to 8.7 inches (22 cm) in height. The Ascender's square body and omnidirectional wheels allow seamless lateral movement. Its unique pivotable brushing system pivots 90 degrees during this movement, effectively capturing even larger particles like coffee beans or pet food. This robot provides a deep clean on various surfaces, including floors and carpets. With smart cleaning algorithms and obstacle avoidance technology, it autonomously cleans the entire house! 🧹 Its creators already collected over $1,5 million through Kickstarter to productize it! P.S. Is it overkill or does it target the pain points of current vacuum cleaners?

heeeeere we go

Detection of cracks by drones! 🛸 The use of drones and 3D reconstruction allows for efficient and detailed inspections of bridges, providing accurate and repeatable information on their structural condition. Engineers and asset owners can better understand a structure's health by detecting cracks and efflorescence. Compared to traditional inspection methods, this technology can also save time and resources. Accurate data collection is essential for tracking changes over time and making informed decisions about the structure's maintenance. ~~~ ♻️ RT to help 1 robot find a new workplace.

NeoFarm is using robotics to make organic market gardening profitable! 🪏 The French agri-tech startup has developed a patented system that automates the toughest parts of organic vegetable production, from soil prep to repetitive harvesting. On each farm, the system supports 20+ crop species grown in open ground without chemical fertilizers and with near-total water autonomy, a rare combination at this scale. 👩🏼‍🌾 By offloading heavy, repetitive tasks to its automation platform, NeoFarm reduces the physical strain on its 30-person market gardening teams, enabling consistent output with fewer labor bottlenecks. The model is replicable and modular, designed to be deployed directly on local farmers’ land, integrating with their expertise while bringing in robotic efficiency. Recently they secured over €30 million to scale up their operations! 💸

🚨 BREAKING: Filics has secured €13.5 million in fresh funding to scale its autonomous pallet moving robots. Founded in 2021 by engineers from the Technical University of Munich, Filics has developed a unique robot pairing that autonomously lifts and moves pallets using minimal floor space. Each of their units can carry up to 1.2 tons and maneuver with the speed of 1.2 m/s. The system's autonomous mobility allows it to drive completely underneath and through pallets placed on the floor—without requiring turning space—making it a standout solution for high-density warehouses. Future plans include adapting the technology for autonomous truck loading in under five minutes.

👦🏼: ‘Mom, can we have Optimus Prime?' 👩🏻: ‘No, there is Optimus Prime at home…’ Optimus Prime at home 👇🏼 Creating something cool with robotics requires building it first. So, the DIY aspect of robotics is essential. Servos, cardboard boxes, and a simple controller, on which the control system is based, can be used to build a transformer robot....at home! 🏡

A drone or a submarine? 🫧 A student just built a drone that flies through the air and swims underwater — and it actually works. As part of his Bachelor’s project, Andrei Copaci created a 3D-printed, hybrid drone with variable pitch propellers, meaning the blades shift mid-flight to adapt between air and water. Just a laptop, a printer, and a smart idea. The drone is fully custom-coded and transitions seamlessly between flying and swimming. We're entering a new era, where curious students can prototype what once took massive funding and R&D efforts.

🧵 Farming robots are no longer experimental. They're deployed, profitable, and reshaping agriculture. In orchards, vineyards, vegetable fields, and beyond, they're tackling labor shortages, precision spraying, and chemical reduction at scale. This is how robotics is quietly becoming the backbone of next-gen agriculture [Save this thread for later 📌]

BYD cars now come with a built-in DJI Drone Launcher! 🚙 Yes, really... Before we go into 'we would anyone need this?!", let's check what's inside. EV giant BYD just launched “Lingyuan”, a roof-mounted drone launch system built in collaboration with DJI, now available across all BYD models in China. At the tap of a button, the roof opens, a platform rises, and a DJI drone lifts off, even while the car is moving. It can launch at up to 25 km/h, follow the car at 54 km/h, and return autonomously from within a 2 km range. The drone docks into the vehicle’s rooftop bay, where it recharges automatically. The full package costs around ¥16,000 (~$2,200) and includes the drone, launcher, and companion apps, including video editing and AI-based posture recognition tools that can take photos around the car. But what's the point? Why not just stop the car, pull the drone out of the trunk, and shoot the video? What am I missing in this use case? 🤨

🧵The quiet revolution in robotics isn't humanoids. It's the rise of inspection & maintenance robots, quietly scaling across dirty, dangerous, and distant industrial environments. This sector is projected to hit $8.3B by 2030. Let's break down why it's growing so fast. [Save this thread for later 📌]

Roomba just got an upgrade? 👀 Introducing a robot vacuum and mop cleaner that can climb stairs. 🧼 Ascender effortlessly navigates stairs of up to 8.7 inches (22 cm) in height. The Ascender's square body and omnidirectional wheels allow seamless lateral movement. Its unique pivotable brushing system pivots 90 degrees during this movement, effectively capturing even larger particles like coffee beans or pet food. This robot provides a deep clean on various surfaces, including floors and carpets. With smart cleaning algorithms and obstacle avoidance technology, it autonomously cleans the entire house! 🧹 Its creators already collected over $1,5 million through Kickstarter to productize it! P.S. Is it overkill or does it target the pain points of current vacuum cleaners?

Robots in the kitchen! 🍳 In 2023, dining in San Francisco got a high-tech makeover, the first-ever restaurant run entirely by robots. You pick your meal on a screen, and robots cook and serve it, so you don't need to talk to any people. Mezli was created by smart engineers from Stanford University and a fancy chef with Michelin stars. They've mixed technology and cooking to give you tasty food that doesn't cost a lot. 👨🏻‍🍳 But don't worry, robots can't replace the friendly and kind service you get from humans. It looks a little… hmmm… too futuristic to say the least?!

Unloading trucks with robots! 📦 Bastian Solutions has developed a mobile robotic system that automates high-volume, floor-level unloading of trailers. The robot seamlessly drives itself in and out of trailers and docks without any fixed infrastructure. This system picks up cases via an extendable conveyor, lifts them using a retractable mast, and accurately places them inside the trailer using a dedicated gripper. In the video you can see the reversed process, unloading of a truck. 🚛 It's guided by LiDAR-based navigation and an omnidirectional base, enabling fast, precise, and infrastructure-free operation. Integrates smoothly with existing systems like conveyors, scanners, sorters, and depalletizers.

eufy solves the biggest problem in robot vacuums: stairs! 🪜 Some say the biggest challenge for cleaning robots is the little ‘gifts’ our pets leave behind. Recently the company unveiled MarsWalker, a stair-climbing platform that carries robot vacuums safely between floors. With four fins, a tracked system, and 3D mapping, it works on straight and even L- or U-shaped stairs, removing the need to buy multiple vacuums or carry them by hand. Eufy also introduced the RoboVac Omni S2, a new flagship with 30,000 Pa suction, extendable mops for edge cleaning, automatic dustbin emptying, and even a built-in fragrance system. What's your opinion?