The word “robot” was coined by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a 1920 play called Rossum’s Universal Robots, and is derived from the Czech robota, meaning “drudgery” or “servitude”.

Mar 26, 2026 · A new system increases throughput in automated warehouses by adaptively determining which robots should go first to avoid congestion and collisions. The work was led by researchers …

Mar 26, 2026 · AI system learns to keep warehouse robot traffic running smoothly This new approach adapts to decide which robots should get the right of way at every moment, avoiding congestion and …

Jan 15, 2025 · New insect-scale microrobots can fly more than 100 times longer than previous versions. The new bots, also significantly faster and more agile, could someday be used to pollinate fruits and …

Jun 5, 2025 · A new system enables a robot to “think ahead” and consider thousands of potential motion plans simultaneously, allowing the robot to solve a multistep problem in a few seconds.

Jul 17, 2025 · A new training interface allows a robot to learn a task in several different ways. This increased training flexibility could help more people interact with and teach robots — and may also …

Jul 23, 2025 · From R2D2 to the Terminator via Bender and Johnny-5, we choose our favourite robots from books, films and television series

Dec 5, 2025 · Founded by MIT alumni, the Pickle Robot Company has developed robots that can autonomously load and unload trucks inside warehouses and logistic centers.

Jul 10, 2025 · Robots are helping humans in a growing number of places – from archaeological sites to disaster zones and sewers. The most recent robotic inventions can entertain people in care homes …

Apr 24, 2025 · MIT roboticists developed a way to cut through data noise and help robots focus on the features in a scene that are most relevant for assisting humans. The system could be used in smart …