General Robotics Field
Cover illustration for “DARPA Robotics Programs Currently in Active Funding”

Essay Robotics Industry News

DARPA Robotics Programs Currently in Active Funding

Six DARPA programs target specific failure points in autonomous robot systems.

Liesel Brandtner9 min read

Robot Software and AI · Robotics Industry News · Robotics by Sector

A blog and newsletter on General Robotics Field.

Cover illustration for “Robotics Startup Funding Rounds This Quarter”

Essay Robotics Industry News

Robotics Startup Funding Rounds This Quarter

Investors now view robotics as platform software, not just hardware.

Priya Venkataraman · 8 min read

Cover illustration for “Food and Beverage Automation Robot Sanitation Requirements”

Essay Robotics by Sector

Food and Beverage Automation Robot Sanitation Requirements

Compliance requires materials, geometry, and cleaning protocols designed together.

Liesel Brandtner · 9 min read

Cover illustration for “Chinese Humanoid Robot Manufacturers Competing Globally”

Essay Robotics Industry News

Chinese Humanoid Robot Manufacturers Competing Globally

State backing and supply chains give China's robot makers volume, but not yet autonomy.

Priya Venkataraman · 8 min read

DARPA’s FY2026 budget provides the fiscal basis for this multi-front effort.
From DARPA Robotics Programs Currently in Active Funding
Cover illustration for “Robotics Acquisitions and Consolidation Trends”

Essay Robotics Industry News

Robotics Acquisitions and Consolidation Trends

The industry is consolidating around full-stack platforms rather than point solutions.

Marcus Oduya · 9 min read

Cover illustration for “Surgical Robot Adoption Rates Across Hospital System Tiers”

Essay Robotics by Sector

Surgical Robot Adoption Rates Across Hospital System Tiers

Teaching hospitals lead in robotic adoption; safety-net hospitals lag far behind.

Darnell Whitmore · 11 min read

Cover illustration for “Large Language Models as Robot Task Planners in Unstructured Environments”

Essay Robot Software and AI

Large Language Models as Robot Task Planners in Unstructured Environments

LLMs plan robot tasks by pairing language with perception and affordance constraints.

Marcus Oduya · 10 min read

Cover illustration for “Occupancy Grid vs Signed Distance Field Maps in Robot Navigation”

Essay Robot Software and AI

Occupancy Grid vs Signed Distance Field Maps in Robot Navigation

Signed distance fields enable gradient-based planning where occupancy grids cannot.

Liesel Brandtner · 10 min read

From the archive

  1. 01Essay Robot Software and AIImitation Learning Data Collection Pipelines for Manipulation TasksDarnell Whitmore · 11 min read
  2. 02Essay Robot Software and AIRobot Operating System Security Vulnerabilities in Industrial NetworksLiesel Brandtner · 9 min read
  3. 03Essay Robot Software and AIFoundation Models for Robot Manipulation Policy LearningDarnell Whitmore · 10 min read
  4. 04Essay Robot Software and AIDigital Twin Platforms for Robot Cell Simulation and CommissioningMarcus Oduya · 10 min read
  5. 05Essay Robot Software and AISimultaneous Localization and Mapping in Dynamic Warehouse EnvironmentsLiesel Brandtner · 11 min read
  6. 06Essay Robot Software and AIROS 2 vs Proprietary Middleware in Commercial Robot DeploymentsMarcus Oduya · 8 min read
  7. 07Essay Robotics by SectorAgricultural Robot Performance in Row Crop vs. Specialty Crop SettingsPriya Venkataraman · 9 min read
  8. 08Essay Robotics RegulationISO 10218 vs ANSI RIA R15.06 for Industrial Robot Safety ComplianceDarnell Whitmore · 10 min read
  9. 09Essay Robotics Industry NewsHumanoid Robot Deployments in Manufacturing PlantsDarnell Whitmore · 9 min read