6 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Robot

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
TCL revealed a concept companion robot called Ai Me.

The company describes Ai Me (Amy) as the “world’s first modular AI companion robot” but didn’t go into details about its full capabilities. A camera on its head can record videos or recognize objects using AI, and while the bot’s movements are limited to tiny flapping arms and blinking animated eyes, it pairs with a small motorized chair to autonomously navigate a home.

A close-up of the face of TLC’s Ai Me concept robot.
A close up of TCL’s Ai Me robot’s forehead camera.
TCL’s Ai Me robot perched in its rolling motorized chair on a wooden floor in a home.
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Ai Me features animated eyes that can blink and two stubby arms that can move up and down.
Screenshot: YouTube
Samsung claims its Ballie AI robot will actually be released this year

Is Samsung’s round robot finally ready to roll out of CES demos and into actual homes?

Chris Welch
This robot vacuum has legsThis robot vacuum has legs
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
This tiny robot will huff and puff to cool hot drinks and food.

Nékojita FuFu is another unusual robot creation from Yukai Engineering. It’s designed to hang off a mug or sit next to a plate and cool hot drinks and food by blowing on it with varying intensities. It can reduce temperatures by up to 30 degrees in three minutes and will be available in Japan in mid-2025 for about $25.

Yukai Engineering’s Nékojita FuFu mini-robot hanging off the side of a mug filled with steaming liquid.
Yukai Engineering’s Nékojita FuFu mini-robot hanging off the side of a bowl and sitting next to a plate.
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Yukai Engineering’s Nékojita FuFu mini-robot’s sole purpose is to cool down hot food and drinks.
Image: Yukai Engineering
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Tesla’s now selling a seven-inch version of its humanoid robot.

Tesla’s Optimus robot is now available through the company’s online store, but in a version that’s even less capable than the ones at its recent Cybercab reveal. The $40, 1:10-scale Tesla Bot Action Figure stands 7.16 inches tall and is assembled from over 40 parts offering 20 points of articulation. It includes a tiny matching charging stand and a CyberHammer.

Two Tesla Bot action figures, one sitting and one standing, posed next to each other.
Two Tesla Bot action figures posed standing next to each other.
The Tesla Bot action figure in its packaging.
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Each seven-inch tall figure has 20 points of articulation.
Image: Tesla
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Boston Dynamics’ Spot can now avoid tripping on wires.

Although the robot dog can see the world in 3D, it can’t always understand it, so a recent software update now allows Spot to recognize and avoid hazards like wires, ladders, and rolling carts using AI foundation models.

Also, didn’t anyone else notice those two dino-headed robots in the background of this new Spot video? What else is Boston Dynamics secretly working on there?

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot is hard to trick on Halloween.

After shedding its bulky hydraulics, the new all-electric version of the humanoid robot Atlas is now small enough to wear Halloween costumes. In a follow-up to a video demonstrating the robot’s autonomous capabilities, Atlas — dressed up as a hot dog — manages to avoid being tricked when the dolly it’s loading with car parts is moved without the robot realizing.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Speaking of robots...

While Tesla’s Optimus bot can now hand out drinks, Agility Robotics’ Digit has been available to actually buy since 2020. It’s been deployed in environments like Amazon warehouses and Agility’s own RoboFab, where it’s used to move, load, and unload boxes.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Missed Tesla’s Cybercab event?

Check out our video highlighting the most important parts.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The Optimus robots can talk, apparently.

One called Elon the “Technoking.”

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Here’s an Optimus bartender.

It’s wearing a cowboy hat, for some reason.

A Tesla robot standing by some drinks.
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Tesla sends out “We, Robot” invitations for its robotaxi event in October.

I’m not sure if this counts as Hollywood magic yet, but this is how Tesla’s promoting its robotaxi unveiling event. Elon Musk had announced an August date for the event, but then it was pushed back until October 10th.

The invitations say that remarks will begin at 7PM PT, if you’d like to clear some time in your schedule.

Graphic showing an optical sensor and the words “We, Robot”
Image: Tesla (X)
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
You may never need to refill this floor mopping robovac.

The 3i S10 Ultra is claimed to be the first robotic mop and vacuum that never needs to be refilled or connected to a water source. It instead cleans and recycles its wastewater, while also extracting all the clean water it needs from the air.

Full pricing is expected to be $1,899, but the robovac can be preordered through Kickstarter at a discount.

The 3i S10 Ultra robot vacuum and mopper parked in its dock.
The 3i S10 Ultra robovac claims to recycle its wastewater and top up its reservoir by extracting water from the air.
Image: Kickstarter
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Dreame’s concept robovac can climb (small) steps.

At IFA this week, Roborock and SharkNinja showed off robot vacuums that can lift themselves up to get over high room transitions, but Dreame went “a step” further.

It demoed its new ProLeap system, which uses retractable legs to navigate very low steps, as this video from The Ambient shows.

The tech is still in development but the company says it should arrive on its product line soon.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Watch Disney’s adorable droids waddle on its omnidirectional treadmill floor.

Disney Imagineering debuted its bipedal BD-X droids at its theme parks last year which can remain balanced even while autonomously walking over uneven terrain.

Their creators have been working to improve the droids’ movements and capabilities and are now teaching them to balance on terrain that’s dynamically changing beneath their feet using Disney’s equally innovative HoloTile treadmill floors.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
This robot vacuum has two “eyes” to see your floors better.

The Narwal Freo Z Ultra ($1,499.99) uses two cameras to constantly scan while cleaning and adapt to what it spots.

Dual AI chips mean it can identify objects and decide how to clean — get close to chair leg but give pet poop a wide berth, retract its brush when it sees a cable, and activate mop-only when there’s a wet mess ahead.

<em>The Narwal’s two 1200p RGB cameras have 136-degree viewing angles and are powered by dual AI chips, which allows it to understand what it sees and adapt cleaning accordingly.</em>
<em>The robot vacuum/mop has 12,000Pa suction and can lift its mops 12mm to clear low-pile carpets while mopping.</em>
<em>The Freo Z Ultra is the brand’s first with an auto-empty dock, which it says empties the robot’s bin more quietly than the competition.</em>
<em>The robot can swing its body to help its dual spinning mops get closer to baseboards.</em>
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The Narwal’s two 1200p RGB cameras have 136-degree viewing angles and are powered by dual AI chips, which allows it to understand what it sees and adapt cleaning accordingly.
Image: Narwal