robots
Now You Can Rent a Robot Worker—for Less Than Paying a Human
Automation is reaching more companies, imperiling some jobs and changing the nature of others.
The Future of Robot Nannies
A machine can't love our children, but our children might love them.
Who Killed the Robot Dog?
The robotic companion was once a dream of techno-utopianism, but has instead become a terrifying weapon. What happened?
Robots Won’t Close the Warehouse Worker Gap Anytime Soon
Even Amazon’s new AI-powered machines aren’t nearly capable enough to handle the most important fulfillment tasks.
Inside X’s Mission to Make Robots Boring
Plus: The man behind a famous paradox, the laws that will govern the metaverse, and a deadly swarm of scorpions.
This Intrepid Robot Is the WALL-E of the Deep Sea
Here's how engineers got the car-sized Benthic Rover II to roam the seafloor 13,000 feet deep without immediately breaking down.
These Robots Follow You to Learn Where to Go
Burro makes carts that help growers of trees and vineyards with harvests. Meanwhile, the maker of Vespa scooters wants to carry your groceries.
These Virtual Obstacle Courses Help Real Robots Learn to Walk
Researchers used specialized chips and simulation software to teach a four-legged robot to navigate stairs and blocks.
Amazon’s Astro Is a Dog That Will Have Its Day
Plus: The original idea for Roomba, when startups grow up, and a mosquito invasion.
Let's Talk About Amazon’s Home-Patrolling Robots
This week, we break down Amazon’s domestic robot strategy, and what privacy questions you should ask yourself before you buy in.
Amazon’s Astro Is a Robot Without a Cause
It’s the company’s first foray into mobile robots for the home, and likely not its last.
Why Robots Can’t Sew Your T-Shirt
Machines can print textiles, cut fabric, and fold clothes. But it’s hard to train them to sew as fast and precisely as humans.
Portrait of Spot the Robot Dog Descending a Staircase
A new exhibit by classical portrait painter Agnieska Pilat seeks to bring out the "essence" of her most recent sitters: Boston Dynamics' Spot and Atlas.
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Can Robots Evolve Into Machines of Loving Grace?
Perhaps, if we put bots together the right way, consciousness will simply emerge.
Tesla Bot Takes Tech Demos to Their Logical Conclusion
Elon Musk’s bizarre demo laid bare the truth of many new tech demos: They are a storyboarded vision of the future held together by digital duct tape.
Tesla Promised a Robot. Was It Just a Recruiting Pitch?
The highlight of an event aimed at AI whizzes was a human simulating a robot that might someday replace a human.
Is the Robot-Filled Future of Farming a Nightmare or Utopia?
A new paper argues that the rise of artificial intelligence in agriculture could be the best—or worst—innovation for our environment.
John Deere Doubles Down on Silicon Valley and Robots
The farm-equipment giant is buying Bear Flag Robotics, which makes autonomous tractors, marking its second big tech buy in four years.
How to Prepare for the Robot Apocalypse (If You’re a Robot)
In the Netflix show The Mitchells vs. the Machines, robots are planning to blast all of humanity into outer space. How much time and energy will that take?
Boston Dynamics, BTS, and Ballet: The Next Act for Robotics
The company’s latest video, “Spot’s on It,” signals its deepening, complexifying relationship with dance.
This Robot Spies on Creatures in the Ocean's ‘Twilight Zone’
Mesobot looks like a giant AirPods case, but it's in fact a sophisticated machine that tracks animals making the most epic migration on Earth.
A Tentacle-Headed Robot Amuses Your Pets While You're Away
This app-controlled cat toy can livestream through its camera while you're away, but it's expensive.
We Asked Giant-Robot Experts to Critique Video Game Mecha
How realistic are Metal Gears and Titans anyway? WIRED asked industrial design and robotics pros how they'd operate.
The Dog Poodemic Is Here. Call in the Dung-Hunting Drones
Lockdown puppy madness has left sidewalks littered with feces. Robots that scan and scoop can help.