The robotics and physical AI blog.
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The canon
The Robotics Canon
The textbooks, papers, software and courses that have stood the test of time.
The main event
Humanoid Robot Hardware
A teardown of what is actually inside a 2026 humanoid, with real DoF, mass and torque numbers, and why autonomy still lags the hardware.
Get into the field
The Robotics Career Roadmap
The disciplines, the maths and skills in order, the roles, and realistic salary bands.
Physical AI Labs
5- Physical Intelligence (π0.5): The Open Reference Point for Generalist Robot Policies
- Gemini Robotics: three models, and a published record with almost no numbers in it
- NVIDIA Isaac GR00T: The Open Humanoid Model That Ships With Its Own Compute Bill
- Wayve: the end-to-end driving bet, and what it has actually shown
- Waabi: a simulation-first bet on autonomous trucking
Rankings & Roundups
4Robot & Company Reviews
16- Unitree G1 Review: The Cheap Humanoid's Expensive Catch
- Boston Dynamics Spot Review: The Price Everyone Quotes Is Wrong
- Unitree Go2 Review: Which Tier Actually Does What You Want
- Universal Robots Review: The Lineup Is Two Ladders, Not One
- Franka Research 3 Review: The Lab Default, and Its Corporate Asterisk
- Tesla Optimus Review: The Scorecard, Not the Demo Reel
- Figure 03 Review: The Only Humanoid With a Repeat Customer
- Agility Robotics Digit Review: The Order Book Is One Contract for a Robot That Has Not Shipped
- ANYbotics ANYmal X Review: The Only Ex-Certified Quadruped, and the FCC Rule That Now Sits On Top of It
- DJI Matrice Review: The Enterprise Line an FCC Proposal Would Call Military-Grade
- Skydio X10 Review: The Failure Rate Skydio Publishes Where Nobody Looks
- KUKA LBR iiwa Review: The Cobot KUKA Stopped Modernising
- NVIDIA Jetson Thor Review: 130W Rated, 330W Transient
- Roborock Saros 20 Review: Strong Cleaning, a Bounded Support Horizon
- Symbotic Review: One Customer, and a Restatement Worth Reading
- Zebra and Fetch Robotics: The Acquirer That Walked Away
Motors, Actuation & Drives
9Mechanical, Transmission & Materials
10- Robot Gearboxes: Harmonic & Cycloidal Drives
- Linear Motion Systems: Rails, Ball Screws & Linear Motors
- Bearings for Robotics
- Belts, Pulleys & Chain Drives for Robotics
- Rotary Encoders: Incremental, Absolute & Resolvers
- Robot Wiring, Connectors & Slip Rings
- Materials for Robotics
- 3D Printing for Robotics
- Robot Enclosures & IP Ratings
- End Effectors & Robotic Grippers
Power & Thermal
3Sensing & Perception
12- Robot Sensors: IMUs, Force/Torque & Proprioception
- LiDAR & Depth Cameras for Robots
- Depth Sensing: Stereo, ToF & Structured Light
- Machine Vision for Automation
- Robot Perception & Object Pose Estimation
- IMUs & Inertial Navigation
- Force/Torque Sensing for Robots
- Tactile Sensing & Robot E-Skin
- Radar for Robotics
- Event Cameras (Neuromorphic Vision)
- Ultrasonic & Proximity Sensing
- Thermal & Infrared Imaging for Robots
AI & Robot Learning
7Software, Networking & Systems
7Robot Types
6Drones & UAVs
10- Drone & UAV Hardware
- FPV Drones: Building, Flying & Digital Video
- Fixed-Wing & VTOL UAVs
- Drone Navigation: GNSS, RTK/PPK & GPS-Denied Flight
- Drone Mapping, Surveying & Photogrammetry
- Agricultural Drones & Precision Spraying
- Drone Delivery
- Military Drones & Loitering Munitions
- Counter-Drone Systems (C-UAS)
- Drone Regulations & Licensing
Applications & Industries
14- Warehouse & Logistics Robotics
- Surgical & Medical Robots
- Self-Driving Cars & Autonomous Vehicles
- Underwater Robots (AUV & ROV)
- Space Robotics
- Construction Robotics
- Agricultural Ground Robots
- Robotic Exoskeletons
- Cleaning & Domestic Robots
- Inspection Robots
- Security & Surveillance Robots
- Multi-Robot Systems & Swarms
- Robot Fleet Management
- Robot Maintenance & Troubleshooting
Buyer's Guides
15- How to Choose a Drone
- How to Choose a Humanoid Robot
- How to Choose a Cobot (Collaborative Robot)
- How to Choose an Industrial Robot Arm
- How to Choose a Robot Dog (Quadruped)
- How to Choose an AMR or AGV
- How to Choose a Robotic Gripper
- How to Choose a LiDAR
- How to Choose a Servo Motor
- How to Choose a Machine Vision Camera
- How to Choose a Robotics Dev Board & Compute
- How to Choose a Robot Simulator
- How to Choose a Robot Vacuum
- How to Choose a 3D Printer for Robotics
- How to Choose an Exoskeleton
