Robotics guides, by topic.
131 in-depth guides across 15 areas, from actuators and sensing to AI, drones, and the buying decisions.
Physical AI Labs
5 guidesThe organisations building robot foundation models, judged on what they have published rather than on what they have announced.
- 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
4 guidesThe shortlists: which machine wins which job, ranked on evidence that can be checked rather than on spec sheets.
Robot & Company Reviews
16 guidesOne machine, one vendor, one honest verdict: real prices, real runtimes, and the limitations the demo reel leaves out.
- 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
9 guidesThe muscle of a robot: how motors turn current into torque, and the drives and actuators that move the joints.
Mechanical, Transmission & Materials
10 guidesThe structure and drivetrain: gearboxes, bearings, linear motion, wiring, materials, and the parts that carry the load.
- 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
3 guidesKeeping a robot fed and cool: battery systems, charging and docking, and thermal management.
Sensing & Perception
12 guidesHow robots see and feel the world: cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMUs, force and tactile sensing, and the perception on top.
- 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
7 guidesThe learning stack: reinforcement and imitation learning, foundation and VLA models, sim-to-real, and teleoperation.
Software, Networking & Systems
7 guidesThe software backbone: ROS 2 and middleware, industrial networking, simulation, safety, and cybersecurity.
Robot Types
6 guidesThe major machine families: humanoids, quadrupeds, mobile robots, industrial arms, cobots, and soft robots.
Drones & UAVs
10 guidesEverything that flies: multirotor and fixed-wing hardware, navigation, mapping, delivery, defense, and the rules.
- 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 guidesRobotics in the field: warehouses, surgery, self-driving, subsea, space, farms, construction, inspection, and more.
- 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 guidesHow to choose the right machine or component, by use case, spec, budget tier, and vendor.
- 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
Learn, Careers & Industry
7 guidesThe bigger picture: the canon, careers and certifications, programming, funding, and where the field is heading.
More
1 guidesAdditional guides.