RAI Institute

In addition to powerful throwing arms, AthenaZero features light, high-speed, tendon-driven hands capable of closing in ~80ms. Powered by torso motors, they combine high force with extreme delicacy, handling heavy tools or fragile items…

They say robotics moved west, but Boston didn’t get the memo. 🦞 The Massachusetts ecosystem is one of the world's leading hubs for robotics, combining top research, companies, and deep-tech investment. At its core are Massachusetts…

I truly believe we live in times where robots will be present in so maaany new places Not just industrial sites, or warehouses When Marc first told me about his idea of creating robot companions it clicked immediately Just imagine all the…

Robotics startups raised a record $18.6 billion in one quarter this year, and almost all of it is going to factories and warehouses. @dynamicreatures is going the other way. The team left Boston Dynamics to build character robots for theme…

This is a clever approach to mobile robotics. https://t.co/xFa9QUSNKl https://t.co/7wl9gG6Qob

While legged robots navigate unstructured environments well, their high energy use and low speeds can hinder longer journeys. Wheeled robots offer efficiency but can struggle with obstacles like curbs or stairs. To bridge this gap between…

RAI Institute is robotics' wildest lab. Some of its robots: ✸ Robot bicycle ✸ Wheeled biped ✸ Juggling robot Founded in 2022 by Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert SoftBank sold Boston Dynamics to Hyundai. Now it's reportedly buying RAI.…

The latest version of Roadrunner in action for the first time in RAI Institute's Cambridge lab! Thoughts on the new design? Video Credit: RAI Institute #engineering #technology #roadrunner https://t.co/gaxlUHJ4aC

SoftBank sold Boston Dynamics five years ago. Now its buying the lab its founder built next. SoftBank has agreed to acquire the @rai_inst, Marc Raibert's research lab. The man who created Boston Dynamics. The same institution Hyundai…

Deploying reinforcement learning (RL) policies on physical hardware can be challenging. The sim-to-real gap is often caused by out-of-distribution observations or physics models, but can stem from code complexity and discrepancies between…

A robot that can switch between walking and rolling depending on what the terrain demands. 🤯🤖 Meet Roadrunner, a bipedal wheeled robot prototype from the Robotics & AI Institute (RAI Institute). It can: - Drive with wheels side-by-side -…

We were lucky enough to see the latest version of Roadrunner in action for the first time in our Cambridge lab! Our colleagues from RAI’s Zurich office gave us a preview of their IROS demo and did a Q&A after. What do you think of the new…

What if a robot could move through the air with the precision of a flying machine? At IROS 2026, RAI Institute is showcasing its custom-built robots, including the U M V, Roadrunner and Koala grippers. The Roadrunner demo is especially…

RAI Institute is at IROS2026 with some really cool robots. Roadrunner would be the first one I’d go check out. Seeing it move in person looks worth it. https://t.co/ewfm9Gxj3c https://t.co/dt9PnL5ck3

Happy #IROS2026! Stop by the RAI Institute booth #1102 to grab some stickers and check out some of our custom-built robots including the UMV, Roadrunner, and Koala grippers. You can also catch Roadrunner in action in the robot demo area.…

IROS 2026 lists 183 exhibitors in its official directory including companies and organizations. 1. 42de GmbH 2. Abaka AI 3. Aether AI 4. AGIBOT 5. AgileX Robotics 6. Agility 7. Amazon 8. Analog Devices Inc 9. Apex Sensing LLC 10. Applied…

We’re headed to #IROS2026 next week, booth #1102! Ahead of the conference, learn more about the robotic research we’ll be presenting. Topics include methods to enable zero-shot skill composition, whole-body model predictive control for…

Our work on AthenaZero is the featured story in this month’s issue of @SciRobotics! This bimanual manipulator designed to minimize inertia without compromising control authority. By placing motors closer to the base and using high-torque…

A robot that throws a baseball at 113 km/h 🥎 AthenaZero, from the @rai_inst, on the cover of Science Robotics this month. Effective mass at the wrist: 3.97 kg. The paper measures a Franka at 29.21 kg and a UR5e at 34.72 kg on the same…

🚨 BREAKING: A Boston Dynamics spinout just emerged from stealth, and it's building something no one else in robotics is focused on. Dynamic Creatures was co-founded by Marc Theermann, former Chief Strategy Officer at Boston Dynamics, and…

Is Zurich really the capital of robotics in Europe? 🇪🇺 Well, if you look at their robotics ecosystem, it seems true! 👀 SPOILER: Zurich robotics ecosystem is that BIG, that describing it I exceeded X post standard length (so decided to…