Robotics

News, deep dives, and analysis — every Robotics story, newest first.

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Oct 20

Last updated

Drone robotics coverage sits underneath the finished product: the autonomy, sensing and manufacturing systems that make a drone work, or that stretch what a drone even looks like.

Sensing research is finding real alternatives to cameras and LiDAR: a Duke University drone tracks another drone using only its sound, an autonomy approach that keeps working when visual tracking is blocked or when a target is actively trying to avoid detection.

The manufacturing side of robotics matters just as much as the flying hardware. Corvus Robotics drones cut GNC backorders to 98 a day, a production-automation story about the supply chain behind drone components rather than about any single finished aircraft.

Experimental builds outside the standard rotor-and-camera format get coverage too: Cuddle-Fish is a soft, floating helium robot built to keep you company, a project that pushes the definition of “drone” well past its usual boundaries. The broader drone technology desk and artificial intelligence desk cover related autonomy work. Every drone robotics story is in the feed below.

Key facts

What this covers: The robotics layer of drones: autonomy research, sensing systems, and manufacturing robotics that support production at scale
Autonomy edge case: Research is pushing drones past camera and LiDAR sensing entirely, toward alternative methods like acoustic tracking
Manufacturing angle: Robotics coverage extends to the production side, where automation is cutting order backlogs for drone component makers

Start here

Duke University Drone Tracks Another Drone Using Only Its Sound — August 18, 2026
Corvus Robotics Drones Cut GNC Backorders to 98 a Day — June 27, 2026
Cuddle-Fish: The Helium Robot Built To Keep You Company — July 16, 2026

Last updated October 20, 2026 — the feed below updates with every new story.

Black quadcopter drone with tall landing legs and a camera gimbal flying against a cloudy sky

Robotics · Belgium

DJI Dock 4 Demoed for Belgian First Responders. US Teams Can't Buy It

Belgium's state drone pilot course turned 10 at PLOT in Genk, where DJI Dock 4 got a live demo two days after launch. US rescuers can't buy it.

Haye KestelooOct 203 min read

Rows of semiconductor manufacturing tools and monitors under yellow light inside an Intel cleanroom

FCC Filing

Intel Asks FCC to Spare Its Fab Robots From the Drone-Ban Playbook

Intel asked the FCC on October 16 to waive Covered List rules for the foreign-made robots in its fabs, the origin-based ban that hit DJI drones in 2025.

Haye KestelooOct 20

Pete Hegseth in a navy suit gesturing with clasped hands in front of a red, white and blue striped backdrop, lectern with the Department of War seal at left

Department of Defense

Hegseth Orders Four-Star Drone Command, Congress Has To Build It

Hegseth ordered a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command for Oct. 1, 2027. The memo names no commander, no budget, and needs a law Congress hasn't passed.

Haye KestelooOct 1

Ukrainian soldiers loading a machine-gun ammunition belt into a tracked unmanned ground vehicle

Ukraine

Ukraine Air-Drops Kamikaze Robots 12 Miles Behind Russian Lines

Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps flies explosive ground robots over the front under heavy bomber drones, and credits the tactic with 48 square miles retaken.

Haye KestelooSep 27

Lineup of AI-generated military robots including a humanoid, quadrupeds, a tracked snake robot and gun carts in a foggy field

Ukraine

Fedorov Wants A Humanoid Robot Killing Russians Within Six Months

Fired as defense minister in July, the man behind Ukraine's Army of Drones launched an Army of Robots and set a six-month target for a humanoid kill.

Haye KestelooSep 26

Livox Mid-360L 3D LiDAR sensor, a black square housing topped by a dark hemispherical dome, sitting on a pale grey ledge

DJI

DJI Spinoff Livox Halves Point Rate to Cut Robot LiDAR Cost

Livox's Mid-360L halves the Mid-360's point rate and trades 15° of vertical view for a cheaper robot LiDAR. Livox has not published a price.

Haye KestelooSep 21

Four Swarmer engineers in black company shirts assemble quadcopter drones on a crowded workbench in a small blue-walled workshop

Ukraine

Erik Prince's Swarmer Buys Ukraine's Ratel Robotics for Up to $224M

Nasdaq-listed Swarmer, chaired by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, is buying Ukraine's Ratel Robotics for up to $224 million, mostly in stock.

Haye KestelooSep 10

Three XTEND drones with different payloads hovering in formation above a green treeline under a clear blue sky

Department of Defense

XTEND CEO Signs $1.5B NYSE Deal Mid-Call, Pentagon Score Still Sealed

Aviv Shapira signed XTEND's JFB closing during a DroneXL interview. XTND trades on the NYSE Friday, Gauntlet II unscored. 'I think we did good,' he says.

Haye KestelooSep 3

Frequently asked questions

What is the Duke University sound-tracking drone research about?

A Duke University drone tracks another drone using only its sound, an autonomy approach that doesn't depend on cameras or LiDAR at all, useful in situations where visual tracking is blocked or where a target drone is specifically trying to avoid visual detection.

Does drone robotics coverage include manufacturing automation, not just the drones themselves?

Yes. Corvus Robotics drones cut GNC backorders to 98 a day, a supply-chain and manufacturing robotics story rather than a story about a specific consumer or enterprise drone product, reflecting how automation affects the whole production pipeline, not just the finished aircraft.

What kind of experimental or unconventional robotic builds get covered here?

Genuinely novel designs outside the standard quadcopter mold. Cuddle-Fish is a soft, floating helium robot built to keep you company, an experimental robotics project that stretches what counts as a drone well past the conventional camera-and-rotors format.

Robotics

Key facts

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Frequently asked questions

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