Today in Robotics — Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Today's lineup leans open: Intrinsic and NVIDIA both loosen the grip on their platforms, while Barbara Mazzolai sketches a whole new branch of robotics rooted in giving back to nature. Elsewhere there's a two-ton 3D-printed mold, an impeller-driven drone that shouldn't fly but does, and robots trading factory floors for a talent-show stage.
- 01 Barbara Mazzolai Wants to Build a New Field of Robotics
After moving from biology to bio-inspired robots, Mazzolai now wants the field to actively repay the environment rather than merely mimic it.
Read at source ↗ - 02 TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Aaron Edsinger brings Hello Robot’s Stretch 4 to life onstage
Hello Robot's Aaron Edsinger will demo Stretch 4 live at Disrupt, a rare chance to see the mobile manipulator's latest iteration off the spec sheet.
Read at source ↗ - 03 Exhibit tables added: One last chance to showcase your startup at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Disrupt reopened exhibit tables for one more week, giving robotics startups a last shot at 10,000-plus founders and investors in San Francisco.
Read at source ↗ - 04 Intrinsic open sources key parts of its platform for easier development
Intrinsic Core opens up parts of the company's manipulation platform, lowering the barrier for developers building industrial robot applications.
Read at source ↗ - 05 NVIDIA Isaac ROS 5.0 Advances Agentic, Open Source Robotics Development
Isaac ROS 5.0 folds agentic AI and new physical-AI models into the open ROS framework, aimed at robots that perceive, reason, and act.
Read at source ↗ - 06 US engineers 3D-print giant two-ton steel mold to make lighter aircraft doors
A robotic arm spent eight weeks printing a two-ton steel mold, showing metal additive manufacturing scaling to aerospace-grade tooling for lighter aircraft doors.
Read at source ↗ - 07 This quadcopter swaps propellers for 3D printed radial impellers and still flies
Builder QUADMOVR replaced every propeller with 3D-printed radial impellers and kept the quadcopter airborne, a satisfying reminder that unconventional geometries still deserve testing.
Read at source ↗ - 08 China's robot dancers limber up for America's Got Talent final
A veteran solo street dancer now shares the stage with a robot crew heading to America's Got Talent, blurring choreography and machine control.
Read at source ↗
The RobotCafe digest — five minutes, the whole field.