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Core Technology

How robots are
actually built.

From the mechanics of motion to the neural networks that give machines perception — a complete look at the technology underneath modern robotics.

Hardware
Mechanical Systems
All hardware articles
Deep-Dive

How Does a Robot Actually Move? Actuators, force, and the physics of robot motion

Electric motors, hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic systems — every robot chooses how to generate force. The choice shapes everything: precision, speed, power density, and what the robot can actually do in the world.

February 2025
Deep-Dive

Degrees of freedom explained: how joints, axes, and range of motion define what a robot can do

Coming soon
Explainer

Actuators compared: hydraulic, pneumatic, and electric systems

Coming soon
Hardware
Sensing & Perception
All sensing articles
Deep-Dive

How Does a Robot Actually See? Sensors, fusion, and the architecture of machine perception

A camera is the easy part. The hard part is everything that happens next — turning a flood of raw sensor data into something a machine can use to understand where it is, what surrounds it, and what to do about it.

February 2025

How Does a Robot Hear? Microphone arrays, beamforming, and machine listening

February 2025

How Does a Robot Feel? Touch, pressure, and the challenge of robotic sensation

February 2025
Explainer

How does a robot know where it is? Localization, SLAM, and the elegant solution to navigating unknown space

February 2025
🔬

Depth cameras in-depth

Structured light, time-of-flight, and stereo vision — coming March 2025.

Software
Artificial Intelligence
All AI articles
Analysis

The end of pre-programmed motion: how foundation models are reshaping robot training

For decades, industrial robots were choreographed — every movement scripted in advance. Large-scale neural models trained on diverse manipulation data are changing the fundamental paradigm of how robots acquire new skills.

February 2025Advanced
Explainer

Reinforcement learning for robotics: a plain-language introduction

January 2025
Deep-Dive

Foundation models for robotics: what changes when perception becomes general

February 2025Advanced
Software
Motion Planning
All motion planning articles
Explainer

Path planning algorithms: from A* to RRT* — when to use which

The challenge of getting a robot from A to B without hitting anything is deceptively complex. We map the major algorithmic families — grid-based, sampling-based, and optimisation-based — and explain what makes each one suited to different environments.

December 2024Intermediate
Explainer

Forward vs inverse kinematics: the maths behind robot arm control

October 2024Intermediate
🗺

Trajectory optimisation

Going beyond planning to find the best path — coming April 2025.

Emerging
Soft Robotics & Beyond
All emerging tech articles
Deep-Dive

What is soft robotics? Compliant systems and the future of human-safe machines

Traditional robots are rigid — precise, powerful, but dangerous near humans. A growing research field is building machines from flexible, deformable materials that can adapt to their environment in ways no rigid system can match.

November 2024
Explainer

Swarm robotics: emergent behaviour from simple rules

October 2024Intermediate
🌐

Neuromorphic hardware

Brain-inspired chips for robotic control — coming Q2 2025.

Stay Current

The field moves fast. Keep up.

Monthly dispatches on robotics research, industry developments, and educational resources.