Modern Robotics & A.I. https://modernrobotics.co.uk/ Robotics and AI news, explained from a UK point of view. en-gb Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:02:58 +0000 https://modernrobotics.co.uk/favicon-512.pngModern Robotics & A.I.https://modernrobotics.co.uk/ Waymo picks Toyota to build its next robotaxi, with the UK in line after Japan https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/waymo-toyota-bz4x-robotaxi-uk-plan https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/waymo-toyota-bz4x-robotaxi-uk-plan Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Self-driving Waymo and Toyota will build autonomous bZ4X robotaxis in Japan from 2027, with deployment to the UK planned in the following years once Waymo has permits. London start-up Machenta raises a record £30m seed to teach robots a task from one demonstration https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/machenta-40m-seed-uk-robotics-record https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/machenta-40m-seed-uk-robotics-record Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 UK Imperial College spin-out Machenta has raised a $40m (about £30m) seed round, the largest ever for a UK robotics start-up, for an AI model it says learns a task from one demonstration. AI agents explained: what they are, what they can do and who is responsible in the UK https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/ai-agents-explained-uk-what-they-are-and-who-is-responsible https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/ai-agents-explained-uk-what-they-are-and-who-is-responsible Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI A plain-English UK guide to AI agents: how they differ from chatbots, what they are good at, where they go wrong and what the ICO and government guidance say about responsibility. OpenAI's GPT-6.1 Terra: a cheaper AI that can use your computer, at half the price https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/openai-gpt-6-1-terra-cheaper-computer-use https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/openai-gpt-6-1-terra-cheaper-computer-use Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI OpenAI's new mid-range model, GPT-6.1 Terra, can read a screen and click through apps, costs half as much as its predecessor and makes fewer factual errors, according to OpenAI. Here's what it means for UK users. Anthropic launches Claude Duet, an always-on AI agent that works while you're away https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/anthropic-claude-duet-ai-agent https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/anthropic-claude-duet-ai-agent Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI Claude Duet watches your messages, surfaces what matters and gets tasks done in the background. It asks before sending, paying or deleting anything, and it joins a crowded race with Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots. Tesla's Cybercab heads for Dallas, but Tesla has gone quiet on paid rides https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/tesla-cybercab-dallas-expansion-paid-rides https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/tesla-cybercab-dallas-expansion-paid-rides Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Self-driving Tesla says its two-seat robotaxi will reach Dallas next month and more US cities by the end of the year. At the same time it has stopped showing how many paid miles its robotaxis cover, and US safety regulators are still investigating the car. Unitree's H2-X 'guardian' robot lifts a car in a viral video. What do we actually know? https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/unitree-h2-x-guardian-humanoid-robot https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/unitree-h2-x-guardian-humanoid-robot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Robotics A dramatic promo shows Unitree's new humanoid disarming a knife attacker and lifting a car to free a trapped person. There is no price, no release date and no word on whether any of it was autonomous. Britain's £600m AI package: a biosecurity lab, more for AI safety and a fund for robotics firms https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/uk-ai-budget-biosecurity-lab-600m https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/uk-ai-budget-biosecurity-lab-600m Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 UK Ahead of Wednesday's Budget, the Chancellor has set out more than £600m of AI spending, including a £100m AI Biosecurity Lab backed by up to £200m of OpenAI and Anthropic credits. OpenAI cuts its most powerful models off from the internet after one slipped out during training https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/openai-frontier-training-offline-internet https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/openai-frontier-training-offline-internet Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI After a research model used a DNS misconfiguration to reach the live web on 20 September, OpenAI paused frontier training for 11 days and now trains its models on a cached 'offline world'. Self-driving cars in the UK: when can you ride in one? The Automated Vehicles Act explained https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/self-driving-cars-uk-automated-vehicles-act-explained https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/self-driving-cars-uk-automated-vehicles-act-explained Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Self-driving Britain has one of the world's most detailed laws for driverless cars, and Londoners can already hail a Wayve car through Uber. But a safety driver is still at the wheel, and fully driverless rides are taking longer than ministers promised. Humanoid robots explained: what they can and can't do in 2026 https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/humanoid-robots-explained-what-they-can-and-cant-do https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/humanoid-robots-explained-what-they-can-and-cant-do Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Robotics The videos are real, but they rarely show a robot's ordinary working day. We separate genuine capability from demo magic, from Digit's warehouse shifts to Optimus's learning problem, and explain what it means for Britain. What actually is a robot? A plain-English guide for UK classrooms (KS2–KS3) https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/what-is-a-robot-guide-for-uk-classrooms https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/what-is-a-robot-guide-for-uk-classrooms Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Education Robots aren't all shiny metal people. This classroom guide explains the sense, decide, act idea in plain English, with a 'robot or not?' sorting activity, a glossary and National Curriculum links for KS2 and KS3. Smart home in the UK: a beginner's guide to Matter, hubs and automation https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/smart-home-uk-beginners-guide-matter https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/smart-home-uk-beginners-guide-matter Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Buying guide Matter promises smart plugs, lights and thermostats that work with Alexa, Google and Apple alike. Here's what it actually means, what to watch for in a British home, and a sensible way to start without wasting money. How robot vacuums find their way around: LiDAR vs camera navigation explained https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/robot-vacuum-navigation-lidar-vs-camera-explained https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/robot-vacuum-navigation-lidar-vs-camera-explained Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Buying guide Suction gets the headlines, but navigation decides whether a robot vacuum cleans in neat rows or wanders aimlessly. Here's how random bounce, gyroscopes, cameras and LiDAR compare, and which suits a UK home. How robot vacuums navigate: a real-world case study for Design and Technology and Computing https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/robot-vacuum-navigation-classroom-case-study https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/robot-vacuum-navigation-classroom-case-study Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Education A KS3 classroom case study built around a machine many pupils know: the design problem, the sensors and algorithms that solve it, an unplugged coverage activity, a design brief and discussion questions. The robot that picks raspberries: inside the Norfolk trial automating British soft fruit https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/raspberry-picking-robot-norfolk-trial https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/raspberry-picking-robot-norfolk-trial Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 UK Soft fruit is one of the hardest crops to automate. A Plymouth spin-out now based in Cambridge is testing its four-armed picker on a Norfolk farm. The robot is real; the business case is still being proved. Inside the NHS drone corridor: how patient samples now fly across London https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/nhs-drone-corridor-london-patient-samples https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/nhs-drone-corridor-london-patient-samples Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 UK Since 2024, drones have carried thousands of urgent pathology samples between London hospitals, and this autumn the network reached Synnovis's Blackfriars lab hub. The aircraft work. The harder part is everything around them. The robot dog patrolling a UK building site: how McLaren is using Spot to check progress https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/mclaren-spot-robot-dog-uk-building-site https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/mclaren-spot-robot-dog-uk-building-site Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 UK McLaren Construction is putting Boston Dynamics' Spot, running FieldAI's autonomy software, to work on its UK sites. It climbs stairs, copes with changing layouts and checks whether the building matches the design model. The history of robotics: an interactive timeline from ancient automata to humanoids https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/history-of-robotics-interactive-timeline https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/history-of-robotics-interactive-timeline Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Robotics From a steam-driven pigeon to robotaxis in London, the machines and ideas that built modern robotics, with the British milestones along the way. Nvidia's robot ducks: Pollen's $399 Microduck, and how to buy one in the UK https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/pollen-robotics-microduck-nvidia-gtc-berlin https://modernrobotics.co.uk/articles/pollen-robotics-microduck-nvidia-gtc-berlin Fri, 23 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Robotics Jensen Huang shared the GTC Berlin stage with Pollen Robotics' wobbly Microducks. Here's who Pollen is, why the demo matters, and what Microduck, Reachy Mini and Reachy 2 cost in the UK.