Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.

ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNA

Enjoy today’s videos!

No system is immune to failure. The compromise between reducing failures and improving adaptability is a recurring problem in robotics. Modular robots exemplify this tradeoff, because the number of modules dictates both the possible functions and the odds of failure. We reverse this trend, improving reliability with an increased number of modules by exploiting redundant resources and sharing them locally.

[ Science ] via [ RRL ]

Now that the Atlas enterprise platform is getting to work, the research version gets one last run in the sun. Our engineers made one final push to test the limits of full-body control and mobility, with help from the RAI Institute.

[ RAI ] via [ Boston Dynamics ]

Announcing Isaac 0: the laundry folding robot we’re shipping to homes, starting in February 2026 in the Bay Area.

[ Weave Robotics ]

In a paper published in Science, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the Humboldt University of Berlin, and the University of Stuttgart have discovered that the secret to the elephant’s amazing sense of touch is in its unusual whiskers. The interdisciplinary team analyzed elephant trunk whiskers using advanced microscopy methods that revealed a form of material intelligence more sophisticated than the well-studied whiskers of rats and mice. This research has the potential to inspire new physically intelligent robotic sensing approaches that resemble the unusual whiskers that cover the elephant trunk.

[ MPI ]

Got an interest in autonomous mobile robots, ROS2, and a mere $150 lying around? Try this.

[ Maker's Pet ]

Thanks, Ilia!

We’re giving humanoid robots swords now.

[ Robotera ]

A system developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo lets people collaborate with groups of robots to create works of art inspired by music.

[ Waterloo ]

FastUMI Pro is a multimodal, model-agnostic data acquisition system designed to power a truly end-to-end closed loop for embodied intelligence — transforming real-world data into genuine robotic capability.

[ Lumos Robotics ]

We usually take fingernails for granted, but they’re vital for fine-motor control and feeling textures. Our students have been doing some great work looking into the mechanics behind this.

[ Paper ]

This is a 550-lb all-electric coaxial unmanned rotorcraft developed by Texas A&M University’s Advanced Vertical Flight Laboratory and Harmony Aeronautics as a technology demonstrator for our quiet-rotor technology. The payload capacity is 200 lb (gross weight = 750 lb). The noise level measured was around 74 dBA in hover at 50-ft making this probably the quietest rotorcraft at this scale.

[ Harmony Aeronautics ]

Harvard scientists have created an advanced 3D printing method for developing soft robotics. This technique, called rotational multimaterial 3D printing, enables the fabrication of complex shapes and tubular structures with dissolvable internal channels. This innovation could someday accelerate the production of components for surgical robotics and assistive devices, advancing medical technology.

[ Harvard ]

Lynx M20 wheeled-legged robot steps onto the ice and snow, taking on challenges inspired by four winter sports scenarios. Who says robots can’t enjoy winter sports?

[ Deep Robotics ]

NGL right now I find this more satisfying to watch than a humanoid doing just about anything.

[ Fanuc ]

At Mentee Robotics, we design and build humanoid robots from the ground up with one goal: reliable, scalable deployment in real-world industrial environments. Our robots are powered by deep vertical integration across hardware, embedded software, and AI, all developed in-house to close the Sim2Real gap and enable continuous, around-the-clock operation.

[ Mentee Robotics ]

You don’t need to watch this whole video, but the idea of little submarines that hitch rides on bigger boats and recharge themselves is kind of cool.

[ Lockheed Martin ]

Learn about the work of Dr. Roland Siegwart, Dr. Anibal Ollero, Dr. Dario Floreano, and Dr. Margarita Chli on flying robots and some of the challenges they are still trying to tackle in this video created based on their presentations at ICRA@40 the 40th anniversary celebration of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[ ICRA@40 ]

IEEE TryEngineering is celebrating 20 years of empowering educators with resources that introduce engineering to students at an early age. Launched in 2006 as a collaboration between IEEE, IBM, and the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), TryEngineering began with a clear goal: Make engineering accessible, understandable, and engaging for students and the teachers who support them.

What started as an idea within IEEE Educational Activities has grown into a global platform supporting preuniversity engineering education around the world.

Concerns about the future

In the early 2000s, engineering was largely absent from preuniversity education, typically being taught only in small, isolated programs. Most students had little exposure to the many types of engineering, and they did not learn what engineers actually do.

At the same time, industry and academic leaders were increasingly concerned about the future of engineering as a whole. They worried about the talent pipeline and saw existing outreach efforts as scattered and inconsistent.

In 2004 representatives from several electrical and computer engineering industries met with IEEE leadership and expressed their concerns about the declining number of students interested in engineering careers. They urged IEEE to organize a more effective, coordinated response to unite professional societies, educators, and industry around a shared approach to preuniversity outreach and education.

One of the major recommendations to come out of that meeting was to start teaching youngsters about engineering earlier. Research from the U.S. National Academy of Engineering at the time showed that students begin forming attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and math fields from ages 5 to 10, and that outreach should begin as early as kindergarten. Waiting until the teen years or university-level education is simply too late, they determined; it needs to happen during the formative years to spark long-term interest in STEM learning.

The idea behind the website

TryEngineering emerged from the broader Launching Our Children’s Path to Engineering initiative, which was approved in 2005 by the IEEE Board of Directors. A core element of the IEEE program was a public-facing website that would introduce young learners to engineering projects, roles, and careers. The concept eventually developed into TryEngineering.org.

The idea for TryEngineering.org itself grew from an existing, successful model. The NYSCI operated TryScience.org, a popular public website supported by IBM that helped students explore science topics through hands-on activities and real‑world connections.

At the time, the IEEE Educational Activities group was working with the NYSCI on TryScience projects. Building a parallel site focused on engineering was a natural next step, and IBM’s experience in supporting large‑scale educational outreach made it a strong partner.

A central figure in turning that vision into reality was Moshe Kam, who served as the 2005–2007 IEEE Educational Activities vice president, and later as the 2011 IEEE president. During his tenure, Kam spearheaded the creation of TryEngineering.org and guided the international expansion of IEEE’s Teacher In‑Service Program, which trained volunteers to work directly with teachers to create hands-on engineering lessons (the program no longer exists). His leadership helped establish preuniversity education as a core, long‑term priority within IEEE.

“The founders of the IEEE TryEngineering program created something very special. In a world where the messaging about becoming an engineer often scares students who have not yet developed math skills away from our profession, and preuniversity teachers without engineering degrees have trepidation in teaching topics in our fields of interest, people like Dr. Kam and the other founders had a vision where everyone could literally try engineering,” says Jamie Moesch, IEEE Educational Activities managing director.

“Because of this, teachers have now taught millions of our hands-on lessons and opened our profession to so many more young minds,” he adds. “All of the preuniversity programs we have continued to build and improve upon are fueled by this massively important and simple-to-understand concept of try engineering.”

A focus on educators

From the beginning, TryEngineering focused on educators as the keys to its success, rather than starting with students. Instead of complex technical explanations, the platform offered free, classroom-ready lesson plans with clear explanations about engineering fields and examples with which students could relate. Hands-on activities emphasized problem‑solving, creativity, and teamwork—core elements of how engineers actually work.

IEEE leaders also recognized that misconceptions about engineering discouraged many talented young people—particularly girls and students from underrepresented groups—from pursuing engineering as a career. TryEngineering aimed to show engineering as practical, creative, and connected to real-world needs, helping students see that engineering could be for anyone, not just a narrow group of specialists.

By simply encouraging students and educators to just try engineering, doors are open to new possibilities and a broader understanding of the field. Even students who ultimately choose other career paths get to learn key concepts, such as the engineering design process, equipping them with practical skills for the rest of their life.

Outreach programs and summer camps

During the past two decades, TryEngineering has grown well beyond its original website. In addition to providing a vast library of lesson plans and resources that engage and inspire, it also serves as the hub for a collection of programs reaching educators and students in many ways.

Those include the TryEngineering STEM Champions program, which empowers dedicated volunteers to support outreach programs and serve as vital connectors to IEEE’s extensive resources. The TryEngineering Summer Institute offers immersive campus‑based experiences for students ages 13 to 17, with expanded locations and programs being introduced this year.

The IEEE STEM Summit is an annual virtual event that brings together educators and volunteers from around the world. TryEngineering OnCampus partners with universities around the globe to organize hands-on programs. TryEngineering educator sessions provide free professional development programs aligned with emerging industry needs such as semiconductors.

20 ways to celebrate 20 years

To mark its 20th anniversary, TryEngineering is celebrating with a year of special activities, new partnerships, and fresh resources for educators. Visit the TryEngineering 20th Anniversary collection page to explore what’s ahead, join the celebration, and discover 20 ways to celebrate 20 years of inspiring the next generation of technology innovators. This is an opportunity to reflect on how far the program has come, and to help shape how the next generation discovers engineering.

“The passion and dedication of the thousands of volunteers of IEEE who do local outreach enables the IEEE-wide goal to inspire intellectual curiosity and invention to engage the next generation of technology innovators,” Moesch says. “The first 20 years have been special, and I cannot wait to have the world experience what the future holds for the TryEngineering programs.”