World's smallest wireless flying robot

Good morning, robotics enthusiasts. UC Berkeley has created the world’s smallest flying robot — a tiny bumblebee-inspired machine that can hover, change direction, and even serve as an artificial pollinator.

The Berkeley team is developing a range of tiny robots, from indestructible cockroach-inspired bots to injectable swarms, offering a glimpse into a future where the most impactful bots would be working on a microscopic scale.

In today’s robotics rundown:

• World’s smallest wireless flying robot

• Agility raising $400M for Digit humanoid

• Unitree’s next-gen humanoid hand

• UK surgical robot scores $200M

• Quick hits on other robotic news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

UC BERKELEY

🐝 World’s smallest wireless flying robot

The Rundown: Engineers at UC Berkeley just developed the world's smallest wireless flying robot—a bumblebee-inspired bot that is less than a centimeter in diameter and can hover, change directions, and even hit small targets.

The details:

• The robot’s lightweight, 3D-printed polymer body relies on external magnetic fields for propulsion instead of onboard batteries.

• It features two neodymium magnets that spin under alternating magnetic forces, generating lift and enabling directional adjustments.

• Capable of precise flight paths, the future iterations of the robot could be used for artificial pollination or inspecting small spaces, such as the insides of pipes.

• However, the current prototype has no onboard sensors and cannot adjust its movements in real time, meaning a strong wind can knock it off course.

Why it matters: Researchers suggest that further minimizing this bot to less than 1mm in diameter could make it light enough to be controlled by much weaker magnetic fields, like those from radio waves. Tiny flying bots like this have limitless potential for search and rescue missions, safety checks, and replacing the dwindling bee population.

AGILITY ROBOTICS

 🤖 Agility raising $400M for Digit humanoid

The Rundown: Agility Robotics, the Oregon-based company behind Digit humanoid, is reportedly nearing a $400M round of funding, led by WP Global Partners’ venture arm and SoftBank—pushing its valuation to an impressive $1.75B.

The details:

• Digit is designed as a “blue collar” humanoid for warehouse automation with a payload capacity of 35lbs and advanced sensors/LiDAR for navigation.

• The funding reports coincide with technical upgrades to Digit, including an extended battery life (up to 4 hours) and autonomous charging.

• Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund, Playground Global, and DCVC are said to be involved in the round, though Agility hasn’t confirmed the details.

• The funding will likely accelerate production at the company’s Oregon-based “RoboFab” facility, which aims to deliver over 10,000 robots annually.

Why it matters: The humanoid race is on, with rivals like Figure AI and Apptronik also raising millions and scaling operations. Agility’s Digit is priced at a hefty $250K, but that hasn’t stopped companies like Amazon, Spanx, and GXO Logistics from investing in them. Ford is evaluating the robot for last-mile delivery solutions.

UNITREE

🖐🏽 Unitree’s next-gen humanoid hand

The Rundown: China’s robotics powerhouse Unitree unveiled its most advanced humanoid robotic hand—Dex5-1—packed with dexterous features, including the ability to maneuver a Rubik’s Cube and wiggle its fingers.

The details:

• Each Dex5-1 features 20 DoF (16 active and 4 passive joints) and mimics human-like agility with independent control of each finger and thumb. 

• The hand comes with an optional 94 tactile sensors distributed across the palm, fingertips, and finger roots—making it incredibly perceptive and flexible.

• The company says it features “smooth backdrivability” across all joints, allowing natural force adjustment and reinforcement learning-based training.

• It also features a modular design, where fingers can be replaced with a quick-swap mechanism and micro-gap joints prevent snagging during grasps.        

Why it matters: Robotic companies are aiming to push the limits of what humanoid hands can do, like Sanctuary AI’s dexterous hydraulic hand’s ability to handle wrenches or objects under load. While Sanctuary’s hand offers higher power, Unitree’s version looks to be balancing affordability and accessibility for wide deployment.

MEDICAL ROBOTS

🩺 UK surgical robot scores $200M

The Rundown: UK-based startup CMR Surgical just raised a whopping €185M ($200M) and launched its surgical robot, Versius, in the U.S. to challenge a company that has been dominating the soft tissue robotic surgery domain for two decades.

The details:

• Versius, a portable and modular robotic system, is entering the U.S. market, dominated by U.S. Intuitive Surgical, currently valued at $180B.

• The robot aims to differentiate itself with a lower price tag via reusable instruments and a managed-service model to reduce upfront costs.

• Just last month, the company announced its FDA clearance and that more than 30,000 global surgical cases have been completed using its system.

• Versius’ open surgeon console also helps reduce stress and fatigue during surgery and allows for 3D HD vision.

Why it matters: While Intuitive’s da Vinci system holds a near-monopoly in the robotic surgery market, which is estimated to grow from $11.8B in 2024 to $54.6B by 2034, CMR’s focus on a compact design and lower price could give it an edge, appealing to hospitals seeking alternatives.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in robotics today

Amazon is expected to launch the first batch of 27 Project Kuiper space internet satellites next week, set to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink.

U.S. startup Chef Robotics raised $43.1M in Series A funding to scale its AI-enabled robotic systems for meal assembly in food manufacturing plants.

Chinese firm UBTech’s Walker S1 just became the first humanoid employed by Audi, now helping with electric vehicle inspections at its factory in China.

Vivo, one of China’s top smartphone companies, announced that it is pivoting to robotics with a new robotics lab for developing consumer and home use tech.

U.S. researchers developed a framework for co-training robot policies that combines simulation data with real-world robot demonstrations.

Shanghai robotics company Keenon unveiled its new humanoid, XMAN-R1, designed for customer service and cleaning jobs in hotels, retail, and healthcare.

Former Google scientist Luo Jianlan joined Shanghai’s Agibot as chief scientist, heading up its embodied intelligence research center.

Robotic firm GITAI secured a contract with Japan to develop a concept study for its robotic arm designed for NASA’s Artemis crewed lunar mission.

University of Maryland researchers are advancing underwater drone technology by developing a robotic fin inspired by tuna for faster propulsion.

EHang received regulatory approval in China for operating commercial unmanned passenger flights of its two-seater EH216-S eVTOL aircraft.

Germany’s Dryad Networks unveiled its first fully functional AI-powered drone system designed to detect, locate, and monitor wildfires in their early stages.

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Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team