The DiscoveryLayer forPhysical AI
Exploring the machines, technologies and interactions shaping the physical world.
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Featured
How to Choose a Dexterous Robot Hand: DoF, Tactile Sensing and Integration
Choosing a dexterous robot hand means matching a specific manipulation task to mechanical actuation, contact sensing, control software, and integration constraints. This engineering guide explains how to compare specifications without mistaking advertised features for verified system performance.
Read article →Robotics
Robotics
Robotics technology, companies, products, and commercialization.
What Is Robot Planning? From Goals to Feasible Motion
Robot planning connects a goal to feasible actions and motions under constraints. Learn how task planning, motion planning, configuration space, search, trajectories, and feedback fit together—and why a feasible plan does not guarantee physical success.
EvergreenWhat Is Robot Control? From High-Level Commands to Physical Motion
Robot control turns desired behavior into physical action through feedback, motion and force regulation, predictive optimization, whole-body coordination, and learned components.
EvergreenWhat Is a World Model in Robotics? How Robots Predict What Happens Next
World models help robots predict how actions may change the physical world. This explainer covers learned dynamics, planning, latent prediction, simulation, VLAs, and the limits of predicting real-world outcomes.
EvergreenWhat Is a Robot Foundation Model? From AI Models to Physical Intelligence
Robot foundation models extend the foundation-model idea into physical systems, where data, perception, action, embodiment, and feedback must work together under real-world constraints.
EvergreenHow Does Robot Manipulation Work? From Perception and Planning to Control
Robot manipulation is purposeful physical interaction with objects and environments. This guide uses peg insertion to explain task-relevant state, grasping, planning, contact, control, feedback, learning-based methods, and the evidence needed beyond a lab demonstration.
EvergreenWhat Is Sim2Real in Robotics? How Robots Move from Simulation to Reality
Sim2Real describes the methods and evidence used to move a robot capability from a simulated environment to a physical one. This guide explains the reality gap, transfer strategies, and why simulation success alone is not deployment evidence.
Topics
Topics
Enter the knowledge base through maintained topics connected to articles and companies.
Humanoid Robots
A guide to humanoid-robot systems, capabilities, industry participants, and commercialization.
Physical AI
How AI perceives, decides, and acts in the real world through robots and other physical systems.
Robot Learning
How robots acquire executable capabilities from demonstrations, data, simulation, and interaction.
Robot Manipulation
How robots grasp, move, assemble, and use tools to change the physical environment.
Vision-Language-Action (VLA)
How vision-language-action models turn observations and natural-language instructions into robot actions.
Companies
Recently Updated Companies
Localized company profiles ordered by their latest verification or content update.
Tesla Optimus
Tesla is connecting its vehicle-scale manufacturing and AI infrastructure to the Optimus humanoid program; the public record is stronger on prototypes and internal testing than on external commercial deployment.
Updated Aug 26, 2026US · SalemAgility Robotics
A Salem-based robotics company developing Digit for logistics, manufacturing, and other industrial workflows.
Updated Aug 26, 2026US · AustinApptronik
Apptronik is a U.S. robotics company developing the Apollo humanoid platform for manufacturing, logistics, and warehouse work.
Updated Aug 26, 2026US · San JoseFigure AI
A San Jose AI robotics company building general-purpose humanoid robots and the Helix vision-language-action system, with Figure 03 as its current generation.
Updated Aug 24, 2026