Robots in Society, Business and Culture: October 2026 Monthly Roundup

A Toyota Technological Institute team conducted five experiments using real mobile robots and VR; 92% of participants perceived a robot approaching from behind at the same physical speed as faster. Delft University of Technology's MonoRace autonomously navigated a track and beat a human champion using only a monocular rolling-shutter camera and IMU, without external motion capture; an ETH Zurich quadruped robot autonomously completed three 4.6 kg Rubik's Cube solves, each taking about 30 steps and 8 to 9 minutes. RobCo reached a $1 billion valuation through a $40 million share sale and plans to launch Alfie, a dual-arm self-learning robot, in March 2027.