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Research·Interesting Engineering / NTT DOCOMO·1 min read

NTT DOCOMO and Keio University Achieve First Haptic Robot Teleoperation Over Commercial 5G

NTT DOCOMO and Keio University demonstrated high-precision remote robot control with real-time force feedback over a commercial 5G standalone network — a first for practical teleoperation. The system pairs DOCOMO's Configured Grant low-latency network slicing with Keio's Real Haptics technology, which synchronizes position, force, and speed between a human operator and a remote robot in real time. In tests, a hand-type robot grasped and transported objects while force-feedback reproduction improved by 40% and motion smoothness by 59% compared to standard 5G. Configured Grant pre-allocates radio resources so the robot can transmit instantly without waiting for network permission, eliminating the scheduling delay that makes remote manipulation jerky and imprecise. The breakthrough matters for home and humanoid robots because teleoperation remains a key fallback when autonomous AI gets stuck — as seen with 1X's NEO, where remote operators take over through the robot's cameras. Lower-latency, higher-fidelity remote control over existing 5G infrastructure could make teleop-assisted home robots far more practical.

NTT DOCOMOKeio University5GTeleoperationHapticsResearchJapan
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EPFL's Modular Robot Collective Gets More Reliable as It Grows — Not Less

Researchers at EPFL's Reconfigurable Robotics Lab published a breakthrough in Science Robotics demonstrating that modular robot collectives can become more reliable — not less — as more modules are added. Their Mori3 robot system uses local resource sharing: modules share power, sensor data, and communication with their neighbors, so if one module loses its own resources, the collective compensates. In experiments, a module deprived of power, sensing, and communication still completed a locomotion mission in a challenging environment, supported entirely by its neighbors. The work reverses a fundamental assumption in robotics — that more components mean more failure points — and could reshape how future home and service robots are designed for resilience.

·Science Robotics / EPFL
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Research

Harvard Develops 3D Printing Method for Soft Robots With Built-In Shape-Morphing Channels

Researchers at Harvard's School of Engineering published a method in Advanced Materials for 3D printing soft robotic devices with precisely placed hollow channels that bend and deform in predetermined ways when filled with air. The technique, called rotational multimaterial 3D printing, extrudes two materials from a single nozzle — a polyurethane shell and a dissolvable inner channel — eliminating the need for traditional molds and casting. The team demonstrated a five-digit gripper with bendable knuckles and a flower pattern printed in one continuous path. The approach could accelerate production of soft robots for surgical assistance, home caregiving, and safe human-robot interaction — areas where rigid robots pose injury risks.

·Harvard SEAS / Advanced Materials / IEEE Spectrum
Kyoto University Unveils Buddharoid: A Unitree G1 Humanoid Trained as a Buddhist MonkHumanoid

Kyoto University Unveils Buddharoid: A Unitree G1 Humanoid Trained as a Buddhist Monk

Researchers at Kyoto University have turned a Unitree G1 humanoid robot into a Buddhist monk. Dubbed Buddharoid, the grey-robed robot was showcased at the historic Shoren-in temple in Kyoto, where it bowed, joined its hands in prayer, and answered questions on personal and social matters using Buddhist scriptures. The robot runs BuddhaBot-Plus, an AI chatbot built on OpenAI's ChatGPT and trained on sacred texts. When asked about relationships, it advised reflecting on closeness and maintaining inner balance. The project, led by Professor Seiji Kumagai — who is also a practicing monk — addresses Japan's shrinking temple communities, where aging populations and rural decline are leaving temples without followers or new monks. Kumagai described it as a potential paradigm shift for how robotics can preserve religious practices.

·Kyodo News / Interesting Engineering