When the Robotics and AI (RAI) Institute talks technology, it’s wise to take notice. The company was, after all, founded by Marc Raibert, who also launched robotics pioneer Boston Dynamics, the firm behind the astonishing Atlas robot and the dog-like Spot quadruped.
Massachusetts-based RAI Institute has just unveiled Roadrunner, a 15 kg (33 lb) bipedal-wheeled robot prototype. The intriguing design features remarkable versatility, thanks in part to its symmetrical, knee-jointed legs that allow it to move efficiently and avoid obstacles with ease.
A short video (below) released by the Roadrunner team shows the robot effortlessly launching from a resting position before wheeling around on flat ground. You really start to take notice, however, when it smoothly tackles a set of steps, its wheels acting as feet to climb to the top. Roadrunner then rides down a ramp before tackling the obstacle in reverse, only this time descending the steps like a stunt cyclist.
Meet “Roadrunner,” a new 15kg (33 lb) bipedal wheeled robot prototype featuring multi-modal locomotion: side-by-side and inline wheel modes and and stepping. Its symmetric legs articulate at the knee for obstacle avoidance. pic.twitter.com/rcMW3DAEv3
“A single control policy was trained to handle both side-by-side and in-line driving,” RAI Institute says in its post. “Several behaviors, including standing up from various ground configurations and balancing on one wheel, were successfully deployed zero-shot on the hardware,” meaning that Roadrunner was able to perform the actions without needing extra training or adjustments after the system was developed.
RAI Institute plans to use the Roadrunner wheel robot as a research platform to push the limits of agile, dynamic mobility. Looking ahead, you can imagine a more advanced version of the robot being deployed in real-world settings for inspections or warehouse tasks, and in some situations become a viable alternative to leg-equipped humanoid robots.
The RAI Institute was founded by Marc Raibert in 2022, to advance the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence. Building on expertise linked to industry pioneers, it’s quickly become known for developing highly dynamic, agile robots that can perform an array of complex movements … just like Roadrunner.
Did you think hitting delete on your AI chatbot conversation actually makes it disappear? Georgia Tech researchers just proved that's not entirely true. They have built a forensic tool called ORISA that can dig deleted conversations from your phone and even rebuild them into a working chatbot session you can keep talking to.
How can ORISA bring deleted AI conversations back?
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).
Two residents of Chicago have filed a lawsuit in the US over claims that robots run by Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics captured their facial and hand measurements without consent, bringing renewed attention to the food delivery robots. The cases raise a troubling question: If a robot delivers food to your door, can it also be gathering sensitive information about you?
According to a report by The Associated Press, the proposed class-action lawsuits were filed in Cook County on Oct. 9 and allege violations of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. The complaints claim that the robots’ cameras and LiDAR sensors captured information on customers’ faces and hands as they approached the machines to pick up their orders. Both have denied the allegations.