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How Robots Work

Curious about how robots work? Read the articles on this page!

More on How Robots Work

A wide, atmospheric shot of a modern home interior at dusk. A robot is shown in the center of the living room, standing still, with its mechanical arm extended toward a small childs stuffed teddy bear on the rug. The lighting is warm and domestic, emphasizing the integration of the machine into the home setting rather than a sterile lab environment.
How Robots Work·May 27, 2026
Meet the "hands": The frontier of a robots reachable world

We want robots capable of handling different items across various contexts, effective enough to pick something up, move it, and set it down without breaking it.

Michael Rand
A warm, inviting photograph of a living room in the late afternoon. A sleek, modern floor-cleaning robot is seen in the distance, silently cleaning near a bookshelf.
How Robots Work·May 26, 2026
The science of the scrub: how robots actually clean

Cleaning is a fundamental chore, yet it remains one of the most mechanically complex tasks we assign to machines.

Michael Rand
A small pancake shaped robot evaluating uneven terrain to determine if it can proceed.
How Robots Work·May 26, 2026
Wheels, Legs, Treads: How robots navigate the home landscape

Somewhere in your house right now, a robot is staring at the edge of a rug and running the numbers on whether today is the day it finally makes it across.

Michael Rand
A conceptual 3D cutaway of a smart home showing robots connected to home automation systems and smart appliances via mesh network. The image also shows a data-stream visualization between all devices.
How Robots Work·May 25, 2026
How your robots talk to the rest of the home

Explore how you robot communicates to become a reliable member of your household responsive to the home’s overall flow of life.

Michael Rand
Robot in a room with no WiFi looking at a house plant.
Robot Proof Home·May 7, 2026
Why your robots need full home WiFi coverage

Modern home robots depend on WiFi for command and awareness: navigation updates, task confirmation, status streaming to an app. Cut the WiFi and they're lost.

Michael Rand
Dog shaped robot looking at objects on the floor in a home.
How Robots Work·April 30, 2026
Object Recognition: How AI Knows a Shoe from a "Pet Accident"

Examines the mechanical and digital process that allows a robot to read the room, and make decisions like if it sees a shoe or a "pet accident".

Michael Rand
Robot on staris
How Robots Work·April 30, 2026
Cliff Sensors: Why Your Robot Isn’t Afraid of Stairs

Discover the "invisible eyes" that prevent your robots from becoming a pile of floor-scrapings from falling over.

Michael Rand
Robot near furniture
How Robots Work·April 30, 2026
The "Ouch" Factor: How Sensors Protect Your Furniture

To confidently bring a robot into the sanctuary of the home, it needs to avoid breaking our household items.

Michael Rand
High level schematic on a TV showing how a robot thinks. A robot is standing in front of the TV.
How Robots Work·April 30, 2026
The Brain in the Box: How Robots Make Choices

This article examines the specific hardware and logic that allow a machine to look at a sock and decide whether to vacuum it, avoid it, or ask for help.

Michael Rand
An image inspired by Andy Warhol's style representing how robots see
How Robots Work·April 30, 2026
How Robots See

We often assume robots see the world the way we do, through a pair of high-definition biological lenses. The reality is much stranger.

Michael Rand