Good morning, robotics enthusiasts. Open-source trailblazer Hugging Face just unveiled HopeJR, a full-featured humanoid set to launch at just $3K— far below the usual price tag of humanoids.

With China’s Unitree also just teasing a sub-$10 K humanoid, the race is on: is the era of affordable, accessible robots finally here?

In today’s robotics rundown:

• Hugging Face unveils two new humanoids

• U.S. scientists create self-healing robot skin

• New Transformer bot can fly and land on wheels

• China builds robotic thrusters to protect space station

• Quick hits on other robotics news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

HUGGING FACE

🤖 Hugging Face unveils two new humanoids

Image source: Hugging Face/X

The Rundown: Open-source leader Hugging Face has unveiled two new open-source robots: HopeJR and Reachy Mini. HopeJR is a full-sized humanoid, capable of walking, performing intricate gestures, and manipulating objects — all for just $3K.

The details:

• Priced at $250–$300, Reachy Mini offers a desktop-friendly platform with head movement, microphones, and speakers.

• Both HopeJR and Reachy Mini are fully open-source, with hardware schematics, software, and build instructions freely available.

• HopeJR features 66 actuated degrees of freedom and dexterous hands featuring tactile arrays in the fingertips for sensory feedback.

• The robots are designed with modular, 3D-printed parts, allowing for easy repairs, upgrades, and experimentation.

Why it matters: The launch follows Hugging Face’s buyout of Pollen Robotics and partnerships with The Robot Studio, as the company works to foster a collaborative robotics community. With open waitlists and early interest, these robots are positioned to support robotics research while helping lower barriers to entry for creators.

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

🩹 U.S. scientists create self-healing robot skin

Image source: University of Nebraska–Lincoln

The Rundown: A team of engineers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has developed a groundbreaking soft robotic skin that can detect and repair its own damage, much the way human skin can.

The details:

• The artificial skin features a multi-layered structure, with distinct layers for sensing, structural support, and healing, mimicking natural skin.

• Flexible piezoresistive and capacitive sensors are embedded within soft polymers, enabling the detection of pressure, strain, and even small tears.

• Microcontrollers process sensor data on the fly, instantly identifying the location and severity of damage in real time.

• The team incorporates hydrogels that maintain flexibility and conductivity even after repeated damage and healing cycles, ensuring long-term durability.

Why it matters: What sets this work apart is the use of bioinspired polymers and hydrogels, designed to self-heal through dynamic covalent bonds and supramolecular interactions. While still early days, the system’s layered architecture holds promise for next-gen healthcare wearables, adaptive prosthetics, and resilient robotic skins.

CALTECH

🚀 New Transformer bot can fly and land on wheels

Image source: Caltech

The Rundown: A team of Caltech engineers has developed a real-life Transformer—dubbed ATMO (Aerially Transforming Morphobot)—that can both fly like a drone and morph in midair to land on wheels and smoothly roll away.

The details:

• Unlike conventional drones or rovers, ATMO’s design centers on four powerful thrusters, each encased in robust shrouds that double as wheels.

• When ATMO is in drive mode, these shrouds provide traction and stability for rapid movement across diverse terrains.

• A single central motor actuates the transformation, lifting or lowering the thrusters to switch between modes.

• The transition from ground to air (and vice versa) takes just a few seconds, enabling ATMO to quickly adapt to changing environments or obstacles.

Why it matters: This dual-mode capability opens up a host of possibilities for applications that demand both ground mobility and aerial agility. As research into morphobots like ATMO progresses, we may soon see these adaptable machines deployed in search-and-rescue missions, military ops, and environmental monitoring.

CHINA SPACE PROGRAM

🛰️ China builds robot thrusters to protect space station

Image source: Ideogram/The Rundown

The Rundown: After two near-misses where Starlink satellites nearly crashed into its Tiangong space station, China is now developing robotic thrusters that can autonomously latch onto and thrust away unidentified objects flying nearby.

The details:

• The system centers on a small, agile robotic thruster capable of intercepting and physically maneuvering unidentified spacecraft that venture too close.

• Unlike traditional kinetic or destructive anti-satellite measures, this approach uses a robotic “space tug” to latch onto the object and push it away.

• The interceptor uses advanced sensors and AI-driven navigation algorithms to identify, track, and approach potential threats with high precision.

• Beyond defense, the tech could also be adapted for active debris removal and orbital traffic control, helping to maintain safe distances between satellites.

Why it matters: This approach addresses security concerns over close-approach incidents — especially from foreign satellites — while also helping to keep orbital zones clear. The system reflects a broader trend among major space powers to develop non-destructive methods for managing threats in increasingly crowded orbits.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in robotics today

Chinese robotics giant Unitree just teased a sub-$10K next-gen humanoid robot on X.

U.S. robotics startup Figure announced that its newest humanoid, the F.03, has begun walking, marking a big step in the company’s development.

DJI, the Chinese drone maker, has begun mass production of its first robotic vacuum cleaner after four years in R&D, with the initial model expected to launch this month.

Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. announced that it has delivered 100 all-electric uncrewed mining trucks to a coal mine pit in Inner Mongolia, China.

Libraries in South Wales have introduced MetaCats, life-sized robotic cats with artificial heartbeats and glowing LED eyes, designed to reduce stress and loneliness.

Korean roboticists have designed and tested a four-legged robot that can perform high-speed parkour moves, with details on the project published in Science Robotics.

Tesla is launching its autonomous robotaxi service in Austin on June 12, with the initial rollout featuring at least 10 driverless vehicles operating within geofenced areas.

Robotics company Dexterity has announced a strategic partnership with Sanmina Corp. to scale its Mech “superhumanoid” arms, capable of lifting 60 pounds each.

The world's tallest 3D-printed building, a 98-foot (around 30-meter) tower, was just inaugurated in Mulegns, a mountain village in Switzerland.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Check out our last workshop with Dr. Alvaro Cintas, The Rundown’s AI professor. By the end of the workshop, you’ll confidently be able to use AI coding agents to improve your development workflow.

Watch here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team