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X1 combines a humanoid, a drone and a driving robot
IEEE Spectrum reports that Caltech’s Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) and Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute demonstrated X1 as part of a three-year collaboration. In the demonstration, M4—a vehicle developed by CAST—launches in drone mode from the back of a humanoid robot, lands, and switches into driving mode. The sequence illustrates multiple modes of mobility coordinated in one system; it is a demonstration, not evidence that X1 is a production-ready product. IEEE Spectrum’s Video Friday roundup, 17 October 2025 attributes the description to Caltech CAST.
Spot uses its whole body to manipulate a tire
The Spot video focuses on dynamic whole-body manipulation: the robot uses its arm, legs and body as contact points while coordinating movement. IEEE Spectrum attributes the approach to the Robotics and AI Institute, which describes a combination of reinforcement learning and sampling-based control. The roundup reports that the tire weighs 15 kilograms (33 pounds), substantial mass and inertial energy relative to Spot.
The clip is described as fully autonomous in its selection of contact points and coordination with locomotion, but that does not mean the robot operated without external support. The demonstration used external motion capture to simplify perception, while a Wi-Fi-linked external computer handled intensive computation. Those conditions matter when interpreting what the video shows about onboard sensing and processing. IEEE Spectrum’s account supplies these details.
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Other videos span soft robots, cooperation and manipulation
The remaining entries cover distinct research and demonstration settings, so they should not be read as comparable performance tests.
- Electro-morphing gel: A University of Bristol item shows soft robots changing shape through electric fields.
- LegUp: The Robot Perception and Learning Lab presents legged robots helping one another across obstacles, with LLM-based task decomposition. IEEE Spectrum’s author characterizes the work as preliminary.
- Throw-flip manipulation: LASA research targets both an object’s landing position and its orientation when thrown.
- Humanoid and quadruped clips: The roundup includes a dynamic humanoid clip from Unitree, a quadruped demonstration from MagicLab, and a humanoid demonstration from LimX.
- Research and discussion: Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute features professor emeritus Matt Mason discussing manipulation research and career lessons; Florida State University and ICRA@40 contribute additional humanoid research and robotics discussions.
Figure 03: a product claim, not an independent readiness verdict
Figure’s own description presents its Figure 03 humanoid platform. The roundup also notes clips showing a child and a dog and raises concern about those scenes. Treat statements about the platform’s readiness as Figure’s claims; the roundup does not establish product readiness independently. IEEE Spectrum’s roundup provides the dated context and attribution.
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How to read the roundup
The clips range from research demonstrations and preliminary lab work to organization-provided platform descriptions and a seminar. They differ in mobility, manipulation, and reliance on external sensing or computation. Their value is as a snapshot of different robotics directions, not as evidence that one robot outperforms another under shared conditions.
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