Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-05-13DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aec1481
Jonas Eschmann, Dario Albani, Giuseppe Loianno
{"title":"RAPTOR: A foundation policy for quadrotor control","authors":"Jonas Eschmann, Dario Albani, Giuseppe Loianno","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aec1481","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.aec1481","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Humans are remarkably data efficient when adapting to previously unseen conditions, like driving a new car. In contrast, modern robotic control systems, like neural network policies trained using reinforcement learning (RL), are highly specialized for single environments. Because of this overfitting, they are known to break down even under small differences like the simulation-to-reality gap and require system identification and retraining for even minimal changes to the system. Here, we present RAPTOR, a method for training a highly adaptive foundation policy for quadrotor control. Our method enables training a single, end-to-end neural network policy to control a wide variety of quadrotors. We tested 10 different real quadrotors, from 32 grams to 2.4 kilograms, that also differed in motor type (brushed versus brushless), frame type (soft versus rigid), propeller type (two, three, or four blades), and flight controller (PX4, Betaflight, Crazyflie, M5StampFly). We found that a tiny, three-layer policy with only 2084 parameters was sufficient for zero-shot adaptation to a wide variety of platforms. The adaptation through in-context learning was made possible by using a recurrence in the hidden layer. The policy was trained through our proposed meta-imitation learning algorithm, where we sampled 1000 quadrotors and trained a teacher policy for each of them using RL. The 1000 teachers were distilled into a single, adaptive student policy. We found that within milliseconds, the resulting foundation policy adapted zero-shot to unseen quadrotors. We tested the capabilities of the foundation policy under numerous conditions (trajectory tracking, indoor/outdoor, wind disturbance, poking, and different propellers).</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 114","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-05-13DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adx9939
Seth McCammon, Levi Cai, Daniel Yang, John Walsh, John D. Cast, T. Aran Mooney, Yogesh Girdhar
{"title":"Autonomous seeking and mapping coral reef biodiversity hotspots with a multimodal AUV","authors":"Seth McCammon, Levi Cai, Daniel Yang, John Walsh, John D. Cast, T. Aran Mooney, Yogesh Girdhar","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx9939","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adx9939","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Coral reefs are under threat worldwide. Yet, in these often-challenging marine habitats, biologists lack the tools to quantify the spatial heterogeneity of mobile reef fauna at high resolution (<1 meter), hampering monitoring and restoration efforts. Because of the diverse species present, multiple sensor modalities are needed to characterize the biodiversity. The urgent need to expand this study across unexplored reefs worldwide compounds these challenges. To address these problems, we propose a generative model of reef observations and develop a multimodal framework for seeking and mapping hotspots of biodiversity. In a case study on a healthy Caribbean reef, our autonomous underwater vehicle used passive acoustics and visual sensing to locate a biological hotspot around a large <i>Dendrogyra</i> pillar coral. We used the colocated multimodal data to self-validate the hotspot’s prominence, representing a technological step forward to help understand the ecological dynamics of coral reefs.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 114","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aeh4374
Michael C Welle, Noémie Jaquier, Andrej Gams, Jens Lundell, Danica Kragic
{"title":"Transfer learning in robotics: From promises to practice through the emerging role of foundation models.","authors":"Michael C Welle, Noémie Jaquier, Andrej Gams, Jens Lundell, Danica Kragic","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aeh4374","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aeh4374","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Foundation models offer a promising avenue to achieve transfer across robots, tasks, and environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 113","pages":"eaeh4374"},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147790104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aei2046
Amos Matsiko
{"title":"Dexterous grasping with an active palm","authors":"Amos Matsiko","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aei2046","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.aei2046","url":null,"abstract":"<div >A tactile-responsive gripper with an active palm enables adaptive grasping and dexterous manipulation of objects.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 113","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147790058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aea2092
Kai Chen, Chengkun Li, Chang Tu, Jiahui Pan, Yiyao Ma, Wei Chen, Zhongxiang Zhou, Xuecheng Xu, Stephen James, Chi-Wing Fu, Rong Xiong, Pieter Abbeel, Yun-Hui Liu, Qi Dou
{"title":"A retrieval-augmented framework enabling VLM spatial awareness for object-centric robot manipulation.","authors":"Kai Chen, Chengkun Li, Chang Tu, Jiahui Pan, Yiyao Ma, Wei Chen, Zhongxiang Zhou, Xuecheng Xu, Stephen James, Chi-Wing Fu, Rong Xiong, Pieter Abbeel, Yun-Hui Liu, Qi Dou","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aea2092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aea2092","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Connecting the semantic reasoning of vision-language models (VLMs) to the precise geometric demands of robotic manipulation remains a fundamental challenge. Although VLMs can interpret high-level commands, they lack the intrinsic spatial intelligence required for tasks demanding precise object placement, orientation, and physical reasoning. Here, we introduce Retrieval-Augmented Manipulation (RAM), an object-centric framework that endows general-purpose vision foundation models with the spatial reasoning necessary for robust manipulation. RAM bridges the semantic-to-geometric gap by grounding abstract concepts into an explicit, object-centric three-dimensional (3D) representation. This grounded information is then provided as augmented context to the VLM, empowering it to decompose complex instructions into a sequence of spatially precise and physically plausible subgoals. We demonstrate that RAM, in a zero-shot setting on a real-world robot, can execute these subgoals to fulfill complex spatial language instructions, complete spatially aware manipulation under the guidance of a single 2D image, and adaptively replan tasks by reasoning about physical constraints like object size and collisions. Quantitative evaluations on the Common Object in 3D (CO3D) dataset also validated that RAM's core vision module generalizes to previously unseen object categories and is robust to variations in shape and occlusions. By providing a structured bridge between semantic intent and geometric execution, RAM represents a critical step toward developing more physically intelligent and general-purpose robotic systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 113","pages":"eaea2092"},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147790061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adz1543
Volker Strobel, Marco Dorigo, Mario Fritz
{"title":"How foundation models will revolutionize robot swarms.","authors":"Volker Strobel, Marco Dorigo, Mario Fritz","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adz1543","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adz1543","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Robot swarms are composed of many, typically simple, robots that accomplish complex tasks through local communication and decentralized coordination. Traditionally, robot controllers are designed before a mission using programming code. This process requires substantial development effort and limits the flexibility of the swarm. We discuss how onboard foundation models (FMs) could revolutionize this process through two complementary approaches. The first approach uses FMs as swarm designers to synthesize robot controllers and perform high-level planning. The second approach uses FMs as swarm operators to facilitate robot-robot collaboration and human-swarm interaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 113","pages":"eadz1543"},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147790152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-22DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aeh3279
Robin R. Murphy
{"title":"Robot farm elegy","authors":"Robin R. Murphy","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aeh3279","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.aeh3279","url":null,"abstract":"<div >The 2025 novel <i>Mechanize My Hands for War</i> features humanoid robots for agriculture.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 113","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147790107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-22DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aea1822
Sharmita Dey, Robert Riener, Strahinja Dosen, Stefano V. Albrecht
{"title":"From autonomy to alliance: Robotic foundation models must learn with us, not just for us","authors":"Sharmita Dey, Robert Riener, Strahinja Dosen, Stefano V. Albrecht","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aea1822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aea1822","url":null,"abstract":"This Viewpoint urges reimagining of robotic foundation models, from treating the robot as a solitary, omnipotent agent to embracing a multiagent, alliance-aware paradigm. Alliance-aware models learn with humans and other robots, not merely for them, by embedding mechanisms that foster social interaction and generalization across heterogeneous partners. We outline six design pillars that cultivate such collaborative intelligence: interaction priors, partner modeling (machine theory of mind), modular and composable policies, norm adaptation, trust-aware memory, and communication. Together, these pillars empower robots to fluidly switch social roles, adapt to unfamiliar collaborators, and coordinate robustly within dynamic multiagent ecologies spanning homes, factories, clinics, and field operations.","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":25.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147732336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science RoboticsPub Date : 2026-04-22DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aei0811
Melisa Yashinski
{"title":"Designing microrobots with embodied physical intelligence","authors":"Melisa Yashinski","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.aei0811","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.aei0811","url":null,"abstract":"<div >A flexible chain of 3D microprinted units exhibits emergent dynamics in response to environmental interactions.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"11 113","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":27.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147733962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}