Technology

Forget hands, Toyota’s hug-ready robot picks up with its entire body

Published

2 years ago

March 17, 2024

Press Room

Forget hands, Toyota’s hug-ready robot picks up with its entire body

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In the world of robotics, we’ve often seen robots rely on their mechanical hands to pick up and manipulate objects.

But that approach doesn’t quite capture the full essence of how humans interact with the world, especially when dealing with hefty items.

Enter Toyota’s groundbreaking creation, the Punyo soft robot. Unlike its traditional counterparts, Punyo takes inspiration from our own human behavior.

Imagine a robot that doesn’t just use its hands but also incorporates its chest, hips and arms to handle objects — just like we do.

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Punyo, the soft robot (Toyota Research Institute)

Punyo’s design

Punyo features a cute and approachable face reminiscent of Disney’s Baymax from Big Hero 6. But there’s more. Punyo appears to be wearing a cozy looking sweater, which serves a practical purpose. It’s highly hug-focused.

Toyota’s Punyo soft robot (Toyota Research Institute)

MORE: THE CREEPY-EYED ROBOT THAT WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND AND TEACHER

The hug-focused sweater

The sweater-like covering is made from grippy materials that provide a squishy, compliant layer over Punyo’s hard metal skeleton. Embedded within the fabric are tactile sensors that allow Punyo to feel precisely what it’s hugging, whether it’s a person or an object.

Toyota’s Punyo soft robot at work (Toyota Research Institute)

MORE: STOP LOADING THE DISHWASHER: THIS ROBOT AIMS TO DO ALL THE CLEAN-UP FOR YOU

Punyo’s inflatable paws

Instead of traditional hands, Punyo has what Toyota calls “paws.” These aren’t your typical paws. They’re more like inflatable hooves. These paws have tiny dots printed on the inside. When the paw touches something, the dots distort, revealing the shape and force of contact. The clever camera captures this deformation, and the information is fed directly to the robot’s brain to help it grasp objects effectively.

The Punyo soft robot has human characteristics (Toyota Research Institute)

MORE: CONSTRUCTION WORKERS BEING REPLACED BY AI ROBOT BRICKLAYERS

Punyo’s softness in the arms

Punyo’s arms are arrays of air-filled bubbles, air tubes and pressure sensors that extend from shoulder to wrist. These bubbles can be individually pressure regulated, allowing for optimal stiffness based on the task at hand.

The Punyo soft robot lifts a box (Toyota Research Institute)

Training Punyo

Through teleoperation, Toyota Research Group roboticists have been training Punyo to handle various large objects. Some techniques include:

TOYOTA IS USING AI TO DESIGN BETTER CARS FASTER

The Punyo soft robot from Toyota (Toyota Research Institute)

The lean and lift: Punyo leans forward, hugs items to its ches and then leans back to lift them.

Heap it up: Punyo even has the ability to heap objects, making it versatile for different scenarios.

Creative carrying: Imagine slinging a water jug up onto Punyo’s shoulder, where it remains steady from above.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Punyo’s innovative design and emphasis on cuddling break new ground in soft robotics. Its gentle and precise grasp on large, awkward objects suggests exciting possibilities for robotic helpers in homes and other environments in the future.

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Technology

Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light

Published

7 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light

Amid public backlash over its smart glasses, Meta announced that it will be updating its glasses with a new feature that will disable the camera when it detects that someone has tampered with or destroyed the glasses’ privacy LED light. The update is meant to address modders who have taken actions such as physically drilling into the LED light.

Meta has previously tried to discourage tampering with the LED light. For example, starting with its second generation glasses, blocking the light with tape or other objects will trigger a prompt asking users to uncover the recording light. However, many modders have found various workarounds for that particular measure.

Meta’s VP of wearables Alex Himel told The Verge that the privacy-focused update was on the way a few weeks ago after launching cheaper Meta Glasses without Ray-Ban branding. At the time, Himel acknowledged that the company was aware of increasing misuse alongside wider adoption of the devices.

Technology

Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and other ‘benign’ images

Published

18 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and other ‘benign’ images

Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord co-founder and chief technology officer, writes that the bug impacted around 200 users who posted “grid-like” pictures, in addition to about 8,000 people who posted “other benign images” since May 2026. “Everyone affected has now been unbanned,” Vishnevskiy says.

In a thread on X, Discord writes that its safety system is designed to flag content by “matching it against known harmful material.” This system can produce “false positives,” Discord explains, which is when an employee would step in to review the flagged content. But instead of just temporarily preventing the account from uploading content during the review, a glitch led its system to ban users entirely.

“When our staff reviewed and cleared those accounts, the same bug prevented the ban from being lifted automatically, so it just stayed in place,” Discord says.

Technology

Hoto’s PixelDrive screwdriver is down to $60, matching its best price

Published

1 day ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

Hoto’s PixelDrive screwdriver is down to , matching its best price

If your Prime Day purchases included a new desk, TV stand, bookshelf, or other furniture you still haven’t assembled, Hoto’s PixelDrive cordless screwdriver can help speed up the process. It’s currently on sale for $59.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, matching its best price to date.

From tightening loose screws on furniture to repairing electronics, the PixelDrive is designed to handle a wide range of household projects. Hoto includes 30 screwdriver bits that cover many of the most common screw types, all neatly organized in a small cylindrical case. It also offers six adjustable torque settings, allowing you to use less power when working with fragile electronics or increase it when putting together a desk, bookshelf, TV stand, or other furniture. You can also switch between a slower 80RPM mode for more precise work and a faster 200RPM mode with the press of a button.

Hoto also added several features that make assembling projects a little easier. A built-in display lets you quickly check your current torque setting and remaining battery life, while an integrated LED light helps illuminate dim spaces, whether you’re working under a desk or inside a cabinet. The rechargeable 2,000mAh battery also charges over USB-C, so you won’t need to keep buying disposable batteries.