Rodney Brooks
@rodneyabrooks.bsky.social
Primarily Robotics and AI. Distinguishing hype-notism from plausibility one press release at a time. rodneybrooks.com/blog people.csail.mit.edu/brooks
When the prize stakes are perceived to be enormous then the stakes that are wielded in the battle are sharp. A new advertisement. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBSa...
How can I communicate better with my mom?
YouTube video by Anthropic
www.youtube.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:04 PM
When the prize stakes are perceived to be enormous then the stakes that are wielded in the battle are sharp. A new advertisement. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBSa...
SPACE RACE! SpaceX is abandoning short term Mars plans to get an uncrewed (needs mods) Starship on the Moon by March '27. It will require orbital refuels (never done by anyone). Blue Origin flight lander in final test at Johnson, say they will launch this qtr w/o refuels. www.wsj.com/science/spac...
SpaceX Delays Mars Plans To Focus on Moon
Elon Musk’s rocket company had aimed to reach the red planet in 2026
www.wsj.com
February 7, 2026 at 12:01 AM
SPACE RACE! SpaceX is abandoning short term Mars plans to get an uncrewed (needs mods) Starship on the Moon by March '27. It will require orbital refuels (never done by anyone). Blue Origin flight lander in final test at Johnson, say they will launch this qtr w/o refuels. www.wsj.com/science/spac...
This is really helpful, and the most complete description I have seen. Cheers to the Wayback Machine!!
It had been previously reported. Waymo got it taken down very quickly, but not before the Internet Archive got a copy of the text summary:
web.archive.org/web/20250703...
web.archive.org/web/20250703...
Who’s Behind All Those Robotaxi Teleoperations?
With teleoperators, humans are back in the loop. Somewhat alarming, however, is the cascading impact that teleoperators could trigger, including corporations pushing liability issues downstream.
web.archive.org
February 6, 2026 at 8:04 PM
This is really helpful, and the most complete description I have seen. Cheers to the Wayback Machine!!
We've known for a while that Waymo has remote people in the loop (they were overwhelmed with "no green light" exec decisions during the Dec 20 SF power failure), but we did not know that many of them are in the Philippines--suggests a large scale contingent. futurism.com/advanced-tra...
It Turns Out That When Waymos Are Stumped, They Get Intervention From Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:59 PM
We've known for a while that Waymo has remote people in the loop (they were overwhelmed with "no green light" exec decisions during the Dec 20 SF power failure), but we did not know that many of them are in the Philippines--suggests a large scale contingent. futurism.com/advanced-tra...
On Jan 18 I skeeted about people mushing 4 different timescales together as one and getting confused about what AI/Robotics milestones will happen when. Since then I have included this slide in two talks filling out the details, with instances of the four scales.
February 6, 2026 at 7:31 AM
On Jan 18 I skeeted about people mushing 4 different timescales together as one and getting confused about what AI/Robotics milestones will happen when. Since then I have included this slide in two talks filling out the details, with instances of the four scales.
Merging xAI with SpaceX is not good for US capability in space. Argument is SpaceX will launch 1TW of electricity producing solar + data centers (modulo unsolved thermal physics) per year, on a so far 11 flight rocket that has not gotten to orbit. US needs Falcon 9 to be stable workhorse. Danger.
February 3, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Merging xAI with SpaceX is not good for US capability in space. Argument is SpaceX will launch 1TW of electricity producing solar + data centers (modulo unsolved thermal physics) per year, on a so far 11 flight rocket that has not gotten to orbit. US needs Falcon 9 to be stable workhorse. Danger.
Looks like Blue Origin is serious (as I discussed in my Jan 1st annual tech analysis) about leap frogging SpaceX to land humans on the Moon first, and this story also confirms their intention for an uncrewed lunar landing in 2026. www.space.com/space-explor...
Blue Origin pausing space tourism flights for at least 2 years to focus on moon plans
"The decision reflects Blue Origin's commitment to the nation's goal of returning to the moon and establishing a permanent, sustained lunar presence."
www.space.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Looks like Blue Origin is serious (as I discussed in my Jan 1st annual tech analysis) about leap frogging SpaceX to land humans on the Moon first, and this story also confirms their intention for an uncrewed lunar landing in 2026. www.space.com/space-explor...
Thought this was satire, AI enhanced with voice control. "...the brand's plan to further expand its presence in the kitchen appliance segment, with a focus on ice makers that cover various ice types, and ice cream machines to cater to diverse consumer needs." us.govee.com/blogs/news/g...
GoveeLife Unveils Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro at CES 2026 | Govee US
GoveeLife is announcing the Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro, a high-performance, low-maintenance solution designed to directly address these pain points and ...
us.govee.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Thought this was satire, AI enhanced with voice control. "...the brand's plan to further expand its presence in the kitchen appliance segment, with a focus on ice makers that cover various ice types, and ice cream machines to cater to diverse consumer needs." us.govee.com/blogs/news/g...
Ken Goldberg is right.
“People think of space travel as extraordinarily difficult and it is, no doubt, but it turns out that getting a robot to reliably tie a sneaker is harder than getting a rocket out of the atmosphere,” Goldberg said. www.cnn.com/business/tec...
“People think of space travel as extraordinarily difficult and it is, no doubt, but it turns out that getting a robot to reliably tie a sneaker is harder than getting a rocket out of the atmosphere,” Goldberg said. www.cnn.com/business/tec...
Elon Musk is betting Tesla’s future isn’t about cars at all | CNN Business
Tesla dominated the electric vehicle industry by the mid-2010s with sleek, fast cars that helped combat the public perception that EVs were severely limited by short ranges.
www.cnn.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Ken Goldberg is right.
“People think of space travel as extraordinarily difficult and it is, no doubt, but it turns out that getting a robot to reliably tie a sneaker is harder than getting a rocket out of the atmosphere,” Goldberg said. www.cnn.com/business/tec...
“People think of space travel as extraordinarily difficult and it is, no doubt, but it turns out that getting a robot to reliably tie a sneaker is harder than getting a rocket out of the atmosphere,” Goldberg said. www.cnn.com/business/tec...
When reporters don't know anything they think the first time they see something it is the first time it has existed. interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/... This thing is not yet scheduled to fly. Here is NASA's humanoid robot Robonaut on the space station in 2013 www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfDX...
China: World’s first robot astronaut for space exploration program
Engine AI teams up with a Chinese space firm to send PM01 into orbit, aiming to create the world’s first humanoid robot astronaut.
interestingengineering.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:46 AM
When reporters don't know anything they think the first time they see something it is the first time it has existed. interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/... This thing is not yet scheduled to fly. Here is NASA's humanoid robot Robonaut on the space station in 2013 www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfDX...
I post politically on eXtwitter and no science/tech, and here only post on science/tech. But we must not look away from what is happening right now, out in the open with no regard for morality or human life. Do not look away.
January 26, 2026 at 12:39 AM
I post politically on eXtwitter and no science/tech, and here only post on science/tech. But we must not look away from what is happening right now, out in the open with no regard for morality or human life. Do not look away.
Astronuat Sunita Williams retired today after 608 days in space. She was the only active NASA astronaut trained on Boeing's Starliner--she was one of the two crew on its one way flight to the ISS in 2024. It is scheduled to fly twice this year, once uncrewed and once crewed. NASA needs a new crew.
January 21, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Astronuat Sunita Williams retired today after 608 days in space. She was the only active NASA astronaut trained on Boeing's Starliner--she was one of the two crew on its one way flight to the ISS in 2024. It is scheduled to fly twice this year, once uncrewed and once crewed. NASA needs a new crew.
Many people seem unaware that we are less than three weeks away from the scheduled flight of Artemis II, taking four people in a loop around the Moon. First time back for over 50 years.
January 20, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Many people seem unaware that we are less than three weeks away from the scheduled flight of Artemis II, taking four people in a loop around the Moon. First time back for over 50 years.
There are four time scales driving AI: speed of (1) new research ideas (2) hype generation (3) large scale deployments of technologies (4) fundamental changes propagating through the world's economy. Very different & driven by different realities. People interchange them and are bad at predictions.
January 18, 2026 at 11:37 PM
There are four time scales driving AI: speed of (1) new research ideas (2) hype generation (3) large scale deployments of technologies (4) fundamental changes propagating through the world's economy. Very different & driven by different realities. People interchange them and are bad at predictions.
In January 1976 I started work on a Masters thesis in Machine Learning in the math dept at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia (that dept's most famous graduate, Terence Tao, was only six months old). I have officially been full time in AI for fifty years now.
January 18, 2026 at 11:29 PM
In January 1976 I started work on a Masters thesis in Machine Learning in the math dept at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia (that dept's most famous graduate, Terence Tao, was only six months old). I have officially been full time in AI for fifty years now.
Happen to be in Ventura CA at a robotics science conference. The view from my hotel at 12:35am this morning. That is Crew-11 returning from the ISS, about a month early due to an undisclosed medical issue for 1 of the 4 astronauts. They splashed down off San Diego, and are all back on dry land.
January 15, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Happen to be in Ventura CA at a robotics science conference. The view from my hotel at 12:35am this morning. That is Crew-11 returning from the ISS, about a month early due to an undisclosed medical issue for 1 of the 4 astronauts. They splashed down off San Diego, and are all back on dry land.
Just published my annual predictions update, tracking from Jan 1st 2018, with new commentary and new ten year predictions. It is long. rodneybrooks.com/predictions-...
Predictions Scorecard, 2026 January 01 – Rodney Brooks
rodneybrooks.com
January 1, 2026 at 5:32 AM
Just published my annual predictions update, tracking from Jan 1st 2018, with new commentary and new ten year predictions. It is long. rodneybrooks.com/predictions-...
Thank you Sudheer Apte for this great post. Yes, robots are hard. robotsinplainenglish.com/e/2025-12-27...
Robots Are Hard
Revisiting the original Roomba and its simple architecture
robotsinplainenglish.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Thank you Sudheer Apte for this great post. Yes, robots are hard. robotsinplainenglish.com/e/2025-12-27...
Some humans just aren't very good at tracking 2d coordinate transforms in their heads. www.reddit.com/r/Unexpected...
From the Unexpected community on Reddit: Human motion capture teleoperated robot exactly like Real Steel!
Explore this post and more from the Unexpected community
www.reddit.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Some humans just aren't very good at tracking 2d coordinate transforms in their heads. www.reddit.com/r/Unexpected...
1/5 Some humanoid companies are admitting things are harder than the hype suggests. `Billions of dollars are flowing into humanoid robot startups, as investors bet that the industry will soon put humanlike machines in warehouses, factories and our living rooms.' www.wsj.com/tech/ai/huma...
Even the Companies Making Humanoid Robots Think They’re Overhyped
Despite billions of dollars in investment, startups say their androids can only perform simple tasks.
www.wsj.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:15 AM
1/5 Some humanoid companies are admitting things are harder than the hype suggests. `Billions of dollars are flowing into humanoid robot startups, as investors bet that the industry will soon put humanlike machines in warehouses, factories and our living rooms.' www.wsj.com/tech/ai/huma...
Much of SF lost power last night. Waymos blocked intersections across the city, even though they are Wayless than 1% of cars on the roads. They accumulated at their failure points--intersections with no green lights, in busy areas, and shut down traffic there.
December 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Much of SF lost power last night. Waymos blocked intersections across the city, even though they are Wayless than 1% of cars on the roads. They accumulated at their failure points--intersections with no green lights, in busy areas, and shut down traffic there.
Good to see some humility for once. finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-mu...
Elon Musk Says SpaceX’s Starship Is ‘One of the Most Profound Things’ In Human History and as Important as the Development of Life Itself
Elon Musk outlines why SpaceX’s Starship represents a historic shift in spaceflight, driven by full reusability and long-term economic impact.
finance.yahoo.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Good to see some humility for once. finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-mu...
Terry Tao, Fields medallist at UCLA, who has been an early technology adopter to help in *doing* real mathematics gives his take on LLMs and how they are artificially clever, which he describes as useful but weaker than intelligence. mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1157223...
Terence Tao (@tao@mathstodon.xyz)
I doubt that anything resembling genuine "artificial general intelligence" is within reach of current #AI tools. However, I think a weaker, but still quite valuable, type of "artificial general cleve...
mathstodon.xyz
December 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Terry Tao, Fields medallist at UCLA, who has been an early technology adopter to help in *doing* real mathematics gives his take on LLMs and how they are artificially clever, which he describes as useful but weaker than intelligence. mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1157223...
Largely accurate story, but has someone saying I am wrong about humanoids needing human level dexterity. NO. I am saying humanoid companies are claiming they will get it, so humanoids can replace humans everywhere, & I am saying their current methods won't attain it. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/b...
He’s the Godfather of Modern Robotics. He Says the Field Has Lost Its Way.
www.nytimes.com
December 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Largely accurate story, but has someone saying I am wrong about humanoids needing human level dexterity. NO. I am saying humanoid companies are claiming they will get it, so humanoids can replace humans everywhere, & I am saying their current methods won't attain it. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/b...
At "Autonomy Visualized" at a Tesla store in Miami, see a five second video clip in this story, where the remote operator for an Optimus robot takes off their headset, mindlessly reproduced by the Optimus robot followed by falling over backwards. Oh dear. electrek.co/2025/12/07/t...
Tesla Optimus robot takes a suspicious tumble in new demo
A new video surfacing from a Tesla demonstration in Miami this weekend shows the Optimus humanoid robot taking a nasty...
electrek.co
December 8, 2025 at 7:56 PM
At "Autonomy Visualized" at a Tesla store in Miami, see a five second video clip in this story, where the remote operator for an Optimus robot takes off their headset, mindlessly reproduced by the Optimus robot followed by falling over backwards. Oh dear. electrek.co/2025/12/07/t...