IEEE Spectrum
Beyond Dexterity: Why Contact May Define the Next Era of Robotics
This article is brought to you by AGILINK . Throughout the exhibition hall at the 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics (ICRA), in Vienna, one demonstration seemed to attract a disproportionate amount of attention. Two robotic hands were making a balloon dog. Slowly and deliberately, the robot twisted a long balloon into loops, bends, and joints without popping it. Visitors stopped,…
