Google launches Gemini Robotics ER 2

Google DeepMind has introduced Gemini Robotics ER 2, a flagship intelligence model designed to serve as an advanced reasoning layer for physical machines. Available to developers through the Gemini API, the model enables real-time task tracking, multi-robot collaboration, and high-level reasoning. Unlike older systems that required pauses to process information between actions, Gemini Robotics ER 2 can reason and act simultaneously, utilizing continuous video feeds to monitor its own progress and determine exactly when a task is finished.

This launch arrives amid intense geopolitical shifts, as the FCC recently banned imports of foreign-made humanoid robots, quadrupeds, and solar power inverters. Meanwhile, private investment in the sector remains strong, with robotics research lab Enigma raising $71M to develop intuitive controls. In autonomous transport, Aurora has deployed its second-generation driverless trucks, engineered to run for up to 1M miles across 10 US Sun Belt routes. Software engineering is also seeing rapid automation; proponents claim that using over 100+ Claude Code hacks can help developers ship software 10X faster, compressing 40 hours of traditional work into just 4.

Startups are also introducing highly specialized hardware. Rollo Robotics launched 1ROLLO, a self-balancing monowheel security robot featuring 360-degree computer vision and an eight-hour autonomous patrol capacity. For pest control, Tornyol is deploying a quadcopter that covers five acres to target mosquitoes, which kill more than 700,000 people annually. In consumer tech, Cheffy introduced Egor, a countertop robot that cooks eggs in seven styles, alongside its synchronized companion Toastr. German startup Shift is collecting training data by sending camera-wearing chefs to prepare free three-course meals in homes. More controversially, Veterans First for America proposed Digital DNA, a system using a 40-sensor haptic suit to upload human movements into humanoid robots, with licensing fees ranging from $300,000 for 100 years to $1M for 500 years.