I've Covered Robots for Years. This One Is Different

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Will Knight The Big Story Apr 29, 2026 6:00 AM I've Covered Robots for Years. This One Is Different From sorting chicken nuggets to screwing in lightbulbs, Eka’s robotic claw feels like we're approaching a ChatGPT moment for the physical world. Photograph: Tony Luong Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story A robot’s claw hurtles toward a light bulb on a table.

I wince, waiting for the crunch. But suddenly the claw decelerates. It starts gingerly pawing around the table, as if searching for its glasses on the nightstand.

Technical Details

It gently positions the bulb between its two pincers. The claw goes chasing it across the table. After a few nips, the bulb is back in its grasp.

The robot swiftly screws the bulb into a nearby socket, illuminating its work area. In more than a decade of writing about robots , I have never seen one move so naturally. Most are ham-fisted klutzes, even when remotely controlled by a person.

Of the few dozen robot arms on the market today, not one can screw in a light bulb. I have come to visit Eka, a startup located in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, a short walk from MIT and a slightly longer bike ride from my home. The company’s office is a few floors above one of my favorite restaurants, called Shy Bird, a place I often come to work with my own pincers—typing out stories for WIRED.

Industry Implications

Eka’s testing facilities in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photograph: Tony Luong Eka’s office is small, and it’s packed with different robot arms, assorted grippers and hands, and tables covered with odd knicknacks of different shapes, sizes, and textures—gloves, small boxes of earplugs, hairbrushes, key rings, and so on. I try putting a few things beneath the robot.

First the earplugs box, then a hairbrush, and finally—in an attempt to trip it up—my own jumble of keys, which have a plush key ring. Each time, the robot swoops down and nips gently at the item a few times before grasping and lifting it up. When I try to take my keys back from Eka’s machine, the robot resists for just a moment, then lets go and instantly turns its attention back to the table, hunting for something else to pick up.

Its dedication to picking is impressive. It is also kind of freaky. Watching Eka’s robot in action reminds me of the first time I tried talking to ChatGPT.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.