Microsoft Research introduces Rho-alpha for tactile-aware bimanual manipulation
Microsoft Research introduced Rho-alpha, its first Phi-derived robotics model for tactile-aware bimanual manipulation.
Evidence notes
- Rho-alpha adds tactile sensing to vision-and-language input for contact-rich manipulation.
- Training combines physical demonstrations, simulated trajectories and visual question-answering data.
- Microsoft opened a Research Early Access programme and plans later availability through Microsoft Foundry.
Company context
Microsoft develops cloud, AI, and software infrastructure platforms, with robotics exposure through embodied AI models, simulation environments, and developer tooling.