Scientists have engineered a new artificial intelligence (AI) system that cuts reaction delays in robots by over 10 times without using additional computing power.
Many robots controlled by vision language action (VLA) models move in fits and starts: reach, pause, adjust, pause again. The problem largely stems from how these models are typically run: After completing one set of instructions, the robot waits for the model to calculate the next set, creating a stop-and-go rhythm. This reaction lag is a major barrier to using VLA-controlled robots for tasks that demand continuous, real-time interaction.
A new system called "VLASH" tries to eliminate that wait by planning the next actions while the robot completes its current ones. In tests, robots using VLASH completed some tasks 1.5 to 2 times faster while retaining most or all of their accuracy. Maximum reaction latency fell by up to 11.8 times, depending on the computer hardware used.
Researchers from MIT; Nvidia; Caltech; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, San Diego; and Tsinghua University in China described the s...
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