Microsoft Launches Rho-Alpha Enables Adaptive Robotic Manipulation

Microsoft has introduced Rho-alpha, a robotics-focused model from its Phi vision-language family that translates natural-language instructions into control signals for dual-arm and humanoid robots. The system integrates tactile sensing and trains on combined real demonstrations, simulation-generated trajectories, and large-scale visual Q&A data, enabling on-the-fly corrective learning and continuous improvement. Rho-alpha will enter a research early access program before broader availability via Microsoft's Foundry platform.