ALRM: Agentic LLM for Robotic Manipulation

Large Language Models (LLMs) have recently empowered agentic frameworks to exhibit advanced reasoning and planning capabilities. However, their integration in robotic control pipelines remains limited in two aspects: (1) prior \ac{llm}-based approaches often lack modular, agentic execution mechanisms, limiting their ability to plan, reflect on outcomes, and revise actions in a closed-loop manner; and (2) existing benchmarks for manipulation tasks focus on low-level control and do not systematically evaluate multistep reasoning and linguistic variation. In this paper, we propose Agentic LLM for Robot Manipulation (ALRM), an LLM-driven agentic framework for robotic manipulation. ALRM integrates policy generation with agentic execution through a ReAct-style reasoning loop, supporting two complementary modes: Code-asPolicy (CaP) for direct executable control code generation, and Tool-as-Policy (TaP) for iterative planning and tool-based action execution. To enable systematic evaluation, we also introduce a novel simulation benchmark comprising 56 tasks across multiple environments, capturing linguistically diverse instructions. Experiments with ten LLMs demonstrate that ALRM provides a scalable, interpretable, and modular approach for bridging natural language reasoning with reliable robotic execution. Results reveal Claude-4.1-Opus as the top closed-source model and Falcon-H1-7B as the top open-source model under CaP.

Falcon-H1: A Family of Hybrid-Head Language Models Redefining Efficiency and Performance

In this report, we introduce Falcon-H1, a new series of large language models (LLMs) featuring hybrid architecture designs optimized for both high performance and efficiency across diverse use cases. Unlike earlier Falcon models built solely on Transformer or Mamba architectures, Falcon-H1 adopts a parallel hybrid approach that combines Transformer-based attention with State Space Models (SSMs), known for superior long-context memory and computational efficiency. We systematically revisited model design, data strategy, and training dynamics, challenging conventional practices in the field. Falcon-H1 is released in multiple configurations, including base and instruction-tuned variants at 0.5B, 1.5B, 1.5B-deep, 3B, 7B, and 34B parameters. Quantized instruction-tuned models are also available, totaling over 30 checkpoints on Hugging Face Hub. Falcon-H1 models demonstrate state-of-the-art performance and exceptional parameter and training efficiency. The flagship Falcon-H1-34B matches or outperforms models up to 70B scale, such as Qwen3-32B, Qwen2.5-72B, and Llama3.3-70B, while using fewer parameters and less data. Smaller models show similar trends: the Falcon-H1-1.5B-Deep rivals current leading 7B-10B models, and Falcon-H1-0.5B performs comparably to typical 7B models from 2024. These models excel across reasoning, mathematics, multilingual tasks, instruction following, and scientific knowledge. With support for up to 256K context tokens and 18 languages, Falcon-H1 is suitable for a wide range of applications. All models are released under a permissive open-source license, underscoring our commitment to accessible and impactful AI research.

360-Degree Video Super Resolution and Quality Enhancement Challenge: Methods and Results

Omnidirectional (360-degree) video is rapidly gaining popularity due to advancements in immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR). However, real-time streaming of such videos, especially in live mobile scenarios like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is challenged by limited bandwidth and strict latency constraints. Traditional methods, such as compression and adaptive resolution, help but often compromise video quality and introduce artifacts that degrade the viewer experience. Additionally, the unique spherical geometry of 360-degree video presents challenges not encountered in traditional 2D video. To address these issues, we initiated the 360-degree Video Super Resolution and Quality Enhancement Challenge. This competition encourages participants to develop efficient machine learning solutions to enhance the quality of low-bitrate compressed 360-degree videos, with two tracks focusing on 2x and 4x super-resolution (SR). In this paper, we outline the challenge framework, detailing the two competition tracks and highlighting the SR solutions proposed by the top-performing models. We assess these models within a unified framework, considering quality enhancement, bitrate gain, and computational efficiency. This challenge aims to drive innovation in real-time 360-degree video streaming, improving the quality and accessibility of immersive visual experiences.