Assistant professor Pham Quang Cuong (L) and researcher fellow Francisco Suárez-Ruiz (R) from NTU Singapore pose next to a robot arm and the IKEA chair it helped assemble. Image: Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore It can be difficult to keep track of the progress being made in robotics, but one useful (if informal) marker is how good machines are at assembling Ikea furniture.