Robotics News
Breaking news, funding rounds, product launches, and industry moves โ filter by category.
Asimov open-sources v1 humanoid robot โ full design, BOM, and DIY kit at $15,000 โถ Video
Asimov Inc releases Asimov v1 as fully open-source: 1.2m tall, 35kg, 25 DoF humanoid robot. Mechanical design, simulation files, and BOM on GitHub. DIY kit ships end of summer 2026 for $15,000 ($499 deposit). Built for community-driven humanoid development.
Eka Robotics unveils Vision-Force-Action Model for robot manipulation โถ Video
Eka Robotics, founded by MIT's Pulkit Agrawal, announces their Vision-Force-Action (VFA) model โ treating force sensing as a first-class modality alongside vision for robotic manipulation. The approach aims to give robots a native understanding of physical forces.
Japan tests Unitree G1 and UBTECH Walker E humanoid robots at Tokyo Haneda Airport โถ Video
JAL is testing Unitree G1 and UBTECH Walker E humanoid robots at Tokyo Haneda Airport for cargo loading and luggage handling. Japan's aviation sector faces labour shortages from rising tourism and declining workforce. JAL plans to expand use to cabin cleaning and operating support machines.
RobotEra deploying 1,000 L7 humanoid sorters across China Post and SF Express โถ Video
Beijing-based RobotEra is deploying its L7 humanoid robot across 10+ logistics centers for China Post and SF Express. The robots operate 24/7, reaching 85% human efficiency. Batch deliveries at thousand-unit scale begin Q2 2026. RobotEra recently raised $200M.
PIPE-i: Beca's 3D-printed robot inspects confined spaces with LiDAR โถ Video
New Zealand engineering company Beca developed PIPE-i, a remotely controlled robot for inspecting manholes, tunnels, and hazardous confined spaces. Built with 3D printing and equipped with LiDAR, it provides operators with live video feedback in real time.
CIX signs lease for first humanoid robot store in the USA โถ Video
CIX announced the signing of a lease for The REK Shop in San Francisco's Nob Hill โ billed as the first humanoid robot store in the US. Expected to open in approximately two months, featuring robot shopping by day and robot fights at night.
Chinese logistics center reportedly operated by humanoid robots 24/7 โถ Video
A Chinese logistics center is rumored to be fully operated by humanoid robots running 24/7, reportedly achieving 85% of human-level efficiency. The facility highlights China's push toward autonomous warehouse and logistics operations.
PeritasAI partners with NVIDIA and AdventHealth to bring AI robotics to surgery
PeritasAI is using NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare in partnership with LightwheelAI and AdventHealth to bring AI-powered robotic systems to the operating room. The collaboration aims to enhance surgical precision with autonomous robotic capabilities.
EngineAI humanoid robot goes outdoors in new 'Get out and have fun' demo
Chinese robotics company EngineAI shares video of their humanoid robot walking and moving outdoors, stepping beyond the lab environment. The clip shows the robot navigating open terrain, demonstrating real-world locomotion progress.
Galbot humanoid demonstrates Tai Chi in lab demo
Galbot's wheeled-base humanoid robot performs smooth Tai Chi arm poses in an indoor lab, showcasing fluid upper-body motion control. Posted by Auki, noting the Galbot outperforms their other robots at Tai Chi movements.
AGIBOT unveils A3 humanoid robot with martial arts capabilities
Chinese robotics company AGIBOT teases its upcoming A3 humanoid robot in a dramatic demo video. The robot is shown in a martial-arts stance inside a traditional Chinese training hall with red lanterns and lion-dance props, showcasing advanced balance and dynamic movement control.
Unitree G1 EDU developer robots available for short-term rental in San Francisco
Unitree G1 EDU dev units now available for rental in the SF Bay Area through May. Multiple providers including TOBoRLife (official NA distributor) and FUTUROBOTS offer monthly terms starting around $1,800/month.
Gurren humanoid prototype update: new teleoperation software and v2 hardware
Indie builder Mikhail (@LagannMikhail) shares progress on the Gurren humanoid: improved software teleoperation via VR headset, new custom controller, and v2 arms and legs entering manufacturing.
Robros IGRIS-C humanoid robot deployed at Lotte logistics center in South Korea
Korean robotics company Robros has deployed its IGRIS-C humanoid at a Lotte logistics center for packing operations. The 1.54m, 56kg robot uses reinforcement learning to handle clothes, bag items, and seal packages.
Clone Robotics reveals fluid-driven musculoskeletal humanoid at Abundance Summit
Polish startup Clone Robotics showcased their hydraulic muscle-based humanoid system at the Abundance Summit. Their Clone Alpha android uses 1000 artificial muscles and no electric motors, with 279 units available for pre-order at $100,000.
Kia to deploy 30,000 Boston Dynamics Atlas robots at Georgia plant by 2029
Hyundai-owned Kia plans to deploy Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robots at its Georgia manufacturing facility starting 2029, with a target of 30,000 units for automotive assembly operations.
Reflex Robotics deploys mobile robots in real warehouse environments
Reflex Robotics shows its mobile robots doing real picking and packing work alongside human workers in warehouse settings.
Japanese startup Zeals importing Chinese humanoid robots for hospital care
Zeals is bringing Chinese-made humanoid robots to Japan and training them in Japanese hospitality standards for patient care in hospitals.
Drones transforming agriculture in rural China โ spraying crops on terraced hillsides
Agricultural drones now widely deployed across rural China for crop spraying on steep terraced farmland, replacing manual labor in hard-to-reach areas.
Chinese company Unipath deploys household robot in real homes โ cooks, cleans, wakes you up
Unipath launches a household robot now in real-home use in China. The robot can wake users, operate appliances, organize storage, and cook meals automatically. Goes viral with 479K views.
Boston Dynamics Tech Talk: Form & Function of Enterprise Humanoid Design
Boston Dynamics releases detailed tech talk on the engineering decisions behind Atlas's enterprise humanoid design โ balancing form factor, payload, and reliability for real industrial deployment.
Midea's 6-armed industrial robot works as coordinated unit
Chinese appliance giant Midea demonstrates a 6-armed robot system working as a single coordinated unit for manufacturing tasks. Embodied AI enables multiple arms to collaborate without collisions.
UniXAI starts home robot deployment in Suzhou โ cooking and cleaning ready
Chinese startup UniXAI begins deploying home robots in Suzhou, China. The robots can cook and clean autonomously, marking one of the first real residential deployments of household humanoid robots.
Kyber Labs demos robot doing clinical pathology โ specimen handling with precision manipulation
Brooklyn-based Kyber Labs demonstrates a single robotic system doing tool use, precision manipulation, and planning in a clinical pathology lab. The robot handles specimen tubes alongside lab equipment.
Unitree IPOs at ~$610M after delivering 5,500+ humanoid robots
Unitree Robotics goes public with ~$610M IPO. The company has delivered 5,500+ humanoid robots, achieved ~1.7B RMB revenue with over 60% gross margins. Plans to ship 20,000 units in 2026.
Asimov opens presale for 'Here Be Dragons' DIY humanoid kit โ $499 deposit, $15,000 target
Asimov Inc launches presale for their open-source humanoid robot kit. 1.2m tall, 35kg, 25+ DoF, fully unassembled with build manual and videos. $499 deposit secures a spot, $15,000 target price close to BOM cost.
LATENT tennis robot now beats human researchers โ autonomous humanoid plays pro-level rallies
The LATENT system trained on the Unitree G1 can now sustain multi-shot rallies against human players. Researchers from Tsinghua and Peking University report the robot consistently beats them in tennis matches.
Tien Kung 3.0 becomes first humanoid to conquer 2026 Beijing autonomous test
Taiwan's Tien Kung humanoid robot becomes the first to pass Beijing's full autonomy test, navigating real urban environments without human intervention.
Nebius and NVIDIA collaborate for Physical AI Cloud
Nebius partners with NVIDIA to build a Physical AI Cloud platform for training and deploying robotic AI models at scale.
RealSense unveils autonomous humanoid navigation at GTC 2026
Intel's RealSense division demonstrates autonomous humanoid robot navigation capabilities at NVIDIA GTC 2026, enabling robots to navigate complex environments without mapping.
Mind Robotics (Rivian spinout) raises $500M at $2B valuation
Mind Robotics, an industrial robotics lab spun out of EV maker Rivian, raises $500M in Series A funding. Valued at $2 billion, focused on AI-powered industrial robotics.
Apptronik closes over $935M Series A for humanoid robots
Austin-based Apptronik, maker of the Apollo humanoid robot, closes a massive $935M Series A round. One of the largest robotics funding rounds in history.
Figure AI introduces Figure 03 โ next-gen humanoid
Figure AI announces Figure 03, their latest humanoid robot built on Qualcomm's safety-grade SoC platforms. Comprehensive physical AI stack with improved capabilities.
Sunday raises $165M to launch autonomous robots by Thanksgiving
Mountain View startup Sunday raises $165M to build and deploy their first autonomous robots by Thanksgiving 2026.
Robotics startups raised $890M in February 2026 alone
AI-powered robotics startups raised $890 million across four major deals in February 2026, signaling massive investor appetite for the sector.
Andrew Yang proposes taxing AI agents instead of human labor
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang calls for shifting taxation from workers to AI systems. 'AI is to knowledge work what robots were to the factory floor.' Warns millions of white-collar jobs will be displaced within 12-18 months.
First humanoid robot 'arrested' โ Unitree G1 escorted by police in Macao
Police in Macao literally arrested and escorted a Unitree G1 humanoid robot after it nearly gave a 70-year-old woman a heart attack on the street. The first recorded 'arrest' of a humanoid robot.
ETH Zurich releases three new OrcaHand models โ open-source, 3D-printable dexterous hands
The Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich announces three new OrcaHand variants including the OrcaHand Touch with 83 taxels per fingertip, detecting forces down to 0.1N. All models are open-source and 3D-printable for under 2,000 CHF.
Uber founder Travis Kalanick plans to launch new AI & robotics company
Travis Kalanick, who built Uber into a global logistics empire, is reportedly entering the robotics space with a new AI and robotics venture. His experience in fleet management and autonomous operations at scale makes this a significant move.
UBTECH Walker S2 begins mass production โ orders exceed 800 million yuan
UBTECH's humanoid robot Walker S2 enters mass production and delivery phase, with orders surpassing $112M. Deployed at BYD, NIO, and Zeekr car factories for quality inspection and assembly.
Unitree plans to ship 20,000 humanoid robots in 2026
Chinese robotics maker Unitree Robotics announced plans to ship 20,000 humanoid robots this year, up from 5,500 in 2025, signaling rapid scaling of humanoid robot production.
Stripe launches x402 payments on Base โ AI agents can now pay with USDC
Stripe taps Coinbase's Base network for the x402 payment protocol, enabling AI agents to make instant USDC micropayments for APIs and digital services without human intervention.
ICON 3D-prints entire affordable housing community in Texas
ICON's Vulcan printer completes a 100-home community in Georgetown, Texas โ the largest 3D-printed housing project in the US. Homes built at 40% less cost than traditional construction.
Boston Dynamics Atlas performs autonomous warehouse sorting
New demo shows the electric Atlas humanoid robot autonomously sorting and placing heavy engine parts in a warehouse setting, demonstrating practical industrial capability.
Figure AI raises $675M Series B at $2.6B valuation
Figure AI closes massive funding round backed by Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Jeff Bezos. The company plans to deploy Figure 02 humanoid robots in BMW manufacturing plants.
DJI faces expanded US restrictions โ agricultural drone sales continue in EU
New US legislation restricts DJI drone purchases by federal agencies. Meanwhile, DJI's Agras T50 agricultural drones see record sales across Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
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