Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Leju Robot’s humanoid makes history as torchbearer at China’s 15th National Games

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In a striking fusion of sport and technology, a humanoid robot named “Kuavo” developed by Leju Robot made a historic debut as a special torchbearer during the torch relay for China’s 15th National Games on Sunday, symbolizing a significant leap for the country’s embodied intelligence industry.

The black-and-white humanoid, designated the ceremonial “Zero Torchbearer”, completed a roughly 100-meter stretch during the relay in Shenzhen.

Billed as the world’s first humanoid robot torchbearer equipped with 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology, Kuavo gripped a 1.6-kilogram torch and executed a handover between the second and third legs of the relay. Its running posture was described as lifelike, steady, and natural. [Read more…] about Leju Robot’s humanoid makes history as torchbearer at China’s 15th National Games

Kuka partners with Kleusberg to ‘bring advanced automation to modular construction’

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Industrial automation company Kuka and modular construction specialist Kleusberg have formed a partnership to bring advanced automation to modular construction, with the goal of modernising and streamlining manufacturing at Kleusberg’s plant near Halle (Saale).

The cooperation aims to install full robotic welding systems for floor and ceiling modules, forming part of a long-term plan to expand the use of automation in building production.

Beginning in 2027, Kleusberg will deploy a flexible, robot-based welding system supplied by Kuka. The turnkey line will use five industrial robots to weld more than 2,000 metres of 2D floor and ceiling frames every week across a production area of over 1,000 square metres. [Read more…] about Kuka partners with Kleusberg to ‘bring advanced automation to modular construction’

Doosan Robotics partners with Daedong to develop advanced technology for agriculture

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Doosan Robotics has signed an agreement with agritech company Daedong to jointly develop on-device AI technology and business collaboration in the agricultural robotics sector.

Under this agreement, the two companies will work together to develop field robots optimized for smart farms and outdoor agricultural environments.

They will also focus on creating and commercializing on-device AI technology that can be applied to unstructured agricultural settings. Furthermore, the collaboration aims to pave the way for expanding into the global market for field robots. [Read more…] about Doosan Robotics partners with Daedong to develop advanced technology for agriculture

Dürr sells environmental technology business to Stellex

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Dürr, a plant engineering company and one of Europe’s most well known robotics and automation brands, has completed the planned sale of its environmental technology business (Clean Technology Systems Environmental division), which was announced in June.

The new owner is an affiliate of the US investment firm Stellex Capital Management.

The Dürr Group retains a re-investment in the environmental technology business amounting to approximately 25 percent. Based on an enterprise value of around €385 million, Dürr expects to receive gross proceeds of between €290 and €310 million in the fourth quarter.

After receipt, the gross proceeds will be reduced by transaction-related costs and by taxes arising from the transaction, most of which will become payable in 2026. Not included in the gross proceeds are payments that Dürr will receive for the capital it contributed to the environmental technology companies prior to the sale. [Read more…] about Dürr sells environmental technology business to Stellex

Watch for These 6 Red Flags Before You Trust an Online Business

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You are looking for a new standing desk. You search Google, scroll past the ads, and click on a promising website. The product looks great. The photos are polished.

The price is better than anything you saw on Amazon. The site even has “limited stock” warnings and customer reviews. It seems legit, so you placed an order. Two weeks later – nothing. The customer support email bounces, the tracking number is fake, and your money is gone.

These scams are more common than most people realize. Fraudsters build sleek, professional-looking storefronts that mimic genuine brands, manipulate search results, and vanish as soon as they have cashed in. And because they are getting better at faking legitimacy, even savvy users are falling for it. [Read more…] about Watch for These 6 Red Flags Before You Trust an Online Business

Universal partners with Stability to develop AI music creation tools

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Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music company, and Stability AI have announced a strategic alliance to develop professional music creation tools powered by generative AI and built to support the creative process of artists, producers and songwriters globally.

Through this alliance, Stability AI’s research and product teams will work closely with UMG and its artists to research artist needs and technical approaches for the next generation of music creation tools.

Together, they will explore new recording and composition concepts, gather insights into artists’ needs, and better understand how artists adopt and engage with these technologies. [Read more…] about Universal partners with Stability to develop AI music creation tools

Micropolis partners with MCS Robotics to develop container cleaning robot for Swedish port

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Micropolis, a pioneer in unmanned ground vehicles, has entered into an agreement with Helsingborgs Hamn, operator of the Port of Helsingborg in Sweden, and MCS Robotics, a Swedish robotics firm, to jointly develop and test the “Box Cleaner”, an autonomous robotic cleaning system designed for cleaning freight containers in port and industrial environments.

The Box Cleaner is built on Micropolis’ proprietary M2 platform, integrating the company’s AI navigation software, edge-computing architecture, and autonomous control systems.

Designed for large outdoor and semi-industrial environments, the robot performs precision cleaning operations over extended periods without human intervention.

The platform’s capabilities include adaptive route planning, object recognition, and dynamic resource optimization, allowing the robot to minimize water and power consumption while maintaining consistent operational output. The company expects the trial to yield detailed operational data for refining performance metrics ahead of broader commercialization. [Read more…] about Micropolis partners with MCS Robotics to develop container cleaning robot for Swedish port

Nvidia releases IGX Thor Robotics Processor to ‘bring real-time physical AI to the industrial and medical edge’

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AI is moving from the digital world into the physical one. Across factory floors and operating rooms, machines are evolving into collaborators that can see, sense and make decisions in real time.

To accelerate this transformation, Nvidia has unveiled Nvidia IGX Thor, a powerful, industrial-grade platform built to bring real-time physical AI directly to the edge, combining high-speed sensor processing, enterprise-grade reliability and functional safety in a small module for the desktop.

Delivering up to 8x the AI compute performance of its predecessor, Nvidia IGX Orin, IGX Thor enables developers to build intelligent systems that perceive, reason and act faster, safer and smarter than ever. [Read more…] about Nvidia releases IGX Thor Robotics Processor to ‘bring real-time physical AI to the industrial and medical edge’

ETH researchers develop novel artificial muscles that ‘move with sound’

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Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed artificial muscles that contain microbubbles and can be controlled with ultrasound. In the future, these muscles could be deployed in technical and medical settings as gripper arms, tissue patches, targeted drug delivery, or robots. (See video below.)

It might look like a simple material experiment at first glance, as a brief ultrasound stimulation induces a thin strip of silicone to start bending and arching.

But that’s just the beginning. A team led by Daniel Ahmed, Professor of Acoustic Robotics for Life Sciences and Healthcare, has developed a new class of artificial muscles: flexible membranes that respond to ultrasound with the help of thousands of microbubbles. [Read more…] about ETH researchers develop novel artificial muscles that ‘move with sound’

Catalyx Space raises $5.4 million to establish ‘orbital logistics company’

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Catalyx Space, a space infrastructure company providing turnkey solutions for orbital missions across industries, including logistics, recently announced its oversubscribed $5.4 million Seed funding round led by venture capital firm Outlander VC.

The announcement follows on the heels of its January $1.7 million pre-Seed round, which culminated in their first successful capsule drop test within an accelerated six-month timeline. The new funds will be used to commercialize its next-gen reentry architecture, bolster overseas operations, and expand its global customer acquisition capabilities.

The round also had participation from: Arka Venture Labs, Lex Reddy, KDX Management LLC, Together Fund, Higher Life Ventures, Nivesha Ventures, Prana Tech Ventures, Bria, HF0 Residency, and Techstars. [Read more…] about Catalyx Space raises $5.4 million to establish ‘orbital logistics company’