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X Square Robot builds a full-stack approach to embodied AI and general-purpose robotics

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The rapid growth of embodied artificial intelligence is reshaping the robotics industry, with companies racing to develop machines capable of performing a wide variety of real-world tasks rather than being programmed for a single application.

Among the companies attracting significant attention is Shenzhen-based X Square Robot, which recently completed four consecutive financing rounds culminating in a Series C investment.

The company is now valued over RMB20 billion and says the new funding will accelerate development of its embodied AI foundation models, robotics hardware, data infrastructure and commercial deployments. [Read more…] about X Square Robot builds a full-stack approach to embodied AI and general-purpose robotics

Interview with MTC’s Mike Wilson: ‘Automation is not optional if the UK wants to rebuild manufacturing’

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Readers not old enough to remember what are often referred to as the “Thatcher years” may not appreciate how dramatically the UK’s economy changed during the 1980s.

Like some other Western economies, particularly the US, the UK increasingly shifted its focus toward services, finance, retail, and consumer spending, while manufacturing became a smaller part of the national economy.

Before Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, manufacturing accounted for roughly 30 percent of UK national income and employed around 6.8 million people. [Read more…] about Interview with MTC’s Mike Wilson: ‘Automation is not optional if the UK wants to rebuild manufacturing’

Interview with Olo Robotics COO Eleanor Tang-Smith: Making robot programming accessible to everyone

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Robotics hardware has advanced rapidly in recent years. Autonomous mobile robots, quadrupeds, robotic arms, and even humanoid robots are becoming increasingly capable and commercially available. Yet for many organizations, one of the biggest barriers to adoption remains software.

Building robotic applications typically requires specialist expertise in platforms such as ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2), the open-source framework that has become the de facto standard for modern robotics development.

While ROS 2 has helped accelerate robotics innovation across industries, it is still widely regarded as complex and difficult for newcomers to master. [Read more…] about Interview with Olo Robotics COO Eleanor Tang-Smith: Making robot programming accessible to everyone

Interview with Digid’s Nils Könne and Christian Kreil: Nanoscale sensors could help solve robotics’ tactile sensing challenge

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The rapid rise of artificial intelligence and robotics has focused attention on software, large language models, and increasingly powerful processors.

But for robots to operate effectively in the physical world, they also need something much more fundamental: the ability to sense and understand their environment.

That challenge is creating growing interest in advanced sensing technologies capable of providing machines with far richer information about the world around them. [Read more…] about Interview with Digid’s Nils Könne and Christian Kreil: Nanoscale sensors could help solve robotics’ tactile sensing challenge

Interview with Clearpath Robotics co-founder Ryan Gariepy: ‘Most industries in Canada are under-automated’

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Canada has long been recognized for its contributions to robotics research, producing world-class universities, pioneering robotics startups, and innovative technologies that have found applications across manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, mining, and defense.

Yet despite this strong technical foundation, many observers argue that Canada has not always translated its research strengths into widespread industrial deployment at the same pace as some other leading economies.

Few people have witnessed that evolution more closely than Ryan Gariepy, co-founder of Clearpath Robotics, one of Canada’s most successful robotics companies. [Read more…] about Interview with Clearpath Robotics co-founder Ryan Gariepy: ‘Most industries in Canada are under-automated’

Interview with Paul Dawalibi: Can Ras Al Khaimah become the Silicon Valley of the Middle East?

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For decades, when technology companies looked to establish a presence in the Middle East, the conversation typically revolved around Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

But as global competition for AI, robotics, and deep-tech investment intensifies, a growing number of smaller, more agile innovation hubs are seeking to carve out their own place in the technology landscape.

Among them is Innovation City Ras Al Khaimah, a technology-focused free zone located in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. [Read more…] about Interview with Paul Dawalibi: Can Ras Al Khaimah become the Silicon Valley of the Middle East?

Interview with Sharpa’s Alicia Veneziani: ‘Dexterous manipulation is the key to useful humanoid robots’

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Much of the recent excitement surrounding humanoid robots has focused on increasingly impressive demonstrations of walking, running, jumping, and balancing. Yet many robotics experts argue that locomotion, while important, is only part of the challenge.

The bigger obstacle to creating genuinely useful humanoid robots may be something far more familiar to humans: the ability to use their hands.

Among the companies focused on solving this problem is Sharpa, a Singapore-based robotics startup developing dexterous robotic hands, tactile sensing systems, and embodied AI technologies designed to enable robots to interact more effectively with the physical world. [Read more…] about Interview with Sharpa’s Alicia Veneziani: ‘Dexterous manipulation is the key to useful humanoid robots’

Opinion: The AI infrastructure risk robotics leaders can’t afford to ignore

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By Nadine Akey, sales and marketing manager, Hutchinson Aerospace & Industry

The robotics industry is entering a new phase of growth. Autonomous mobile robots navigate warehouses with increasing sophistication.

Industrial robots are becoming smarter and more adaptive. AI-powered vision systems are transforming manufacturing, logistics and defense applications.

Behind every one of these advances is a rapidly expanding layer of AI infrastructure. [Read more…] about Opinion: The AI infrastructure risk robotics leaders can’t afford to ignore

From audio tapes to AI: Interview with TDK Ventures investment director Ankur Saxena

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Artificial intelligence has become the dominant theme in technology investing, but when it comes to robotics, some investors argue that the industry may be drawing the wrong conclusions from recent breakthroughs in large language models and generative AI.

Among them is Ankur Saxena, investment director at TDK Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of TDK Corporation.

While TDK is widely recognized today as a supplier of electronic components, sensors, power systems, and advanced materials, many readers will remember the company as one of the world’s most recognizable brands in the era of cassette tapes and audio recording media. [Read more…] about From audio tapes to AI: Interview with TDK Ventures investment director Ankur Saxena

Large Portuguese building 3D printed in record 9 Days

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Portuguese construction 3D printing company Havelar has delivered a public building for the municipality of Matosinhos using construction 3D printing technology.

The project, a 500 m² (5,400 ft²) recycling center office at the Ecocentro de Perafita in Porto, was printed in 9 days on budget using a COBOD BOD2 construction 3D printer operated by a four-person crew.

The project demonstrates the benefits of construction 3D printing for public sector applications. Public construction projects in Portugal have historically faced cost overruns, making the budget-accurate delivery of this project particularly notable. [Read more…] about Large Portuguese building 3D printed in record 9 Days