Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Technology

European Investment Bank invests €50 million into Comau for research and development in robotics, advanced automation and digital technologies

by

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Comau have signed a €50 million finance contract to support the Turin company’s research, development and innovation activities in the fields of robotics, advanced automation solutions, machine tools development, and digitalisation for various industrial sectors: from batteries, both automotive and stationary, to aerospace, construction, renewable energy and logistics.

The agreement was announced last week by EIB vice-president Gelsomina Vigliotti and Comau CEO Pietro Gorlier.

The operation is supported by InvestEU, the European Union’s investment programme, through which the EIB has already unlocked more than €4 billion in Italy under the umbrella of TechEU, the EIB Group’s €70 billion programme to accelerate innovation in Europe through equity, quasi-equity, loan and guarantee investments. [Read more…] about European Investment Bank invests €50 million into Comau for research and development in robotics, advanced automation and digital technologies

Beyond Silicon Valley: The cities and regions around the world emerging as leading hubs for robotics technology and finance

by

For much of the past half-century, Silicon Valley has been shorthand for technological innovation. Its influence on computing, semiconductors, software and, more recently, artificial intelligence is undisputed. Robotics, however, has always been a more complicated case.

While Silicon Valley has played an important role in shaping the software, sensing – that is, sensor technologies – and the investment side of robotics, it has never dominated robot manufacturing or deployment in the way that Japan or Germany have.

As robotics matures into an industrial sector rather than a purely experimental one, innovation is becoming increasingly distributed. Today, some of the most important advances are emerging far from Northern California. [Read more…] about Beyond Silicon Valley: The cities and regions around the world emerging as leading hubs for robotics technology and finance

Global semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales projected to reach record $156 billion in 2027, says SEMI

by

Global sales of total semiconductor manufacturing equipment by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are forecast to reach a record high of $133 billion in 2025, growing 13.7 percent year-on-year, SEMI predicted in its Year-End Total Semiconductor Equipment Forecast – OEM Perspective at SEMICON Japan 2025.

Growth in semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales is expected to continue in the two following years of the forecast period, with projections of $145 billion in 2026 and $156 billion in 2027.

This growth will be driven primarily by investments related to AI, particularly in leading-edge logic, memory, and the adoption of advanced packaging technologies. [Read more…] about Global semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales projected to reach record $156 billion in 2027, says SEMI

Owning the Experience: The Rise of White-Label Video Solutions in a Fragmented Market

by

What started as an easy way to watch shows has turned into a confusing mix of different services. A few early streaming giants have now multiplied into a sea of platforms, each with exclusive content, unique interfaces, and separate fees.

This fragmentation not only frustrates viewers but also presents challenges for content owners trying to retain their audiences and control their brand experience. To navigate this landscape, many broadcasters and video platform operators are turning to white-label OTT solutions.

These platforms let providers launch their own branded streaming service quickly, without building everything from scratch, so they can truly own the user experience. Coupled with hybrid monetization models and tools like dynamic ad insertion, a white-label approach empowers operators to engage viewers and generate revenue without sacrificing quality or control. [Read more…] about Owning the Experience: The Rise of White-Label Video Solutions in a Fragmented Market

Mach secures $7 million seed funding and agrees partnerships to scale its off-road autonomy business

by

Mach, a Tier 1 supplier of full-stack autonomy solutions for off-road equipment, has announced two concurrent milestones that signal a major acceleration in its commercial progress: the close of a $7 million funding round and key partnerships with leading original equipment manufacturers in agriculture, defense, and landcare.

The funding round was led by The Venture Collective (TVC), with participation from Next Level Ventures and Midwest Growth Partners. The capital will be used to scale production and support Mach’s growing ecosystem of more than 25 OEM partners, who are integrating Mach’s proven autonomy platform to deliver next-generation solutions to their customers.

Off-road industries face new challenges, including labor shortages and increased demands for safety and efficiency. Mach addresses these issues with a proven autonomy platform, boasting 500,000 driverless miles and 250,000 hours in the field. [Read more…] about Mach secures $7 million seed funding and agrees partnerships to scale its off-road autonomy business

The real test of robotics: Can insights reach the factory floor?

by

By Jason Hehman, industrials vertical lead, TXI

Robotics and AI promise major productivity gains in industrial contexts. The biggest challenge, in many cases, is translating those promises into actual utility on the factory floor.

The problem is that there is not (and there never will be) magical technology that works in every industrial context. The good news, however, is that there are basic principles that industrial leaders can use over and over to ensure that their technology investments lead to meaningful improvements for frontline operations.

Those principles: experimentation, user-centered design, and frontline delivery. Here, I’ll explain how industrial leaders can incorporate all three to consistently see positive ROI from tech investments. [Read more…] about The real test of robotics: Can insights reach the factory floor?

Which AI Humanizer Tool Performs Best in 2026

by

Artificial intelligence now powers an enormous share of digital content creation across engineering firms, robotics companies, manufacturing environments, and automated service operations.

As these systems produce more text, organizations increasingly rely on AI content classifiers to determine whether a document was written by a machine or a person.

In response, a range of rewriting platforms – commonly called AI humanizers – have emerged to help produce more natural, human-sounding language. [Read more…] about Which AI Humanizer Tool Performs Best in 2026

US startup Antioch raises $4.25 million to build simulation infrastructure to the robotics industry

by

A team of Stanford alumni led by former Tesla Autopilot engineer Harry Mellsop, former Deep Grey Research head of product Alex Langshur, former Google Deepmind engineer Colton Swingle, and former Meta Reality Labs researcher Collin Schlager, has raised $4.25 million to democratise access to advanced robotics development. 

The pre-seed round was led by A*, with support from Abstract Ventures, MaC Venture Capital, Box Group, as well as angels Adrian Macneil, the CEO of AI robotics company, Foxglove, Shyam Sankar, the CTO of Palantir, and NZ investment firm Icehouse Ventures.

Founded in early 2025 and headquartered in New York, Antioch is solving one of autonomy’s hardest problems: safely validating AI-driven systems that operate in the physical world. [Read more…] about US startup Antioch raises $4.25 million to build simulation infrastructure to the robotics industry

From Westworld fantasy to real-world hardware: Samsung debuts trifold phone

by

Five years after trifold smartphones appeared as futuristic props in the television series Westworld, the concept has moved from science fiction into the real world.

Samsung has officially unveiled Galaxy Z TriFold, the company’s first commercially available trifold phone – and one of the most ambitious mobile hardware launches the industry has seen in a decade.

Samsung describes the device as the culmination of years of work on foldable displays, hinge engineering and mobile AI systems. “Samsung’s relentless pursuit of new possibilities continues to shape the future of mobile experiences,” said TM Roh, CEO, president and head of device eXperience division at Samsung Electronics. [Read more…] about From Westworld fantasy to real-world hardware: Samsung debuts trifold phone

Smart Manufacturing Technologies: How Innovation is Redefining Production Efficiency

by

By 2025, the vocabulary of the plant floor has changed. “Downtime” is being replaced by “predictive interventions,” “batch records” by “digital thread,” and “gut feel” by “data-driven decision.”

What sits behind the new language is a maturing wave of smart manufacturing technologies that are quietly lifting output, squeezing costs, and protecting margins in a stubbornly volatile market.

This article is written for manufacturing leaders, operations managers, and industrial engineers who need a straight-talking tour of where the biggest efficiency gains from technology solutions for manufacturing are actually coming from and how to capture them without derailing ongoing production. [Read more…] about Smart Manufacturing Technologies: How Innovation is Redefining Production Efficiency