Robotics & Automation News

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MicroFactory raises $1.5 million to scale ‘general-purpose robot’ for manufacturing

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MicroFactory, a robotics startup specializing in how manual labor gets automated, has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from a set of visionary backers.

The backers include Clement Delangue, the founder of Hugging Face, and Naval Ravikant, early investor in Uber and Twitter. This gives the company a post-money cap of $30 million.

The company is leveraging the funds for its flagship product: an AI-powered general-purpose robotic system enclosed in a compact, box-shaped frame with two robotic arms and interchangeable tools. [Read more…] about MicroFactory raises $1.5 million to scale ‘general-purpose robot’ for manufacturing

After doing the laundry, Figure AI humanoid robot loads the dishwasher

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Helix, humanoid robotics specialist Figure AI’s Vision Language Action (VLA) model, has shown it can “adapt to dramatically different real-world challenges with nothing more than new data”.

After folding laundry and rearranging packages, Helix is now taking on another everyday task: loading a dishwasher.

At first glance, loading a dishwasher sounds like a simple task – just pick up each object and place it in the dishwasher. [Read more…] about After doing the laundry, Figure AI humanoid robot loads the dishwasher

Intrinsic and Google DeepMind unveil AI breakthrough for multi-robot orchestration

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Intrinsic, a robotics software company owned by Alphabet, parent company of Google, has announced a major advance in artificial intelligence that enables multiple industrial robots to work together in shared environments without colliding.

The development stems from long-term research led by Google DeepMind Robotics – now apparently rebranded as Gemini Robotics – in collaboration with Intrinsic and University College London.

Details of the project were published in Science Robotics under the title “RoboBallet: Planning for Multi-Robot Reaching with Graph Neural Networks and Reinforcement Learning”. [Read more…] about Intrinsic and Google DeepMind unveil AI breakthrough for multi-robot orchestration

Recirculate pioneers EV battery disassembly system with AI and robotics

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Recirculate, a European Union-funded project focused on advancing innovations for second-life batteries, driving a more sustainable and circular battery economy across Europe, is developing a state-of-the-art EV battery disassembly system using AI and robotics.

The project has successfully completed its first phase: the creation of a set of tools and machine learning models for the robotized dismantling of an EV battery from pack to cell level.

This innovation addresses one of the battery industry’s most pressing bottlenecks: safe, efficient, and automated disassembly. [Read more…] about Recirculate pioneers EV battery disassembly system with AI and robotics

Unitree dominates inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games with four gold medals

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Unitree Robotics has emerged as the standout performer at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) in Beijing, taking home four gold medals across some of the event’s most competitive categories. (See video below.)

The Chinese robotics company clinched victories in the 1500 m race, 400 m race, 100 m obstacle course, and 4×100 m relay, marking a historic sweep at the debut competition.

A highlight of the Games was the speed milestone achieved by Unitree’s humanoids, which clocked 4.78 m/s during competition, with the company noting that its latest internal tests have already surpassed 5 m/s – a benchmark that sets a new pace for humanoid robotics. [Read more…] about Unitree dominates inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games with four gold medals

How to Prep Your Factory for AI-Powered Robotics

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AI-driven robotics can revolutionize production efficiency when implemented correctly. The challenge is reaching this point without encountering one of the many obstacles that lie in your path.

To that end, here are the main strategies needed for readiness, taking you from discovery to scaled integration as seamlessly as possible. [Read more…] about How to Prep Your Factory for AI-Powered Robotics

Historic debut of the World Humanoid Robot Games kicks off in Beijing

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The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) roared into life yesterday evening at the iconic National Speed Skating Oval – the “Ice Ribbon” from the 2022 Winter Olympics. (See video below.)

A dazzling opening ceremony saw humanoid robots break into hip-hop dance routines, martial arts displays, and live musical performances on keyboards, guitars, and drums.

One robot even scored a soccer goal; another fell but got back up unaided, while a model bot tumbled off the stage and had to be carried by staff – underscoring both the spectacle and the still-evolving nature of the technology. [Read more…] about Historic debut of the World Humanoid Robot Games kicks off in Beijing

AI‑powered humanoid robots prepare for first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

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China has showcased a preview of the World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place from August 15 to 17, 2025, as part of the World Robot Conference. (See video below.) 

The games will be the first global sporting event exclusively devoted to humanoid robots. [Read more…] about AI‑powered humanoid robots prepare for first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

Diligent Robotics appoints former Cruise executives as CTO and COO

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Diligent Robotics, developers of AI-native humanoid robots, have appointed two former Cruise executives to its leadership team: Rashed Haq as chief technology officer (CTO) and Todd Brugger as chief operating officer (COO).

With deep technical and commercial go-to-market expertise in autonomous vehicles and AI, the pair will help fuel the company’s next phase of growth as it gears up for expansion beyond its initial application of US hospital logistics.

Haq most recently served as Cruise’s VP, head of AI and Robotics, where he built the foundation of end-to-end autonomy for self-driving vehicles and helped scale Cruise to 5+ million miles of fully driverless vehicles in 5+ cities. [Read more…] about Diligent Robotics appoints former Cruise executives as CTO and COO

ABB introduces most compact, AI-powered AMR for payloads up to 1500 kg

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ABB says it is “extending its leadership in AI-powered autonomous mobile robotics” with the launch of the Flexley Mover P603 platform AMR, the most compact model in its class to handle payloads of up to 1500 kg.

Designed to boost intralogistics efficiency, the P603 combines compact design with AI-driven Visual SLAM navigation and the latest version of AMR Studio software that maximizes flexibility by enabling different modules to be integrated into the AMR.

Marc Segura, president, ABB Robotics, says: “Our Autonomous Mobile Robots combine 3D vision with autonomous path planning to give our customers an unprecedented offering: robots that see, sense, and think. [Read more…] about ABB introduces most compact, AI-powered AMR for payloads up to 1500 kg