Robotics & Automation News

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healthcare robotics

Kirisense wins funding to develop robotic fingertips that can sense touch and slip

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UK robotics startup Kirisense has secured funding from the Henry Royce Institute to develop advanced tactile sensing technology designed to give robots a more human-like sense of touch.

The project, supported through the Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme and delivered in partnership with the University of Sheffield, will focus on creating robotic fingertips capable of detecting shear forces and slip in real time.

The funding comes as the robotics industry increasingly turns its attention from perception to manipulation. While advances in artificial intelligence and machine vision have significantly improved what robots can see and understand, handling objects reliably remains one of the sector’s biggest challenges. [Read more…] about Kirisense wins funding to develop robotic fingertips that can sense touch and slip

Kawasaki launches Silicon Valley hub to accelerate deployment of physical AI

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Kawasaki Heavy Industries has launched a new physical AI development center in Silicon Valley as part of a broader push to accelerate collaboration between Japanese and American companies in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and robotics.

Called the Kawasaki Physical AI Center San Jose, the facility will focus on developing real-world applications for physical AI systems through partnerships with major technology companies including Nvidia, Analog Devices, Microsoft, and Fujitsu.

The company says the center will initially prioritize healthcare and elder care applications, areas increasingly affected by labor shortages and aging populations in many countries. [Read more…] about Kawasaki launches Silicon Valley hub to accelerate deployment of physical AI

Lightwheel reports $100 million in Q1 orders for physical AI robotics infrastructure

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Lightwheel says it secured approximately $100 million in orders during the first quarter of 2026, reflecting what the company describes as a broader industry shift from robotics experimentation toward real-world deployment infrastructure.

Lightwheel is a robotics infrastructure company that develops simulation, synthetic data, evaluation, and deployment systems for training and scaling physical AI robots in real-world environments.

The company says the orders span simulation, synthetic data generation, evaluation systems, and deployment-oriented robotics infrastructure designed to support physical AI applications at industrial scale.

According to Lightwheel, the demand is being driven not simply by interest in robotics hardware or AI models, but by the growing need for systems capable of training, validating, and deploying robots reliably in real operating environments. [Read more…] about Lightwheel reports $100 million in Q1 orders for physical AI robotics infrastructure

Hello Robot unveils Stretch 4: A simply useful robot that puts people first

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Hello Robot, the team behind the Stretch mobile manipulation platform, have announced the release of Stretch 4.

Available now for $29,950, Stretch 4 is an open-source robotics platform designed for researchers, developers, and application engineers building the next wave of Physical AI applications for general purpose robotics.

“In the last few years, Physical AI has brought us videos of robots doing amazing stunts. But these videos are missing something critical – the people the robots are meant to benefit,” says Aaron Edsinger, co-founder and CEO of Hello Robot. [Read more…] about Hello Robot unveils Stretch 4: A simply useful robot that puts people first

GMEX Robotics advances autonomous hospital logistics robot

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GMEX Robotics, a developer of AI-powered robotic technologies, has announced a significant advancement of its hospital logistics robot.

The company is addressing one of the key limitations in existing portable conveyor-type medical tracked robots, which typically require medical staff or patients to bend over to retrieve items, making it inconvenient to adjust to a height suitable for operator use, and which are easily damaged if the sides are impacted by walls or oncoming foot or material traffic.

GMEX’s enhanced design focuses on improving durability, resilience and usability, reducing the risk of damage from external impacts while supporting consistent performance in high-traffic hospital environments. [Read more…] about GMEX Robotics advances autonomous hospital logistics robot

Physical AI robotics draws millions in funding as digital markets face correction

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While digital asset charts cool off, factory floors are receiving a massive influx of capital. Venture firms are swapping volatile tokens for robots that demonstrate tangible utility. The following analysis details the financial pivot toward physical automation in healthcare and manufacturing.

2025 proved that utility is the ultimate value driver. While speculative assets experienced natural market cycles, a quiet, substantial shift occurred in venture capital boardrooms. Fund managers moved focus from viral tokens to hardware that solves real-world problems.

The experts aren’t just talking about prototypes anymore. Capital is flooding into systems that can hold a scalpel or assemble a gearbox. Funding is backing machines that build, rather than just code that counts. [Read more…] about Physical AI robotics draws millions in funding as digital markets face correction

MassRobotics reveals 11 startups to take part in 5th Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program

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MassRobotics, in collaboration with Festo, Novanta and Mitsubishi Electric Automation, announces the selection of 11 startups for the 2026 Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst.

Now in its fifth cohort, the program empowers global startups to accelerate the development and commercialization of robotic technologies that improve clinical care, hospital operations, and laboratory automation. [Read more…] about MassRobotics reveals 11 startups to take part in 5th Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program

Serve Robotics to acquire Diligent Robotics, expanding autonomy platform into hospitals

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Serve Robotics has agreed to acquire healthcare robotics company Diligent Robotics, marking its first move beyond outdoor, sidewalk-based delivery and into indoor environments such as hospitals.

The deal brings Diligent’s autonomous hospital robot, Moxi, into Serve’s portfolio and expands the company’s autonomy platform into healthcare settings that require high reliability, safety, and close interaction with people.

Diligent Robotics was founded in 2017 by Andrea Thomaz and Vivian Chu and has raised more than $100 million from investors including Tiger Global, Canaan, and True Ventures.

The company develops AI-powered robot assistants designed to support clinical staff by handling routine logistics tasks inside hospitals. [Read more…] about Serve Robotics to acquire Diligent Robotics, expanding autonomy platform into hospitals

Covvi releases two lighter, shorter variants of advanced bionic hand

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Covvi has unveiled two new wrist options for the Covvi Hand, which will make the advanced prosthesis available to more people with upper-limb differences than ever before.

Engineered to meet the unique needs of every user, Covvi’s bionic hand will soon be available in three distinct wrist options – the original Covvi Hand featuring a flexing wrist, alongside the new Straight Wrist, and Friction Wrist variants.

The original Covvi Hand’s ‘Flex Wrist’ enables users to adjust the angle of their hand for various tasks, offering 27 degrees of flexion and extension that can be securely locked. [Read more…] about Covvi releases two lighter, shorter variants of advanced bionic hand

Oversonic Robotics agrees strategic partnership with NantWorks and opens new LA office

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Oversonic Robotics, an Italian company specializing in cognitive humanoid robotics, has agreed a strategic partnership in the United States with NantWorks, alongside the opening of a new Los Angeles office.

The announcement was made during the inaugural US-Saudi Biotech Alliance Summit, held in conjunction with the 44th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

This agreement marks an important step in the company’s international expansion. The collaboration brings together Oversonic’s technological excellence with NantWorks unique expertise in the medical and aerospace sectors, strengthening the company’s ability to develop advanced cognitive robotic solutions for industrial and healthcare applications. [Read more…] about Oversonic Robotics agrees strategic partnership with NantWorks and opens new LA office