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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

Agibot reaches new milestone as its 15,000th humanoid robot rolls off production line

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Agibot, a global leader in embodied AI and robotics, has announced that its 15,000th robot has officially rolled off the production line.

The milestone unit is the Agibot G2, an industrial-grade embodied task robot designed for industrial and real-world operational scenarios.

Following the rollout of its 5,000th and 10,000th robots, this latest milestone marks another significant step in Agibot’s scaling journey. It reflects the company’s continued progress in moving embodied AI robots from product validation and batch production toward larger-scale delivery and real-world deployment. [Read more…] about Agibot reaches new milestone as its 15,000th humanoid robot rolls off production line

People want robots in warehouses and factories, not hospitals or schools, Hexagon study finds

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New findings from Hexagon’s global Robot Generation study show that both adults and children are open to robots at work, but are setting clear terms for where and how they should be used.

Asked whether they would prefer a human or a robot to handle specific workplace tasks, adults consistently chose robots for physical, repetitive, and hazardous work. 68 percent prefer a robot for lifting and transporting heavy items, 54 percent for carrying and delivering, and 52 percent for monitoring hazards.

Children follow the same pattern with even greater openness, with 69 percent preferring a robot for heavy lifting, and 59 percent for carrying and delivering. [Read more…] about People want robots in warehouses and factories, not hospitals or schools, Hexagon study finds

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 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’

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

RLWRLD named World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer for advancing physical AI infrastructure

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RLWRLD, a physical AI company developing the proprietary Robotics Foundation Model RLDX-1, has been named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2026.

The WEF Technology Pioneers program selects 100 innovative technology companies each year that are positioned to drive long-term, paradigm-shifting impact on global industries and society.

According to the WEF’s official analysis report, Meet the Technology Pioneers, this year’s selection centered on companies providing the foundational software and core infrastructure to support large-scale deployment of autonomous AI systems, ones that perceive, reason, and act directly in the physical world, going beyond conversational chatbots and application-layer software. [Read more…] about RLWRLD named World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer for advancing physical AI infrastructure

From backflips to folding laundry: How X Square Robot is building the missing ‘brain’ for embodied AI

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While robotics companies around the world continue to showcase humanoids performing backflips, running obstacle courses, and dancing on stage, one Chinese firm is pursuing a more difficult – and arguably more consequential – goal: teaching robots to operate in the messy, unpredictable environments where people actually live and work.

According to X Square Robot founder and CEO Wang Qian, the industry’s hardware foundations are largely in place. Humanoid locomotion, dexterous hands, and force-control systems have all advanced rapidly. The remaining challenge is intelligence.

“The hardware is largely there,” Wang said. “The real bottleneck is the brain.” [Read more…] about From backflips to folding laundry: How X Square Robot is building the missing ‘brain’ for embodied AI