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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

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

Boston Dynamics trains Atlas humanoid robot to pick up and place washing machine

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Boston Dynamics has released new behind-the-scenes footage showing its latest electric humanoid robot, Atlas, performing heavy lifting and manipulation tasks that the company says are designed to prepare the system for real industrial work. (See video below.)

The demonstration centers on Atlas lifting and carrying a mini-fridge weighing roughly 50 pounds, although Boston Dynamics says the robot successfully handled a loaded fridge weighing more than 100 pounds during testing.

The company says the breakthrough is not simply the robot’s physical strength, but the development of AI-driven control systems capable of adapting to “real world adaptability: handling heavy objects by bracing and accounting for the mass and inertia; using whole-body control, not just hands to maneuver”. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics trains Atlas humanoid robot to pick up and place washing machine

Smart Robotics raises €10 million to expand AI-driven warehouse robotics across Europe

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Dutch warehouse robotics company Smart Robotics has raised €10 million in Series A funding as it looks to expand its AI-driven robotic picking technology across Europe and strengthen its position in the fast-growing warehouse automation market.

The funding round was led by Rotterdamse Havendraken, with participation from Innovation Industries and Dutch family office Ernij Next.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Best, the Netherlands, Smart Robotics develops AI-based robotic pick-and-place systems for intralogistics operations. The company says it has deployed more than 120 systems across 15 countries and five industries, executing more than one billion successful robotic picks in live warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Smart Robotics raises €10 million to expand AI-driven warehouse robotics across Europe

Festo introduces AI-based gripper for mixed-product robotic handling

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When robotic cells must handle a range of variable products within the same machine, mixed-product environments often require repeated programming, application-specific integration, and expensive 3D camera setups. These demands can slow deployment, increase integration cost, and make it difficult to scale automation across operations.

To address these challenges, Festo introduces GripperAI, a universal AI-based software that enables robots to handle a range of items without custom programming. The software operates locally at the cell on a standard industrial PC with a connected 3D camera and automatically adjusts for mixed products without programming or template loading between SKUs.

Deploying GripperAI involves standard integration steps: mounting and aligning the camera, verifying usable lighting, calibrating the robot base to the camera’s frame, and configuring the software’s pick parameters. [Read more…] about Festo introduces AI-based gripper for mixed-product robotic handling

Exotec partners with Musinsa to power new automated warehouse for fast-growing K-fashion business

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Exotec, a global provider of warehouse robotics solutions, has announced a partnership with leading South Korean fashion brand, Musinsa.

This collaboration marks Exotec’s first customer deployment in the Korean market and represents an important milestone in the company’s expansion across the Asia-Pacific region. The project will support Musinsa’s continued international growth as global demand for K-fashion continues to rise.

Musinsa is an e-commerce platform and physical retail destination supporting independent Korean labels and luxury brands. Its logistics operations manage hundreds of thousands of SKUs, with inventory levels fluctuating significantly due to seasonal product launches and high-volume sales events. [Read more…] about Exotec partners with Musinsa to power new automated warehouse for fast-growing K-fashion business

VNYX raises €1 million to scale robotics and AI for automated fashion resale

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Amsterdam-based startup VNYX has raised more than €1 million in funding to scale its robotics and AI systems designed to automate fashion resale and reduce textile waste.

The funding – which includes a mix of strategic investment and government grants – marks the company’s transition into a post-revenue phase, with early commercial deployments already under way.

VNYX is positioning itself at the intersection of robotics, AI, and circular economy logistics, targeting one of the fashion industry’s most complex operational challenges: processing returns, overstock, and secondhand garments at scale.

Automating resale operations

At the core of the company’s approach is a combination of proprietary hardware and AI-driven software designed to automate garment handling and processing.

VNYX says its system has already reduced processing times from 19 minutes to around 3 minutes per item, with a goal of reaching its “1-minute promise” – a benchmark it believes would make resale more efficient and profitable than traditional retail disposal methods.

The company’s current system, VNYX10, is deployed with partners including BOAS and Bever, processing up to 10,000 items annually and generating early revenue.

“Beyond the capital, our progress is driven by a world-class team and advisors whose dedication to stop fashion waste has turned a bold vision into reality in just 12 months” says Vincent van der Holst, co-founder and CEO of VNYX.

Hardware-software integration and scaling challenge

The company’s development has been supported by a network of technical and financial partners, reflecting the complexity of building integrated robotics systems for industrial use.

These include deeptech investors such as Baltic Business Angels and Squads Fund, as well as engineering partner Spark Design & Innovation, which is contributing to the physical development of the VNYX hardware platform.

Additional backing has come from Stichting DOEN, Earthstar, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, which has provided non-dilutive funding to support research and development.

Toward high-throughput resale robotics

Looking ahead, VNYX is preparing to scale its technology with the rollout of higher-capacity systems.

The next-generation VNYX100 system – capable of processing up to 100,000 items per year – is scheduled for delivery to BOAS in June 2026.

Beyond that, the company is developing the VNYX1000, which it describes as a large-scale robotics and AI system designed to handle more than 1 million items annually in industrial resale environments.

“Any brand who wants to go below one minute with us can join right now. We dump and burn one garbage truck of textile every three seconds, so every second counts. The right time to act is now,” says Romy Goedhart, co-founder of VNYX.

From sustainability to industrial automation

VNYX is targeting a shift in how fashion companies manage unsold and returned inventory, particularly as regulatory pressure increases in Europe through extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules and bans on the destruction of unsold goods.

By automating resale processes, the company argues that circular fashion models can move from niche sustainability initiatives to scalable industrial operations.

“We have proven that fashion resale isn’t only the right thing to do for the planet, but it’s the right thing for your wallet too,” says Guus Balkema, CFO of VNYX.

“Our focus now shifts to scaling. We are curating a shortlist of strategic VCs and fashion brands for the deployment of our VNYX1000 technology to international fulfillment centers and global fashion brands.”

The company is now seeking additional investment and partnerships as it looks to deploy its systems in larger logistics environments and expand internationally.

Geekplus reports 50 percent growth in Americas as it pushes embodied intelligence into US warehouse market

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Geekplus says its expansion in the Americas is accelerating, with new signed orders in the region – led by the United States – growing by more than 50 percent year-on-year in 2025.

The growth highlights the increasing demand for warehouse automation in the US, where operators are under pressure to address labor shortages, rising costs, and growing e-commerce volumes.

Globally, the company has built one of the largest installed bases in the sector. Geekplus says it has deployed more than 72,000 robots across more than 40 countries, serving approximately 950 customers, including over 80 Fortune Global 500 companies. [Read more…] about Geekplus reports 50 percent growth in Americas as it pushes embodied intelligence into US warehouse market

Honeywell to sell warehouse automation business Intelligrated and Transnorm as portfolio overhaul continues

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Honeywell has agreed to sell its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions (WWS) business – which operates under the Intelligrated and Transnorm brands – to American Industrial Partners in an all-cash transaction, as part of a wider restructuring of its automation portfolio. 

The financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2026, follows closely on the company’s recent agreement to divest its Productivity Solutions and Services (PSS) division to Brady Corporation for $1.4 billion.

Together, the two transactions mark a decisive step in Honeywell’s multi-year effort to simplify its business and sharpen its focus on core automation technologies. [Read more…] about Honeywell to sell warehouse automation business Intelligrated and Transnorm as portfolio overhaul continues

Skild AI acquires Zebra Technologies’ robotics automation business

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Skild AI has acquired Zebra Technologies’ robotics automation business, including its Symmetry Fulfillment orchestration platform.

Central to the company’s plans is its “Skild Brain” – described as “the industry’s first omnibodied AI software designed to operate without prior knowledge of a robot’s exact body form” – is claimed to be able to control any robot, across any task, in any warehouse environment.

With Zebra’s battle-tested Symmetry orchestration platform, it now has the infrastructure to deploy and orchestrate entire fleets of Skild Brain-powered robots at enterprise scale. [Read more…] about Skild AI acquires Zebra Technologies’ robotics automation business