Robotics & Automation News

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Agility Robotics says more than 30 companies considering Digit humanoid robot

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Agility Robotics is expanding the use of its Digit humanoid robot with logistics company GXO while reporting a pipeline of more than 30 prospective customers across manufacturing, automotive, logistics and other industries.

GXO has signed a new commercial agreement to introduce Digit at two additional US facilities, in Statesville, North Carolina, and Lebanon, Tennessee.

The expansion follows Digit’s use at GXO’s Georgia operation, where Agility says the humanoid has moved more than 100,000 totes since the companies began a multi-year commercial agreement in June 2024. [Read more…] about Agility Robotics says more than 30 companies considering Digit humanoid robot

What battery technology will power the next generation of humanoid robots?

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Humanoid robots are an emerging technology that promises to revolutionize society. Designed and modeled on the human form, humanoid robots can navigate a world made for humans, and it is their versatility that sets them apart from specialized robots, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

Similar to AGVs, humanoid robots need an energy source that can reliably supply power to ensure full operation for as long as required.

While current battery technology has been successful in demonstrating humanoid robot potential, IDTechEx’s new report Batteries for Humanoid Robots 2027-2037: Technologies, Players, and Forecasts focuses on the technologies that will lead humanoid robots into widespread adoption in the market, reaching 10.5 GWh of battery demand by 2037. [Read more…] about What battery technology will power the next generation of humanoid robots?

Interview with TorqueAGI founder: ‘Most robot AI is a language or vision model with robot data added to it’

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As robotics companies race to develop increasingly capable AI models for machines operating in the physical world, TorqueAGI is taking a different approach: supplying the intelligence layer to robot and equipment manufacturers rather than building hardware of its own.

Founded by robotics researcher Dr Ashutosh Saxena, TorqueAGI has spent nearly two years developing and testing what it calls a World-Reasoning Model for industrial robots and heavy machinery.

The company says its approach differs from many vision-language-action models by representing objects, machines and workflows through a spatio-temporal architecture in which physics and geometry form part of the model’s reasoning. [Read more…] about Interview with TorqueAGI founder: ‘Most robot AI is a language or vision model with robot data added to it’

Foundry Robotics raises $100 million to build ‘America’s first autonomous factory for assembly’

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Foundry Robotics has announced its oversubscribed $100 million Series A funding round led by Marlinspike Partners.

Participating in the round are early backers Khosla Ventures and Red Glass Ventures, and new investors SE Ventures, Wing VC, and Axiom Ventures, as well as existing investors Hanabi and Zero Shot Fund.

Foundry builds and operates autonomous factories for complex assembly, combining AI-powered robotic cells with experienced manufacturing experts. [Read more…] about Foundry Robotics raises $100 million to build ‘America’s first autonomous factory for assembly’

Bleu Robotics raises €5 million to scale humanoid robot deployment in factories

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Bleu Robotics, the Paris, France-based startup building AI models for industrial humanoid robots, has raised a €5 million pre-seed round, co-led by Contrarian Ventures and OVNI Capital, with participation from Kvanted, WEPA Ventures, Motier Ventures and Charlie Songhurst, technology investor and board member at Meta.

The company will use the funds to grow its team and scale its software solution across industries in pursuit of its goal to reduce the full humanoid robot deployment process to one hour or shorter.

According to the International Federation of Robotics, there were 5 million industrial robots operating globally in 2025. [Read more…] about Bleu Robotics raises €5 million to scale humanoid robot deployment in factories

Maximo Robotics completes 300,000 tasks in utility-scale solar projects

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Maximo Robotics, a physical-AI platform company focused on autonomous construction robotics, has announced that its US-made robotics systems have completed more than 300,000 construction tasks under performance-based robotics-as-a-service contracts.

Crew members working alongside Max 4.0 systems have delivered 2.5 times their manual installation rates per person per shift hour.

This improved productivity is helping electricity companies meet skyrocketing demand for energy in a labor-constrained construction market, which could see a shortfall of more than 450,000 jobs in the United States by 2027 according to a recent study by the Associated Builders and Contractors. [Read more…] about Maximo Robotics completes 300,000 tasks in utility-scale solar projects

Schaeffler and Wandelbots enter into technology partnership

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Motion technology company Schaeffler has entered into a technology partnership with the German robotics and physical AI company Wandelbots.

The cooperation will focus on developing the Wandelbots NOVA open platform to enable use of artificial intelligence in industrial and humanoid robotics.

In the future, the solution should be available to all Schaeffler plants worldwide to facilitate development, testing, and cross-location transfer of robotics applications. [Read more…] about Schaeffler and Wandelbots enter into technology partnership

AstraQua secures $1.3 million NASA contract for physical AI

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NASA has awarded AstraQua, a physical AI company, a $1,274,990 Phase II contract to advance its AstraSense technology for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, including advanced air mobility applications.

Physical AI must have safety at its core. A robot may know where to go and what to do, but does it know whether it is healthy enough to finish the job?

Powered by AstraQua’s Agentic Physical AI, the Adaptive Quorum Foundation Model, AstraSense provides predictive health and operational self-awareness for autonomous systems and already runs on robotic hardware. In Phase I, AstraQua demonstrated real-time diagnostics and predictive-health capabilities to NASA. [Read more…] about AstraQua secures $1.3 million NASA contract for physical AI

Europe’s autonomous vehicle market gathers pace as robotaxi programs expand

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Europe’s autonomous vehicle sector is entering a potentially important phase, with carmakers, technology companies and mobility operators advancing a growing number of robotaxi, automated driving and autonomous freight programs across the region.

Several of those projects were highlighted at Nvidia’s GTC Berlin event, where companies including Bolt, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Volvo Cars and Einride outlined plans involving higher levels of vehicle automation.

Perhaps the most ambitious is Bolt’s planned European robotaxi program. The mobility company intends to begin gathering real-world driving data in Madrid in 2027, subject to regulatory approval, as it prepares for a proposed European rollout involving at least 25,000 level 4-capable future Lucid vehicles. [Read more…] about Europe’s autonomous vehicle market gathers pace as robotaxi programs expand

Humanoid expands collaboration with Nvidia to power its next generation of humanoid robots

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Humanoid, a UK-based AI and robotics company, is expanding its collaboration with Nvidia to build the computing foundation for a new generation of AI-powered humanoid robots.

The companies are working together to develop a high-performance robotic edge runtime for Humanoid’s next-generation robots.

By integrating Nvidia’s advanced technologies into its platform, Humanoid will be able to run increasingly sophisticated AI directly onboard its robots, enabling them to perceive, reason and respond to the physical world in real time. [Read more…] about Humanoid expands collaboration with Nvidia to power its next generation of humanoid robots

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