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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

Brain Corp and UC San Diego partner to advance the foundational intelligence layer for physical AI

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Brain Corp, the real-world AI company, has expanded its research collaboration with the University of California San Diego, which is aimed at advancing semantic mapping and contextual intelligence technologies for autonomous robots operating in complex commercial and industrial environments.

The collaboration reflects a shared ambition to shape the future of physical AI, taking autonomous systems toward a deeper understanding of the physical world around them.

As vision-language-action (VLA) and other generative AI models transform robotics, Brain Corp and researchers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are tackling the industry’s most critical challenge: making next-generation autonomous systems reliable, scalable, and commercially deployable in dynamic real-world environments. [Read more…] about Brain Corp and UC San Diego partner to advance the foundational intelligence layer for physical AI

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

ShengShu unveils world action model to offer ‘infinite possibilities’ for robotic intelligence

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ShengShu Technology has unveiled Motubrain, a world action model that replaces multiple task-specific systems with a single, unified model that functions as a robotic brain for the physical world.

ShenShu describes Motubrain as one brain that offers infinite possibilities for robotic intelligence.

Ranking highly on both WorldArena and RoboTwin 2.0, two of the field’s most rigorous benchmarks in embodied world models, Motubrain marks a decisive shift in an industry where robotic systems are typically built from task-specific or specialized systems. [Read more…] about ShengShu unveils world action model to offer ‘infinite possibilities’ for robotic intelligence

Achieving Dataset Parity to Close the Robotics Training Gap

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It was in 1954 when the world witnessed its first real industrial robot, Unimate, a machine built to perform repetitive factory operations.

Fast forward to 2026: today robots like Unitree GD01 are being trained to learn adaptive mobility, AI decision-making, and terrain navigation.

In just half a century, robotics have evolved from immobile programmable arms into intelligent mobile systems capable of seeing and interacting with the physical environments around them. [Read more…] about Achieving Dataset Parity to Close the Robotics Training Gap

PAL Robotics unveils new robotic arm platform for advanced AI-driven manipulation

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PAL Robotics has announced a new robotic arm platform aimed at researchers, developers, and robotics engineers working on advanced manipulation applications.

The Barcelona-based robotics company, known for platforms including TIAGo Pro and Kangaroo, said the new system has been designed to make robotic manipulation more accessible, flexible, and easier to deploy across both research and real-world operational environments.

The company plans to officially unveil the platform at ICRA 2026 in Vienna, where it will reveal the robot’s name, full specifications, and live demonstrations. [Read more…] about PAL Robotics unveils new robotic arm platform for advanced AI-driven manipulation

Sony achieves ‘major breakthrough’ with tennis-playing robot

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Sony AI has announced a “major breakthrough” in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) with the publication of its project Ace, the first known real-world autonomous system competitive with elite and professional-level human table tennis players.

The research outlining the achievement, “Outplaying Elite Table Tennis Players with an Autonomous Robot” was published on the cover of Nature.

This marks the first time a robot has achieved human, expert-level play in a commonly played competitive sport in the physical world – a longstanding milestone for AI and robotics research. [Read more…] about Sony achieves ‘major breakthrough’ with tennis-playing robot

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

Interview with the CEO of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories: ‘Uncertainty in the real world’

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As robotics continues to move from controlled environments into more complex, real-world settings, the role of research institutions in shaping the next generation of systems is becoming increasingly significant.

One of the organizations operating at this intersection is Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL), the North America-based R&D arm of Mitsubishi Electric.

Led by president and CEO Anthony Vetro, MERL focuses on advancing core technologies that underpin robotics, including perception, control systems, and machine learning. Its work spans multiple domains, from industrial automation to energy systems, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical deployment. [Read more…] about Interview with the CEO of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories: ‘Uncertainty in the real world’

PAL Robotics to debut new manipulation robot at ICRA 2026

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PAL Robotics is set to unveil a new robotic platform at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2026), where the company will also showcase its latest systems through live, interactive demonstrations.

The event will take place in Vienna, Austria, from June 1 to 5, bringing together researchers, engineers, and industry leaders from across the global robotics sector.

PAL Robotics says its focus this year is on demonstrating how robots can move from research environments into real-world applications. At booth 067, visitors will be able to interact directly with robotic systems rather than simply observe them. [Read more…] about PAL Robotics to debut new manipulation robot at ICRA 2026