Know What's Happening in Autonomy
Know What's Happening in Autonomy
ClassNK certifies first autonomous container ship navigation system
ClassNK has granted its AUTO-Nav2 (All) notation to the container ship Genbu, marking the world’s first certification for autonomous navigation on medium‑ to long‑distance routes. The vessel, built by Kyokuyo Shipyard and operated by Suzuyo Marine, is part of the Nippon Foundation’s MEGURI2040 fully autonomous program.
At the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo in Shanghai, traditional appliance manufacturers pivoted toward embodied intelligence, unveiling a range of home‑service robots. Companies such as Dreame, Ecovacs, Haier, TCL, Hisense and Tesla demonstrated prototypes for chores, elder care, and even remote avatar functions. While the devices showcased impressive perception and AI capabilities, most moved slowly and exhibited limited stability, indicating an early‑stage development cycle. The show highlighted a growing convergence between consumer appliances and robotics, signaling a potential shift in household automation.
Railway maintenance is becoming precise, fast, and increasingly automated. In China, a robot is now repairing track cracks at up to 10,000 RPM, while detecting flaws as small as 0.1 mm. That level of accuracy changes the game. Instead of reacting to visible damage, systems...
QCraft closed a $100 million Series D round to push its Level 4 autonomous‑driving platform and world‑model AI research, targeting deployment in over 50 vehicle models by 2026. Grab agreed to buy Delivery Hero’s Foodpanda Taiwan operation for $600 million, marking its first expansion...
Robotics and autonomous systems are rapidly becoming the backbone of environmental monitoring and cleanup, shifting the industry from periodic, reactive actions to continuous, data‑driven operations. Drones, autonomous surface vessels, and underwater robots now provide real‑time intelligence on air quality, methane...
Fanuc America announced a $90 million investment to build an 840,000 sq ft robot manufacturing plant in Michigan, slated for completion in late 2027. The expansion will add 225 jobs and bring Fanuc’s U.S. footprint to 3 million sq ft, reflecting nearly $300 million invested since 2019. The...
Oracle unveiled Fusion Agentic Applications, embedding autonomous AI agents into its Fusion Cloud suite. The initial rollout includes 22 applications that can reason, decide, and act across finance, HR, supply chain, and customer experience workflows. Agents operate either as recommendation...
AutoSens and InCabin will reconvene in Detroit from June 9‑11, 2026, gathering over 3,000 engineers, academics, and industry specialists focused on autonomous vehicles, ADAS, and in‑cabin sensing. The three‑day event features multiple stages, an extensive exhibition, technical tutorials, and roundtable...
Nvidia reports 19 automotive partners working on robotaxi technology, though most currently only field driver‑assist systems. The partners lack sufficient robotaxi‑grade Lidar units and the billions of miles of driving data needed to train the new AI chips. Consequently, they...
Stateful Robotics, an embodied‑AI spinout from the University of Oxford, announced a $4.8 million pre‑seed financing round. The round was led by Amadeus Capital Partners and Oxford Science Enterprises, with angel investor Stan Boland also participating. The capital will be used...
Oracle unveiled a new generation of Fusion Agentic Applications, adding over 20 AI‑autonomous modules across ERP, HCM, SCM and CX. The agents can reason, decide and act on business goals by leveraging existing transactional data, policies and approval hierarchies, while...
Optimus serving water in Austin Downtown. #optimus #tesla #humanoidtech #humanoid #robot #Robotics #AI #TechRevolution #TechInnovation #ArtificialInteligence #PhysicalAI @sonu_monika @enilev @Jagersbergknut @TysonLester @chidambara09 @labordeolivier @BetaMoroney @tlloydjones @Nicochan33 @jeancayeux @RLDI_Lamy @pierrepinna @pierrecappelli @pchamard @JeromeMONANGE @thierry_pires @MaiaGabunia @amalmerzouk @NewsNeus @mary_gambara @PawlowskiMario @XavierAncelin @drsharwood @kalydeoo...
Why Inspection and Maintenance #Robots Are Taking Over by @lukas_m_ziegler #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/zfzsEpnq8O
Canberra‑based Forge Photonics has inked a deal with Sydney defence firm Mission Systems to equip its undersea drones with fibre‑optic gyroscope navigation modules. The technology, spun out of Australian National University research on gravitational‑wave detection, delivers GPS‑free, low‑detectability positioning using...
this is fully autonomous...the robot is reasoning from camera pixels and computing torque to control it's 30+ motors
#WhosNext? Sous Chefs? @GoodBytz Robotic Kitchen's latest stations enable head chefs to replicate and #Automate their abilities effortlessly. No further assistance or assistants required. #Automation https://t.co/f3wNQtNefZ
Automation and AI are rapidly reshaping modern vessels, replacing traditional watchkeeping with unmanned machinery spaces and predictive analytics. While sensors and alarms improve efficiency, they also erode engineers' sensory familiarity with equipment, leading to reduced situational awareness. The surge of...
#WhosNext? Chinese border patrol guards? Meet XBot-L, the first humanoid robot to climb the Great Wall. #Robots #Robotics https://t.co/PpRvpEFWT2
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS will exhibit its latest high‑efficiency drive technologies at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, booth B14136. The lineup includes IE5+ permanent‑magnet synchronous motors delivering up to 95% efficiency, a range of centralized and decentralized NORDAC electronic controls, and the modular...
Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg has officially designated Palantir’s Maven artificial‑intelligence platform as a program of record, guaranteeing long‑term funding and Pentagon‑wide deployment. The move comes as Maven powers thousands of U.S. strikes against Iranian targets, intensifying scrutiny over...
Swisslog used MODEX 2026 to unveil AgileStore, a 4‑way roaming pallet shuttle designed for high‑density, flexible storage, and its SynQ orchestration platform that unifies WMS, WES and WCS functions. The AgileStore system can travel forward, backward, laterally and vertically, allowing...
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton from Zipline thought making the drones would be the hardest part. It was only 15% of the problem. The company spent 9 months figuring out delivery for one hospital. Weeks of all-nighters. Building inventory software in a...
Radiate Engineering & Design AG of Zurich launched FlyBlocks, a production‑ready structural airframe platform targeting professional B2B VTOL UAVs focused on long‑range missions. The modular system includes three scalable models—VT‑14, VT‑22 and VT‑30—covering MTOW from 5 kg to 28 kg and ranges...
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit has issued the Robotic Exclusion and Engagement Framework (REEF) solicitation, inviting commercial solutions to detect and neutralize underwater drones threatening ports and critical waterways. The program seeks AI‑driven sensor suites, sensor fusion,...
AI is moving beyond simple prompting toward semi‑autonomous systems that can execute multi‑step workflows with minimal supervision. The latest GPT‑5.4 models now support context windows approaching one million tokens, enabling more complex task chaining. Big‑tech firms are pouring massive capital...
Everyone has a Physical AI take now. Most of these folks have never deployed a robot in production. Tomorrow I'm launching Deployed. First guest: @jeffawilke, who spent 22 years building arguably the most sophisticated automation operation on earth. We talk...
These #Robotic vessels glide over waves like water striders by @gigadgets_ #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/CwrgjcQYes
Carbon Robotics reported annual revenue surpassing $100 million for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2026. The company now operates in 15 countries across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It introduced a Large Plant Model trained on 150 million plants to power its...
The aircraft collision in NYC could have been easily avoided. We fact that we still route aircraft just with verbal communication is absurd. Routing could all be automated and even the piloting of the aircraft could be automated.
Meet Roadrunner 🏁 A new wheeled biped that stands, balances on one wheel, and adapts in real time. A glimpse of where micro mobility is going. More stable. More accessible. More human. Small device, big shift. 🤖 @rai_inst #Robotics #MicroMobility https://t.co/ZlMiuMkoTi
Chinese researchers have unveiled LATENT, a reinforcement‑learning framework that enables humanoid robots to play tennis in real time using imperfect human motion data. By decomposing strokes and footwork into learnable components, the system achieved a 96.5% success rate over 10,000...
Caterpillar has renewed its MineStar Command agreement with Fortescue’s Chichester Metals and FMG Solomon to supply and operate autonomous haulage software at three Western Australian mines. The extension continues a decade‑long deployment that began in 2012, reinforcing safety, reliability and...
CSX has turned drones from a proof‑of‑concept into an enterprise‑wide asset, now operating over 250 unmanned aircraft across its rail network. More than 350 employees hold FAA Part 107 certifications, enabling eight departments to leverage aerial data for inspections, mapping and...
Russia’s Progress 94 cargo freighter suffered an antenna deployment failure shortly after liftoff, preventing its planned autonomous docking with the International Space Station. NASA announced that cosmonaut Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov will pilot the vehicle manually using an undisclosed backup system. The spacecraft...
AM General presented a new autonomous unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) at the AUSA Global Force symposium, signaling continued investment in military robotics. The company did not release technical specifications, pricing, or procurement timelines, leaving analysts to await further information.
The Rise of Humanoid Robots: Investing in the $5 Trillion AI Revolution | Derek Yan, KraneShares https://t.co/rJbQCwntQc
Volvo Autonomous Solutions has expanded its Autona/earth platform at Norway's Brønnøy Kalk limestone mine to run three shifts, allowing a fleet of nine Volvo FH autonomous trucks to handle the entire five‑kilometre haul route around the clock. The trucks, equipped...
Uber has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nissan and UK‑based AI firm Wayve to launch a robotaxi pilot in Tokyo, targeting operation by the end of 2026. The service will use Nissan’s Leaf equipped with Wayve’s end‑to‑end AI driver...
E‑magy will present new silicon‑dominant anode data at the 2026 International Battery Seminar in Orlando, showcasing 12 Ah 6S2P cells designed for high‑performance drone packs. The nanoporous silicon material promises higher energy density and faster charging compared with conventional chemistries, backed...
In this episode, Pat Tsen, Deputy Executive Director for Consumer Policy, Transportation, and Enforcement at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), explains how the CPUC regulates autonomous vehicle (AV) passenger services, detailing the permit process, data collection requirements, and enforcement...
Parallel Systems, an LA‑based startup, is piloting autonomous freight rail cars that operate without a traditional locomotive. The driverless units rely on a suite of cameras, lidar sensors and remote operators to navigate existing U.S. tracks. If the trials prove...
A U.S.-manufactured AEGIR‑W unmanned surface vessel washed ashore on Turkey's Black Sea coast on March 20, 2026, and was found fully operational with an active warhead. Turkish Navy explosive ordnance disposal teams towed the 10‑meter drone offshore and detonated it...
Alstef Group announced an AI‑powered autonomous industrial vehicle (AIV) ahead of LogiMAT 2026, featuring a real‑time "perception bubble" that continuously maps its surroundings. The system uses onboard cameras and AI models to classify objects, adjust speed, routing, and docking, and...
The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) has extended its partnership with the EU’s 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G‑IA) by renewing a 5G‑focused memorandum of understanding first signed in August 2022. The renewed MoU emphasizes policy coordination in vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X)...
Ben Miller argues that autonomous earth‑moving equipment should be judged by a mining‑industry version of the Turing Test – can seasoned operators tell a machine from a human driver? He notes that even the most mature autonomous haulage systems from...
