Today's Autonomy Pulse
Volkswagen to Deploy Full-Domain AI Agents in New Models by H2 2026
Volkswagen announced that its Agentic AI for All roadmap will see full deployment in vehicles built on the CEA architecture starting in the second half of 2026. The locally trained large-language-model system moves beyond passive assistants to proactively manage parking, route adjustments and cabin preferences while keeping all data inside the vehicle.
U.S. Army Awards Contract for Autonomous Resupply Drone
The U.S. Army has awarded SURVICE Engineering a production contract for the Joint Autonomous Aerial Resupply System (JTAARS), an autonomous cargo‑delivery drone built on the Tactical Resupply Vehicle platform with UK partner Malloy Aeronautics. The contract was secured through the Army’s UAS Marketplace Basic Ordering Agreement, a fast‑track procurement vehicle that compresses the requirement‑to‑field timeline. JTAARS is designed to transport ammunition, medical kits and other essentials to dispersed troops while eliminating the need for manned convoys, thereby reducing exposure to enemy fire. The program supports the Army’s Drone Dominance initiative and Multi‑Domain Operations doctrine, aiming to field emerging technologies rapidly to the battlefield.
Pretending to Join Tesla Robotaxi Team, Offer Pending
Excited to announce that I have decided to accept an offer to join the Tesla Robotaxi team, working on creating a seamless geotargeted "get robotaxi" order logic right from your X app. They haven't made an offer or anything, but I've decided...
New Feasibility Study Launches to Explore the Future of Driverless Autonomous Freight in Teesside
Cenex and the International Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation have entered the UK Government’s CAM Pathfinder Feasibility Studies 2 competition with Project TACTIC, a six‑month study to build an investment‑ready business case for driverless freight between Teesport and Teesside...
Russian Klyn Kamikaze Drone Packs Nvidia Jetson, 5 Kg Warhead
GUR published information on the Russian Klyn kamikaze UAS. It uses an Nvidia Jetson TX2 computing module and LoRa radio modem. It can carry a warhead up to 5kg and a claimed maximum speed of 300 km/h. https://t.co/tFmfsqAXJh https://t.co/OLIwBR1j5G https://t.co/OS4B8fMbjq
Primoco UAV Reports Strongest Q1 in Its History: Robust Performance, New Contracts and Infrastructure Expansion
Primoco UAV posted its strongest first‑quarter ever, generating roughly $4.5 million in revenue and $2.7 million EBITDA. The company now holds a $38 million backlog of 30 aircraft, including a rapid one‑month delivery to Spain’s Guardia Civil. It is expanding infrastructure with a new...
CARA 2.0 – “I Built a Better Robot Dog”
CARA 2.0 is a revamped quadrupedal robot that targets hobbyists and researchers with a sub‑$1,500 price tag, roughly half the cost of its predecessor. By redesigning the actuator stack, rewinding low‑cost TYI motors, and using inexpensive XDrive controllers, the team cut...
Dutch Startup Intelic Sets up Drone Marketplace for European Militaries
Dutch defence‑tech startup Intelic has launched BASE, a European military drone marketplace that aggregates manufacturers from nine countries and lets ministries compare mission‑ready UAVs. The platform relies on Intelic’s Nexus command‑and‑control software to guarantee plug‑and‑play interoperability, aiming to slash procurement...
Tesla Cybercab Just Rolled Through Miami Inside a Glass Box
Tesla staged an "Autonomy Pop‑Up" at Miami Beach’s Lummus Park, featuring a Cybertruck towing the Cybercab inside a glass case marked "Future is Autonomous" during the F1 Miami Grand Prix Fan Fest. Miami is one of seven cities slated for...
Efficiency Driver
Hong Kong International Airport now runs more than 70 autonomous vehicles—including 56 electric tractors, eight patrol cars and six staff shuttles—making it the world’s first airport with a fully Level 4 driverless fleet. The vehicles have collectively covered over three million...
Carmeuse Selects Caterpillar's Autonomous Hauling Solution to Deploy at Drummond Island Operation
Caterpillar Inc. has signed an agreement with limestone producer Carmeuse to install its autonomous hauling system at the Drummond Island quarry in Michigan. The deployment will integrate Cat MineStar Command across Carmeuse’s fleet of 777 trucks, supported by Fabick CAT and complemented by...
Designing Robots with Ethical Decision-Making
Robot Talk Episode 148 – Ethical robot behaviour, with Alan Winfield @alan_winfield by @RobotTalkPod https://t.co/wJ4EY8bSoD
Humanoid Home Robots Arrive—Do We Really Need Them?
Humanoid home robots are on the market – but do we really want them? By Eduardo B. Sandoval, UNSW Sydney / The Conversation https://t.co/GdTR0KgBl3
California to Ticket Driverless Cars for Traffic Violations Starting July 1
The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced that, as of July 1, police can issue a “notice of AV non‑compliance” to the manufacturer of a driverless car that breaks traffic laws. The rule, part of a 2024 regulatory package, forces companies...
Hexapod Robot Adapts Terrain with Switchable Locomotion Modes
Multimodal Hexapod #Robot Switches Locomotion Modes to Adapt to Any Terrain via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation #TechForGood https://t.co/kNNP4WSY78
Nature-Inspired Porcospino Flex Tackles Inaccessible Terrain
From Nature to #Robotics: Porcospino Flex Navigates the Unreachable by @rohanpaul_ai #Robots #Engineering #EmergingTech #Innovation https://t.co/PxkIo2kf24
Hangzhou Deploys 15 Robot Police for Labor Day, Expanding China’s AI‑Powered Urban Safety
Hangzhou unveiled a squadron of 15 intelligent traffic‑management robots on May 1, joining smaller deployments in Kashgar and Ordos. The robots handle pedestrian guidance, traffic violations and real‑time coordination with lights, freeing human officers for complex duties and showcasing China’s push...
Record-Breaking Robotaxi Surge Surpasses Recent High
Wow, this is the biggest addition of Robotaxis since… (checks notes) the previous record 4 days ago
Japan’s Terra Drone Bets On Ukraine’s Cheap Way To Stop Shaheds
Terra Drone Corp. of Japan has partnered with Ukraine’s Amazing Drones to produce the Terra A1, a $2,500 interceptor drone designed to shoot down low‑cost Shahed attack drones. The system trades missile‑grade expense for speed, simplicity and mass‑production, aiming to...
Bot Auto Completes First Fully Driverless Freight Run in the U.S.
Bot Auto became the first U.S. company to deliver a commercial freight load without a driver on board, completing a 230‑mile Houston‑to‑Hutchins trip for Ryan Transportation. The milestone shows autonomous trucking moving from demo to revenue‑generating service.
The US Has Banned the World’s Best Drones. It Has Not Figured Out How to Make Them.
The FCC’s December 2025 decision automatically placed DJI on the Covered List, halting imports of new DJI drones that command roughly 80% of the U.S. consumer and commercial market. In response, Skydio unveiled a $3.5 billion, five‑year SkyForge program to build a...
Self‑Driving Tesla Gives Seniors Years More Freedom
my parents bought a tesla model 3 and there's nothing else like it. the most astonishing capability is self-driving. their tesla can drive them from their driveway to their destination, including parking in a busy parking lot, without disengaging once....
Boston Dynamics' Arms Achieve 24 Degrees of Freedom
24 Degrees of Freedom: Inside Boston Dynamics’ Powerful #Robotic Arms by @fluxfolio_ #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #Engineering https://t.co/k8AFag9qn0
Robots Are Building Clay Homes In Texas Using Dirt From the Ground
A Texas startup near Austin has developed a robotic system that constructs homes from on‑site clay. The robot extracts dirt, mixes it into adobe, and uses a claw and hammer attachment to shape walls, guided by machine‑learning feedback. The pilot...
Real-World 10k Km Test Shows 79% FSD Works
most i've heard speak out against or criticize @tesla @cybertruck #FSD don't seem to have even driven with it.. i'm running 79% full self driving for the last 10,000 km's... awesome... https://t.co/dj8DueQSod
Toyota's Walk Me Redefines Mobility with Legged Robotics
“Walk Me” by Toyota Redefines Mobility with Legged #Robotics by @interesting_aIl #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/ETNBH5bBIF
RoshAi Rolls Out Level‑4 Autonomous Trucks for Ports and Mines, Targets $6 M Revenue
RoshAi announced the commercial rollout of retrofit‑ready Level‑4 autonomous trucks for ports and mining operations, projecting operating revenue of ₹50 crore ($6 million) this fiscal year. The move addresses India’s acute driver shortage and expands high‑level autonomy beyond road‑way commuting.
Waymo Allegedly Steals Passenger’s Luggage at Airport
San Jose passenger claims a Waymo drove off with his luggage at the airport https://t.co/cn6KsojBVR
Tesla Feels Like a Supercomputer, Never Needing Gas
It’s hard to understand what the other 39% are thinking. Once you drive a Tesla, it’s like driving an all-seeing sensor with a super computer behind the scenes doing all the decision making, driving and navigation. Also, you never have...
Geekplus Reports 50 Percent Growth in Americas as It Pushes Embodied Intelligence Into US Warehouse Market
Geekplus reported a 50% year‑on‑year increase in new orders across the Americas in 2025, driven primarily by U.S. demand. The Chinese‑origin robotics firm now has more than 72,000 autonomous mobile robots deployed in over 40 countries, serving roughly 950 customers,...
Meta Acquires Humanoid Robot Developer Assured Robot Intelligence
Meta has completed the acquisition of Assured Robot Intelligence, a startup that builds AI models for humanoid robots. The deal, announced Friday, positions Meta to develop robots that can understand, predict and adapt to human behavior in dynamic environments. The...
The Humanoid Robot Market Is Smaller Than It Looks
The article argues that the humanoid robot market is far smaller than the often‑cited $20 trillion labor figure because real deployments must overcome two key burdens: dexterity and human‑proximity safety. By scoring tasks on these axes, the author shows that only...
Tesla Reaches 10 Billion FSD Miles — Is There’s a Magical Milestone for Autonomy
Tesla announced its Full Self‑Driving (Supervised) fleet has surpassed 10 billion miles, logging about 29 million miles per day by late April—double the rate at the start of the year. The company cites a crash rate of one serious incident per 5.3 million...
X‑BAT Drone’s AI Pilot Could Redefine Air Combat
Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game? We talk with Armor Harris, the chief designer of X-BAT, about its GE engine, thrust-vectoring controls, Hivemind AI 'pilot' and forthcoming flight-test plans. Check out the interview: https://t.co/IOsFmsa6QI
Chinese Cart Assistant Moves Using Simple Foot Tilt
Next-Gen Cart Assistant from China Moves with a Simple Foot Tilt by @RealXavier011 #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/gPLuPz3iSU
Table Tennis Robot Defeats some of World's Best Players. Why This Has Major Implications for Robotics
Sony AI's table‑tennis robot Ace beat three of five elite players, showcasing real‑time spin detection and 20 m/s returns. The system combines event‑based vision, high‑speed cameras, and deep reinforcement learning trained in simulation to make sub‑100 ms decisions. Unlike earlier robots that...
Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?
Shield AI unveiled an updated X‑BAT stealth fighter drone at Sea‑Air‑Space 2026, showcasing a tail‑sitting VTOL design controlled by its proprietary “Hivemind” artificial‑intelligence pilot. The drone’s internal payload bays are sized like those of the F‑35, allowing it to carry...
Hyper‑autonomy: AI Agents Collaborating to Meet Customer Needs
AI takes autonomous systems to a new level, becoming more obvious to customers. We’re entering an era of hyper-autonomy, in which AI agents will interact with other agents to fulfill customer needs. (My latest in @forbes) https://t.co/So9bSDA4z7
Mahindra Launches Autonomous Tractor Fleet in Punjab and Haryana
Mahindra & Mahindra has started rolling out a fleet of autonomous tractors across key farming belts in Punjab and Haryana. The self‑driving machines, equipped with LiDAR and computer‑vision sensors, aim to offset rural labor shortages and modernize India's agritech sector.
Robotaxis Log 10 Billion Miles, 29 Unsupervised Runs
10 billion miles… 29 unsupervised Robotaxis… Join me at my subscriber space in 2 hours to discuss everything that happened this week https://t.co/DhPl34AQu9
Add Phone-Call Scheduling to Robotaxi for Accessibility
Great idea below to let our disabled friends profit from the robotaxi app. @CreedRollsBy is a Tesla enthusiast who has many good ideas for people with disabilities. It would be great if @Tesla could reach out to him. @travisraxelrod
Japan Is Building Military Drones Out of Cardboard, and They're Faster and Cheaper than You'd Expect
Japanese startup Air Kamuy is introducing the AirKamuy 150, a fixed‑wing drone built from corrugated cardboard that costs roughly $3,000 per unit—significantly cheaper than the $10,000 Lucas drone. The design folds flat, can be assembled by hand in about five minutes,...
Scaling for the Frontlines: Meeting the Department of War’s Urgent Demands
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace announced that it has scaled its production of the K1000ULE drone to meet the Department of War’s urgent demand. The company now controls the entire supply chain, from in‑house computer boards to mission‑system integration, eliminating reliance on...
Hong Kong Deploys World's First Six Autonomous Zero‑Emission Trucks at Terminal 4
Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPH Trust) has placed six autonomous, zero‑emission trucks into operation at Terminal 4 of Hong Kong's container port, the first such fleet worldwide. The rollout aims to boost efficiency, cut emissions and set a template for...
Robot Autonomously Swaps Batteries for Nonstop Operation
Self-Sufficient #Robot Swaps Its Own Batteries for Continuous Operation by @UBTECHRobotics #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/4bLCNpmjIa
This $25,000 Robot Looks Right Out of Star Wars
LimX Dynamics unveiled the Tron 1, a two‑legged robot priced at $25,000 that looks like a miniature Star Wars AT‑ST. Initially shown at CES with basic pre‑programmed motions and remote control, the robot now demonstrates real‑world tasks such as guiding hotel...
Report: Humanoid Robots Represent a Premium Growth Market for Motion Controls
Interact Analysis reports that motion‑control demand tied to humanoid robots will surge, with a projected 102% compound annual growth rate from 2023 to 2029. Shipments are expected to jump to roughly 20,000 units in 2025, up from 2,000 in 2024,...
What's the Deal with Safety First for AVs?
The autonomous‑vehicle sector has leaned heavily on the “Safety First” slogan, but critics argue it often masks inadequate safety performance. Recent essays and a podcast highlight how repeated safety promises, when unmet, erode public trust and invite stricter regulation. The...
Meta Acquires Assured Robot Intelligence to Accelerate Humanoid Robot Push
Meta Platforms has completed the acquisition of Assured Robot Intelligence, a San Diego‑based AI startup focused on humanoid robot control. The deal, announced Friday, brings co‑founders Lerrel Pinto and Xiaolong Wang into Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, underscoring the tech giant’s aggressive...
Humanoid Robots Will Build Their Own Future
The Self-Manufacturing Future: Humanoid #Robots Building Robots by @Robo_Tuo #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/b5WN4hGVHi
Tesla’s First Semi Rolls Off Nevada High‑Volume Line, Targeting 50,000 Units Yearly
Tesla announced that the first Tesla Semi has left its Nevada high‑volume production line, a facility designed to build up to 50,000 electric trucks a year. The rollout follows a series of pilot trials with major logistics firms and introduces...