Know What's Happening in Autonomy
Know What's Happening in Autonomy
Japan invests $6.3B to lead global physical AI market by 2040
Tokyo is launching a national initiative to dominate the emerging physical AI sector, aiming for a 30% share of the global market by 2040. The government has earmarked roughly $6.3B to accelerate AI‑powered robotics as a response to a shrinking workforce and a 14‑year streak of population decline.
Nuro announced its autonomous test fleet built on Lucid’s Gravity platform has swelled to nearly 100 units. The vehicles, co‑branded with Uber, are equipped with a distinctive rear sensor module. A journalist captured one of these units operating on public streets at Villa Street and Shoreline in Mountain View. The sighting provides tangible evidence of Nuro’s expanding on‑road trials.
Back in Nov we developed Recap and trained π*-06 with RL. Now, we developed a fast *online* RL method that improves π-06 with as little as 15 min of robot data for precise tasks, using "RL tokens" exposed by our...
Researchers at Cranfield University unveiled WANDER‑bot, a low‑cost 3D‑printed robot powered entirely by wind. By using a Savonius turbine and Jansen linkage, the robot converts ambient airflow into locomotion, removing the need for batteries. The fully printable design allows on‑site...
Georgia Tech researchers introduced Speed‑Adaptive Imitation Learning (SAIL), a system that lets robots execute learned visuomotor tasks faster than the human demonstrations they were trained on. By dynamically adjusting motion speed while preserving accuracy, SAIL achieved three‑to‑four‑fold speed gains across...
This week, 🇯🇵🇰🇷🇬🇧🇳🇴 maritime community came together in Seoul🇰🇷 for a timely & strategically important workshop on Maritime Autonomy Assurance. Brilliantly hosted by HD Hyundai & Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association (KOSHIPA). Was humbled by the invitation from HD Hyundai...
This is one reason I'm suspicious of most humanoid robotics companies today. I've seen lots of canned demos in perfect or near perfect conditions. Very very few in uncontrolled settings that were even the slightest bit impressive.
Aurora Innovation released a Steer Group report showing autonomous freight already contributes $3.3 billion to the U.S. trucking sector and supports 17,000 jobs. The analysis projects the autonomous trucking segment will generate $70 billion of GDP by 2035, delivering $9.4 billion in annual...
"Jeff Bezos is in early talks to raise $100 billion for a new fund that would buy up manufacturing companies and seek to use AI technology to accelerate their path to automation." https://t.co/UmA1I3g0xp
WeRide introduced its Robotaxi GXR at NVIDIA GTC 2026, leveraging the DRIVE Hyperion platform to halve autonomous‑driving suite costs and lower total‑ownership expenses by 84%. The company also announced a partnership with Slovakia’s ELEVATE initiative, marking Europe’s first large‑scale, multi‑product...
Terabase Energy announced the commercial launch of its automated solar construction platform, Terafab V2, following successful deployments on five pilot projects. The system combines AI, advanced robotics, and a Manufacturing Execution System to pre‑assemble modules on torque tubes, achieving two‑minute...
With 170M miles driven through Dec 2025, the data continues to validate our safety-first approach. Proud of our strong safety record and the real-world impact we’re making. Here’s what it looks like in practice. https://t.co/zPpDu7pDww
Ondas Inc.’s Sentrycs subsidiary deployed its Cyber‑over‑RF (CoRF) solution within Swisscom Broadcast’s DroneDefence system to protect the lower airspace at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos. The technology delivered continuous detection, identification and electronic mitigation of rogue drones while...
Guard From Above unveiled the Seagull Evo, a sub‑1.5 kg fixed‑wing drone that replicates a seagull’s silhouette and flight dynamics for covert maritime surveillance. The platform carries electro‑optical or infrared payloads, flies up to 59 minutes, and can launch by hand...
Saipem’s FlatFish underwater drone has successfully completed Functional Acceptance Tests for Petrobras, confirming its autonomous inspection capabilities. The tests, conducted in Saipem’s Trieste facility, demonstrated pipeline, structural, cathodic protection, and wall‑thickness assessments without human control. Petrobras has now approved the...
AutoStore unveiled its Spring 2026 product suite, introducing the CubeVerse cloud platform and the AutoStore Intelligence suite powered by AI. The new tools unify system design, simulation, deployment, analytics and real‑time optimization, allowing existing robot grids to achieve higher throughput without...
MIT researchers have combined generative AI with millimeter‑wave (mmWave) radar to reconstruct hidden 3D objects and entire indoor scenes. The new Wave‑Former system fills gaps in partial reconstructions, boosting shape‑accuracy by roughly 20 % over prior methods. An expanded system called...
#WhosNext? Assembly line workers in a humanoid #Robot factory? Agility Robotics is looking to populate its entire factory with working examples of its own product. #Robotics #Manufacturing #Automation https://t.co/ZYEwn9dOQf
Electric motors drive most industrial motion, accounting for roughly two‑thirds of factory electricity use. Servo systems, unlike fixed‑speed motors, operate across a wide torque‑speed envelope, making a single efficiency rating impossible. Engineers rely on efficiency maps and design practices—right‑sizing, material...
German agritech startup eternal.ag unveiled Harvester, a fully autonomous tomato‑harvesting robot designed for greenhouse production. The robot can operate up to 22 hours daily, using AI‑driven vision and a modular platform that continuously learns from field data. Eternal.ag raised €8 million...
Developed with Scale AI, the new AI Trainer signals a tectonic shift in robotics, moving applications from pre‑programmed scripts to fully AI‑driven tasks. The system leverages massive datasets generated in specialized AI training cells where robots imitate human operators, creating...
50k more autonomous cars on the roadmap in less than one decade. Autonomy will not take decades to scale. It’s happening now.
WeRide, the U.S.-based autonomous‑driving firm, announced its fourth European market launch in Slovakia, partnering with the Elevate Slovakia initiative. The program will introduce a suite of vehicles—including robotaxi, robobus, robovan and robosweeper—under the supervision of the Slovak Ministry of Transport....
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on X that the company may tape out its next‑generation AI6 processor in December. The move follows a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung, which plans to fabricate the chips on a 2nm process for mass production...
Revector has partnered with UK‑based Cannon Dynamics to mount its mobile‑phone location Detector onto the Sword long‑endurance VTOL drone for anti‑poaching missions in Africa. The integrated system uses an IMSI‑catcher to map unusual mobile activity, giving rangers real‑time intel across...
Volatus Aerospace has signed a contract with a leading offshore wind power firm to develop heavy‑lift drone logistics for maritime environments. The initiative will enable remotely managed drones to transport up to 100 kg of tools and components from vessels directly...
Anduril announced that its new Arsenal-1 manufacturing plant in Columbus, Ohio, will start producing the YFQ-44A Fury drone wingman within days, ahead of the originally slated July 2026 start. The 5‑million‑square‑foot facility, adjacent to a dual 12,000‑foot runway airport, enables...
Stifel reaffirmed a Buy rating on Tesla, lifting its price target to $508 as higher gasoline prices and record‑low short interest create a demand tailwind. The analyst also highlighted strong margins, a $5.01 billion Q4 profit and accelerating robotaxi and FSD...
A research partnership between Hong Kong’s Space Robotics and Energy Centre and Southeast University is accelerating autonomous space‑robotics, AI‑enabled navigation, and deep‑space energy management. The collaboration, supported by HKUST labs, targets rugged robotic platforms, precision manipulation, and modular power systems...
Yale Lift Truck Technologies will showcase a suite of automated lift trucks and operator‑assist solutions at the MODEX supply‑chain exhibition in Atlanta. The booth features an interactive Automated Lift Truck Portal that lets visitors map routes without coding, the Reliant...
MAXOLUTION, an SEW‑EURODRIVE company, launched the Mobile Robot Platform 1600 (MR P1600), a standardized, modular robot designed for pallet transport in factories and warehouses. The platform offers up to 1 600 kg payload, 1.6 m/s speed, and optional contactless inductive charging via MOVITRANS solutions....
Volatus Aerospace announced it has been approved for up to $320,000 in non‑dilutive funding from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC‑IRAP). The money will fund development of the Condor XL heavy‑lift uncrewed aerial system, focusing...
TEKEVER, a pan‑European AI‑centric defence tech firm, has entered a strategic partnership with New Zealand‑based EPE to deliver advanced autonomous systems to the NZ market. The deal combines TEKEVER’s AR5, AR3 EVO and ATLAS platforms with EPE’s local customer relationships and support...
Volz Servos is supplying customized DA‑15N servos, equipped with the ARINC 825 CAN protocol, to power Quantum Systems' Twister eVTOL. The servos control the aircraft’s wing flaps, a mission‑critical function for the vehicle’s vertical‑take‑off, fixed‑wing transition. Twister weighs 4 kg, can fly...
Trevor Milton, pardoned founder of the failed electric‑truck maker Nikola, is spearheading a bid to raise $1 billion to develop AI‑driven light jets. He and an investment group have acquired the struggling SyberJet Aircraft and are rebuilding it with dozens of...
A Tesla Cybertruck equipped with Full Self‑Driving (FSD) crashed into a concrete barrier on Houston’s 69 Eastex Freeway on August 18, 2025, after the autonomous system failed to navigate a sharp curve. Driver Justine Saint Amour disengaged FSD four seconds before impact, but the...
Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary, has unveiled its second sixth‑generation autonomous eVTOL prototype, registered as N607WA. The full‑scale aircraft is slated for its inaugural flight within weeks, marking a critical milestone toward certification. Wisk maintains its roadmap to launch a...
Researchers at Norway's SINTEF have built a hydrogen‑fuel‑cell drone that swaps its battery for a lightweight hydrogen tank, delivering multi‑hour flight endurance. The prototype can inspect long stretches of power lines, conduct search‑and‑rescue missions, and map terrain, offering a cheaper,...
Mariana Minerals announced that its Copper One site in Utah will become the world’s first autonomy‑first copper mine and refinery. The company will roll out its MarianaOS platform—combining MineOS, PlantOS and CapitalProjectOS—to automate mining, processing and capital project execution, targeting...
Tesla FSD is nothing short of magic. Just rented a Cybertruck, picked it up at the airport and it drove us directly to the Airbnb. None of the stress of a new city, new roads, new car. Had it for...
Kansas State University Salina will host a Public Safety UAS Summit on April 22, bringing together law enforcement, fire, and emergency management agencies with drone experts. The day-long event features FAA briefings on Part 107, BVLOS, and emergency waivers, as well as...
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said Waymo is clearly ahead of Tesla in the robotaxi race, citing Waymo’s proven sensor suite, lower hardware costs and 400,000 weekly rides across ten U.S. cities. He contrasted this with Tesla’s vision‑only approach, which...
IdeaForge Technology Limited secured its first U.S. purchase order, deploying Indian‑made drones to secure schools in Texas. The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District will use the SWITCH and Q6 V3 UAVs across 20‑25 campuses for aerial monitoring and rapid threat response....
It’s genuinely astonishing: Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 began along the lines of late-Soviet large-scale land warfare: with armored thrusts and insane massive artillery barrages. Then the war became the stage for a drone revolution that reshaped combat everywhere --...
Tesla's FSD: 5.3 million miles between accidents. US driving average: 660,000. That's 9x safer. And it's only getting better.
In this episode, Daniel Abreu Marquez interviews Augustin Friedel, an expert in software‑defined vehicles, about the pivotal role of high‑performance system‑on‑a‑chip (SoC) silicon in autonomous driving. They explain how SoCs integrate CPU, GPU, AI accelerators and memory to handle massive...
From Walking to Heavy Lifting: Atlas Shows Off Next-Level Skills by @lukas_m_ziegler #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #MI #ML #Tech https://t.co/4uksEsmm3c
Researchers at West Virginia University introduced a force‑aware manipulation system for agricultural robots, enabling one arm to safely move plant branches and expose hidden flowers or fruit for a second arm. The method combines an RRT*‑based planner with a geometric...
Georgia Tech researchers analyzed sheep‑dog trial footage and identified a two‑step herding routine—first subtly aligning stationary sheep, then applying pressure to move them. They built a computational model that captures both the dog’s influence and peer interactions, revealing that small...
In this episode, Chieh Huang, founder of Boxed and now CEO of Pelgo, shares his journey from a garage‑based wholesale startup to a public company and his latest venture helping workers transition to AI‑augmented roles. He highlights the stark difference...
Hesai has slashed LiDAR prices to about $200 per unit, enabling its FTX blind‑spot sensor to be fitted on Niu Technologies' new NXT2 e‑scooter. The partnership marks a turning point for affordable perception technology, previously limited to high‑end EVs and...
