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.
HANNOVER MESSE 2026: RealSense Demonstrates Comprehensive GMSL Depth Camera Portfolio
RealSense unveiled an expanded Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL) portfolio at Hannover Messe 2026, adding GMSL support to its D401, D415 and D430 depth cameras. The new lineup offers sub‑millimeter precision, mid‑range accuracy and rugged integration for robotic arms, humanoids, factories and warehouses. Powered by the RealSense SDK 2.0 with native ROS 2 and on‑device AI Vision ASIC processing, the cameras deliver low‑latency depth data without external compute. RealSense positions the portfolio as an industrial‑grade perception platform that simplifies multi‑camera synchronization and reduces total cost of ownership.
Ukraine to Field 25,000 Ground Robots in Push to Replace Soldiers for Frontline Logistics
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced a contract for 25,000 unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to be delivered by mid‑2026, more than double the 2025 target. The ministry aims for 100% of frontline logistics to be performed by robots, citing over 9,000 missions...
Autonomous Truckers Pitch Self‑Driving as Highway Safety Solution
Nobody loves this talk about ELP enforcement, scam foreign truckers, and highway carnage more than the autonomous trucking companies Don’t be surprised to see them lean harder with their media partners into the messaging the autonomy is the only road...
Pentagon Wants to Water Down Drone Program with Autonomous Subs
DARPA has launched the Deep Thoughts program to create compact, low‑cost autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) capable of full‑ocean‑depth operations. The initiative seeks novel materials, free‑form designs and rapid, weeks‑long development cycles, diverging from traditional, bulky AUVs. It aligns with the...
Tesla FSD Anticipates and Pulls over for Emergency Vehicles
Right after pulling over for one emergency vehicle going my direction, Tesla's FSD pulls over again for emergency vehicles coming from the other direction. And turning right in front of me. This feature seems to work relatively reliably and before...
X Square Robot Launches Wall‑B AI Model, Pledges Home Robot Rollout in 35 Days
X Square Robot unveiled Wall‑B, a new embodied AI foundation model for home robots, and said it will begin placing robots in everyday households within 35 days. Backed by major Chinese tech investors, the company highlighted its World Unified Model...
‘Look, No Hands’: China Chases the Driverless Dream at Beijing Car Show
At the Beijing Auto Fair, Chinese automakers showcased a wave of autonomous‑driving technologies as domestic EV sales slump 17% YoY. Huawei announced a $11 bn (80 bn yuan) five‑year fund for self‑driving software, while Xpeng and Xiaomi demonstrated AI‑powered command and in‑car...
ServiceNow and Google Cloud Unite AI Agents for Autonomous Enterprise Operations
ServiceNow and Google Cloud announced an expanded partnership at Google Cloud Next, introducing a suite of AI agents that can autonomously detect, diagnose and resolve enterprise issues across 5G networks, retail operations and IT systems. The solutions leverage Google’s Gemini...
This Kenyan Startup Wants to Rebuild Enterprise Software Around AI Agents
Kenyan AI startup Lua secured $5.8 million (≈ KES 748 million) seed funding to launch a platform that lets enterprises build autonomous AI agents capable of executing entire business processes. The agents operate through familiar channels such as Slack, WhatsApp and email, handling multi‑step...
This Robot Is Making On’s Spray-On Marathon Sneaker, Its Fastest-Ever Distance Shoe
Swiss brand On unveiled its LightSpray robot in London, showcasing the ultra‑light Cloudboom Strike and the new Cloudmonster 3 Hyper sneakers. The robot sprays a single‑filament polymer onto a shoe last, creating a stretchy mesh upper in just three minutes—replacing roughly 200 traditional...
Hyundai Rotem Enters Vietnamese Market
Hyundai Rotem has secured a $332 million contract to supply driverless trains for Line 2 of Ho Chi Minh City’s metro, marking its first entry into the Vietnamese market. The 64‑kilometre line, featuring 36 stations, aims to open by 2030 and will also receive...
Tesla Plans to Resolve Its Angriest Bunch of Owners: Here’s How
Tesla acknowledged that its older Hardware 3 (HW3) self‑driving computers cannot support unsupervised Full Self‑Driving (FSD) and announced a remediation plan. HW3 owners who purchased FSD will be offered discounted trade‑ins or retrofits to the newer AI4 (Hardware 4) platform,...
Coco Robotics Deploys Autonomous Delivery Robots with Uber Eats in San Jose
Coco Robotics has rolled out its autonomous sidewalk delivery robots in downtown San Jose, partnering with Uber Eats to offer zero‑emission last‑mile service. The launch follows expansions in Los Angeles, Chicago, Jersey City and Miami and pushes the company toward a global fleet of...
Neura Robotics and Dassault Systèmes Partner to Scale Physical AI Through Virtual Twins and Real World Learning
Neura Robotics and Dassault Systèmes have teamed up to link Neura’s robot‑training platform with Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE virtual‑twin system, creating a closed‑loop workflow that blends synthetic simulation data with real‑world operational feedback. The partnership aims to accelerate robot skill acquisition, lower...
Musk Says Tesla Has Begun Producing Its Cybercab Robotaxi
Tesla announced that it has begun serial production of the Cybercab, its first purpose‑built robotaxi. The two‑seat, steering‑wheel‑free sedan is slated for rollout in Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Las Vegas during the first half of 2026. While shares nudged up...
Bosch Showcases Level 3 Automated Driving in China
Bosch Mobility demonstrated a Level 3 driver‑assistance system at Beijing's automotive trade fair, enabling hands‑off, eyes‑off operation on motorways and expressways. The technology, already being tested on public roads in Wuxi and fitted to the Chery Exeed ES, supports speeds up to...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Drone Safety Day, Mt. Everest, Blockchain Black Box
DRONERESPONDERS is urging the FAA to adopt a National Public Safety Waiver that would give U.S. first‑responder agencies a single, performance‑based authorization for BVLOS and over‑people drone flights. The proposal, backed by dozens of law‑enforcement, fire and EMS departments, aims...
From Surveillance State to Kill Machine: Has the Line Already Been Crossed?
The Pentagon’s FY 2027 request includes a $54.6 billion boost for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a 24,000 % increase aimed at building AI‑driven lethal systems for U.S. Special Operations. Simultaneously, ICE has signed $60 million contracts with Palantir to deploy ImmigrationOS and the...
Tesla Admits Pre‑2023 HW3 Cars Can’t Deliver Unsupervised Full Self‑Driving, Offers Trade‑in Upgrade
Tesla announced that vehicles equipped with Hardware 3 (model years 2019‑2023) lack the memory bandwidth needed for unsupervised Full Self‑Driving. The company will offer a discounted trade‑in for HW4 (AI4) hardware and plans micro‑factories to retrofit cameras and computers, a...
64‑Year‑Old CH‑47F Chinook Lands Hands‑Free Using Boeing’s A2X Software
Boeing demonstrated its Approach‑to‑X (A2X) autonomous landing system on a 64‑year‑old CH‑47F Chinook, achieving a fully automated touchdown with less than 1.5 m positional error after more than 150 test approaches. The upgrade promises to boost U.S. Army heavy‑lift capability while...
Honor's Lightning Humanoid Shatters Half‑Marathon Record in Beijing
Honor's Lightning humanoid robot finished the Beijing E‑Town Half Marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds, faster than the human world record. The feat, captured in a viral video, highlights advances in robot endurance while prompting skeptics to question its real‑world...
Autonomous Resource Corporation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Partner to Accelerate AI-Enabled Defense Manufacturing at National Scale
Autonomous Resource Corporation (ARC) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the Exascale Foundry, a joint effort that fuses ORNL’s high‑performance computing and advanced manufacturing assets with ARC’s AI‑driven ARCNet platform. The collaboration...
Autonomous Mobility Partnership to Deploy ID. Buzz Fleet in US Public Transit to Start in Orlando
MOIA America, Volkswagen’s autonomous mobility unit, has partnered with micro‑transit operator Beep to launch driverless public‑transit service in Orlando. The collaboration will deploy purpose‑built ID. Buzz electric vans equipped with Mobileye’s self‑driving stack and a MaaS software platform. Initial validation rides...
CiDi 2025 Report Brings Insights Into Mining Truck Autonomy Growth & Challenges
CiDi Inc., a Hong Kong‑listed autonomous haulage system (AHS) player, posted 2025 revenue of roughly US$124 million, up 115% from the prior year, while gross profit rose to about US$26.5 million. Despite the top‑line surge, the firm recorded a larger net loss,...
Hydrogen-Fueled AUV Breaks Range Expectations with 2,000-Kilometer Subsea Run
Cellula Robotics’ hydrogen‑fuel‑cell‑powered Envoy autonomous underwater vehicle completed a 2,023‑kilometer submerged mission lasting 385 hours, surpassing its original performance specifications. The AUV executed more than 4,000 turns, mimicking real‑world subsea operations and demonstrating higher energy consumption than straight‑line travel. Developed...
China Plans to Invest Billions on a Robot Army to Run Its Power Grid
China's State Grid Corporation has earmarked 6.8 billion yuan (about $1 billion) for AI‑enabled robots in 2026, targeting the purchase of roughly 8,500 units. The rollout will feature 5,000 robot dogs for remote substation and line inspections, plus humanoid and dual‑arm robots...
Episode 153: Origami-Inspired Robots - Chenying Liu
In this episode, Claire Asher talks with Oxford junior research fellow Chen Ying Liu about embedding intelligence directly into robot bodies using geometry, origami-inspired structures, and unconventional materials. Liu explains how mechanical bifurcation lets a two‑motor gripper achieve eight grasping...
SkyDrive and West Nippon Expressway Form AAM Partnership
SkyDrive Inc. has partnered with West Nippon Expressway Company (NEXCO West) to explore commercial eVTOL services using the expressway’s parking and service areas as vertiport sites. The collaboration will assess feasibility of turning these waystations into air‑mobility hubs, supporting SkyDrive’s...
Office of Naval Research Leaders Talk Future of Autonomy and Unmanned Innovation at Panel Discussion
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) highlighted its legacy in autonomous maritime systems—from REMUS and swarmboats to Sea Hunter—during a panel at the Sea‑Air‑Space Expo. Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley emphasized a shift toward faster testing, streamlined software...
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IN PICTURES: Humanoid Half Marathon in Beijing, and More From Around the World
On April 19, Beijing hosted the world’s largest humanoid robot half‑marathon, lining up more than 100 robots from 76 Chinese research institutions alongside 12,000 human runners. The 21‑kilometre race featured a unique “human‑robot co‑running” format, with robots navigating separate lanes....
AstaZero Test Ground in Sweden Hosts 5GAA Connected Mobility Service Demonstrations
At the AstaZero proving ground near Gothenburg, the 5G Automotive Association conducted live demonstrations of connected mobility services. The showcases featured satellite‑based vehicle connectivity, safe‑road applications, and cooperative perception technologies operating in real traffic conditions. By testing across borders, the...
Tianjin Meiteng Puts Five XRT Ore Sorters Into Operation for Tajik-China Mining
In March 2026 Tianjin Meiteng Technology completed the trial launch of five XRT ore‑sorting systems for Tajik‑China Mining, the largest lead producer in Asia. The XRT units achieved a 14.83% waste rejection rate while keeping lead‑zinc tailings at roughly 0.4%...
Waymo Taxi Crashes Into Crime‑Scene Tape During London Test
Waymo’s autonomous taxi collided with police crime‑scene tape on Harlesden High Street after a double stabbing, prompting an apology from the company. The incident highlights safety and regulatory challenges as Waymo prepares a wider UK launch later this year.
Training Self-Driving AI Compresses Humanity’s Road Experience
There is something almost sacred about training a self-driving model. You take the chaos of human motion — the hesitation, the intuition, the tiny corrections, the unspoken knowledge of a billion drives — and you compress it into a neural network. A...
Tesla Robotaxi App Installs in Under a Minute
Downloaded Tesla @robotaxi app for Android Took less than 1 minute to download and install Payment linked to my Tesla account. Seamless. https://t.co/7Z0wFG5wUC
ABS Signs Pact with Fleet Robotics on Maritime Robotics
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Fleet Robotics have signed a memorandum of understanding at Singapore Maritime Week to develop autonomous robotic systems for hull cleaning and inspection. The partnership will assess robot suitability, validate sensor data and imagery,...
Why People Still Choose Front Seats in Waymo
I still don’t get how people choose to sit in the front of a waymo
Robot Gains True First-Person Vision Capability
Seeing Through Its Own Eyes: Building a #Robot with True First-Person Vision via @WevolverApp #AI #MachineLearning #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/AwN4r5YcRW
ABS Signs Pact with Fleet Robotics on Maritime Robotics
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Fleet Robotics have signed a memorandum of understanding at Singapore Maritime Week to develop autonomous robotic systems for hull cleaning and inspection. The partnership will assess robot suitability, validate sensor data and imagery,...
Quadruped Robot Masters Low-Gravity Off-World Mobility
Low-Gravity Trials: Quadruped #Robot Pushes the Limits of Off-World Mobility via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/4lOOnmg7Cb
Automated 3D Print Farm Mass‑Produces Precise Drone Frames
Inside an #Automated #3D Print Farm Mass-Producing High-Precision #Drone Frames by @amazingthings_ #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/k3QAtZy7DQ
Deepvein Mining Tech Wins Gold for Quadrupedal Exploration Robots, Cutting Survey Time by 95%
Deepvein Mining Tech secured Gold at the 2026 NY Product Design Awards for its Intelligent Geological Mapping and Geochemical Sampling Quadrupedal Robots. The robots have reduced data‑collection cycles from roughly a year to a week and lowered workflow costs by...
Three Mandates to Accelerate Your Bank's AI Transformation
If your AI strategy is still on the innovation roadmap, you are already behind. In this episode, I share 3 leadership mandates to move toward a self driving bank. 👉 Watch the latest episode: https://t.co/P54LuzdywH https://t.co/KaTfkodOPt
Robots Master Rollerblading, Ice Skating: Winter Olympics Loom
If you think this Unitree G1 robot rollerblading is scary, wait until you see it iceskating — robot Winter Olympics can’t be far behind, and we should talk about robot mobility https://t.co/zDLYZhnszm
Tesla Continues to Promise FSD China Approval, Despite Delays
Tesla continues to promise Full Self‑Driving (FSD) approval in China, yet regulatory clearance remains elusive. Despite building a Shanghai data centre, a Baidu mapping partnership and a domestic AI training hub, the system is limited to a Level‑2 “Intelligent Assisted...
Tesla's Cybercab Reaches Production in 18 Months, Defying FSD Doubts
Tesla Cybercab: Unveiled 10/10/24 Start of Production: 4/22/26 18 months and 12 days from unveil to production. Remember when people doubted whether unsupervised FSD would exist by the time production started? https://t.co/OPtzlMnpy3
The Pentagon’s $54 Billion Bet on Autonomous Warfare
The Pentagon’s FY2027 budget proposes $54.6 billion—about 15% of the total defense spend—to expand the Departmental Autonomous Warfighting Group (DAWG) by over 24,000%, aiming to create a new unified combatant command for AI‑driven drones, aircraft and vessels. The move mirrors the...
After Call From Beijing, China's Auto Industry Races to Embed AI in Just About Everything
China’s auto sector is accelerating a new wave of disruption by embedding artificial intelligence into every facet of its electric vehicles. The government’s AI‑Plus five‑year plan pushes domestic chip and software development to reduce reliance on U.S. semiconductors. Leading makers...
UAE Targets Agentic AI to Power Half of Government Operations
The United Arab Emirates announced a plan to shift half of its government services to agentic artificial intelligence within two years, redefining public‑sector operations from digitisation to autonomous execution. The strategy builds on existing digital identity, smart‑service platforms and sovereign...
Pentagon Wants Miniature Deep-Ocean Drones
DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office launched the Deep Thoughts program, a 24‑month solicitation for autonomous underwater vehicles that can reach full‑ocean depth. The hardware‑centric effort requires functional prototypes, not studies, with abstracts due May 21, 2026 and an estimated start in November...