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.
UE | STUDIOS unveiled the SUE autonomous electric minibus, a self‑driving urban shuttle built with Covestro’s Makrolon polycarbonate glazing and recyclable interior monomaterials. The vehicle features a 381 cm panoramic windshield, sensor‑transparent Makrolon AX ST, and Arfinio‑based interior components designed for durability and circularity. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the EU, the project involves ten partners and will begin public‑road testing at up to 50 km/h later this year.
EACON’s autonomous battery‑electric haul trucks have been operating at Shougang Group’s Shuichang iron‑ore mine for a year, logging over 350,000 km and moving more than 11 million tonnes of material. The fleet’s regenerative‑braking system recovered 386,000 kWh of energy, equating to roughly 185 tonnes...
Commercial fleets are entering a rapid digital transformation, with AI‑driven analytics, connected‑vehicle platforms, and software‑defined trucks promising predictive maintenance, condition‑based service, and over‑the‑air updates. Operators can now forecast failures days in advance, shift from fixed service intervals, and make data‑backed...
Former DJI sales vice‑president Yuan was detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of accepting large bribes. The investigation, reported by Jiemian News, alleges "huge amounts of illicit gains" during his 2019‑2024 tenure overseeing global sales. This follows DJI’s 2019 internal...
Tesla will get to a working robotaxi eventually, but it's difficult to say when. My 50th percentile is end of 2026, but the variance is high. It could be in a few months. It could be a few years. We'd...
Waymo has reportedly struck a $2.5 billion agreement with Hyundai to purchase 50,000 vehicles by 2028, pricing the cars at roughly $50,000 each including sensor packages. The deal promises to slash autonomous‑vehicle costs and address the chronic supply bottleneck that has...
From $100,000 spinning sensors to compact solid-state units built for automotive scale, lidar has come a long way. MicroVision is betting its high-resolution sensing device can win over skeptics—and automakers. Lidar #ADAS https://spectrum.ieee.org/solid-state-lidar-microvision-adas?share_id=9165326
Chatbot ≠ Agentic. RPA ≠ Agentic. RAG ≠ Agentic. Agentic AI = orchestrator + memory + planning + tools + feedback, plus multi-agent specialists (retrieval/coding/citations). The board question: where do we allow autonomy—and with what guardrails? https://t.co/AEnajJZeEP
The episode examines recent Waymo incidents, including a school‑child collision and repeated passes of stopped school buses, to illustrate how “unavoidable” crashes are often a product of flawed risk models rather than true inevitability. It reviews The Autonomous’s safety‑architecture report...
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) issued a Sources‑Sought notice seeking a Medium‑Range Tactical (MRT) unmanned aircraft system for the U.S. Marine Corps. The RFI calls for a rugged, VTOL‑capable platform under 20 lb gross weight, with at least 2.5 hours endurance,...
In episode 230 of The Robot Report podcast, hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre recap the Manifest 2026 supply‑chain trade show in Las Vegas and interview eight robotics CEOs, including leaders from Gather AI, Robust.AI, Slamcore, Slip Robotics, Ambi Robotics, Corvus Robotics, Glid Technologies and AutoPallet. The episode...
Mike Oitzman and Gene Demaitre recap their experience at the Manifest 2026 tradeshow, highlighting cutting‑edge developments in warehouse and supply‑chain robotics. The episode features rapid‑fire news, a Zoox autonomous‑taxi demo, and in‑depth interviews with CEOs and executives from Gather AI,...
The U.S. Army’s Global Response Force will start evaluating the Bumblebee V2 drone interceptor in March after a $5.2 million contract with Perennial Autonomy. The FPV quadcopter uses AI to autonomously detect and physically collide with hostile UAVs, delivering a kinetic...
The Electrek Podcast highlighted a slate of headline‑making EV developments, including Tesla’s $290,000 quote for its 500‑mile Semi truck and the launch of a three‑phase Powerwall 3P. Toyota unveiled the Highlander EV, the first three‑row electric SUV with a 320‑mile range, while...
Wingcopter and Ukraine’s TAF Industries signed an MoU at the Munich Security Conference to create a joint venture that will produce reconnaissance drones in Germany for Ukraine. The partnership combines TAF’s licensed battlefield‑proven designs with Wingcopter’s manufacturing and engineering capabilities,...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the first Linza 3.0 drone manufactured in Germany by the newly formed Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI) joint venture. The handover, attended by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, marked the opening of a production line that aims to deliver...
Symbotic senior vice president Brian Alexander outlines the current robotics landscape, contrasting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with high‑density automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). He emphasizes the shift from traditional automation to AI‑powered solutions that can make decisions, predict demand...
Robotics & Automation News has released a premium trend analysis titled "Drone Logistics: Infrastructure, Economics and Market Outlook (2026‑2032)" that evaluates the operational realities and economic constraints of drone delivery. The report finds that drones will serve as a specialised...
![Glydways Looks to ‘Redefine Mass Transit’ with Autonomous Electric Vehicles on Dedicated Guideways [Video]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/02/Glydways-autonomous-transit-render.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Glydways announced two major milestones: a 0.5‑mile autonomous electric vehicle pilot in South Metro Atlanta and a memorandum of understanding with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to deploy guideway‑based transit in the Bluewaters district. The Atlanta demonstration will connect the...
“How Agentic AI works” — this diagram gets one thing very right: Agentic AI is not a model. It’s a system. Here’s the deeper reading most people miss 👇 1️⃣ Inputs are not prompts — they’re signals Agentic AI doesn’t...
A new Science #Robotics study describes a method that enables robotic modules to share their resources with a “dead” neighbor, overcoming failure to ensure the reliability of robot collectives. @robotician @RRL_EPFL https://t.co/NRPlam3xZS https://t.co/pNiqhfqVwD
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) released a phased roadmap to embed advanced air mobility (AAM) into India’s urban transport, using a hypothetical Gurugram‑Connaught Place‑Noida corridor as a test case. The plan prioritises high‑social‑impact missions such as medical logistics and...
Fincantieri has entered a four‑year industrial partnership with Italian robotics firm Generative Bionics to develop a humanoid welding robot for its shipyards. The robot will incorporate AI‑driven perception, vision and manipulation to operate safely alongside human workers, targeting initial on‑site...
Mahindra & Mahindra has chosen Mobileye’s SuperVision and Surround ADAS platforms for at least six new vehicle models, with production slated to begin in 2027. The systems will run on Mobileye’s EyeQ6 High system‑on‑chip, consolidating perception, road‑experience management, driver monitoring...
Waymo has launched a pilot in Atlanta that enlists DoorDash couriers to close robotaxi doors left ajar, preventing vehicles from moving. The program coincides with Waymo’s rollout of its sixth‑generation driver on Zeekr Ojai minivans, supplementing its existing Jaguar I‑Pace...
The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) signed a declaration of intent in London to jointly develop advanced air mobility (AAM), innovative air mobility (IAM) and uncrewed aerial system (UAS) harmonisation. The agreement focuses...
Slip Robotics unveiled SlipLift, a new autonomous platform that separates the mobile robot from its payload, allowing it to load or unload any trailer in roughly five minutes. The system supports freight up to 20,000 lb and requires no Wi‑Fi or...
In a recent Robot Talk episode, senior lecturer Samuele Vinanzi discussed how robots can evaluate human trustworthiness using behavioral cues. His work in cognitive robotics merges AI, psychology, and cognitive science to give machines social awareness. Vinanzi’s research emphasizes emotional...
Intertraffic Amsterdam Preview 2026 outlines the next wave of European mobility, spotlighting autonomous buses, electric vehicle infrastructure, and AI‑driven traffic management. Organisers emphasize sustainability, with a focus on zero‑emission solutions and smart‑city data platforms. The preview also signals stronger collaboration...
Tattile has merged Comark’s laser and radar expertise with its ANPR leadership to launch Comark+ Laser, a high‑precision traffic‑analysis sensor. The device features a 210° aperture, detects vehicles up to 250 km/h across two lanes, and operates at 100 Hz without an...
Persistent Systems secured an $87.5 million order from the U.S. Army Capability Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, and Network (CPE C3N) for Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) devices that will form the transport layer of the Next‑Generation Command and...
Sunhillo Corporation has joined ResilienX’s MICH‑AIR BVLOS program as a key team member, providing surveillance data acquisition, distribution, and fusion. The company will deploy its cloud‑based SureLine software with a multi‑track fuser to merge radar, ADS‑B, and Remote ID inputs,...
Teledyne Marine demonstrated its SeaBat F50 forward‑looking sonar during the SeaSEC Harbour Protection Challenge in Gothenburg, delivering real‑time, 140‑degree imaging of vessel traffic and unmanned underwater vehicles. The trial combined the sonar with a Teledyne FLIR thermal camera to track...
Germany’s Helsing and HENSOLDT have announced a joint effort to equip Helsing’s CA‑1 autonomous aircraft with AI‑driven combat capabilities. HENSOLDT will integrate its radar, optronics, self‑protection and electromagnetic warfare sensors through its Multi‑Domain Operations Core software. The AI‑pilot, named Centaur,...
A #bioinspired eye can reflexively constrict or dilate its pupil in response to varying light levels like a human eye, which could improve image detection and find applications in autonomous driving. @baiwubin Learn more in Science #Robotics: https://t.co/p1uZy6rbky https://t.co/9TwSpPBNds
Huffman Engineering, a 40‑year‑old system integrator, delivers end‑to‑end automation for highly regulated sectors by designing, building, and validating UL‑certified panels in‑house. The firm completes roughly 100 full‑scale projects each year, emphasizing custom, full‑process solutions over simple machine integration. By merging...
Blue Water Autonomy plans to move its 190‑foot Liberty class autonomous patrol ship from prototype to production this year, joining a rapidly expanding market of unmanned surface vessel (USV) suppliers courting the U.S. Navy. The Navy is still defining how...
Cognibotics is providing the motion‑control layer for the Vinnova‑funded CAISA project, linking AI perception and path‑planning modules in a paediatric heart‑surgery testbed. The collaboration, involving Region Skåne, Lund University and Cobotic, moves into a demonstrator phase using a 350 m² simulated...
Martens en Van Oord has ordered Demcon unmanned systems' next‑generation V4000 autonomous survey vessel, a 4‑meter USV designed for hydrographic work. The platform adds a longer hull, larger moonpool, and higher battery capacity, boosting range and endurance. Integrated with a...
The FAA’s UAS test site program now includes nine locations across the United States, two of which opened in 2026, to validate critical drone technologies such as detect‑and‑avoid, BVLOS, and UTM. Test sites serve a dual purpose: they provide manufacturers...
The column argues that military autonomy should augment, not replace, commander authority by delegating specific tasks while retaining legal and ethical responsibility. It highlights three pillars—low‑cost, near‑exquisite systems, cross‑vendor interoperability, and a DevOps‑style hardware development model—as essential for trust and...
China unveiled the Wing‑Loong X maritime combat drone at the Singapore Airshow, marking its first regional display. The UAV, designed for surveillance and strike missions, builds on the proven Wing Loong family and targets buyers unable to afford Western systems....
In this episode, Grayson Brulte talks with Gavin White, co‑founder and CEO of About:Energy, about how model‑based design and advanced simulation are transforming battery engineering, slashing development cycles by up to 70%. White explains the creation of The Voltt, a...
Fortem Technologies secured a multimillion‑dollar Department of Homeland Security contract to protect the 2026 FIFA World Cup venues with its net‑based DroneHunter interceptors. The company will deploy TrueView R30 radar, SkyDome command software, and kinetic net‑capture drones, marking its second...
WeRide and Uber have launched the first commercial robotaxi service in downtown Abu Dhabi, expanding coverage to roughly 70% of the city’s core districts. The fleet has quadrupled since its December 2024 debut, now exceeding 200 autonomous vehicles across the...
Blue Nose Aerial Imaging has teamed up with engineering firm Inotek to launch a next‑generation building inspection service across the United States. The partnership combines Blue Nose’s nationwide drone fleet with Inotek’s European‑tested analysis methodology, turning visual and thermal data...
