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.
Humanoid Secures Landmark Deal with Schaeffler to Deploy Thousands of Humanoid Robots
UK‑based Humanoid has signed a phased deployment and supply agreement with Schaeffler to roll out thousands of wheeled humanoid robots across the German supplier’s global sites, with the first units operating by end‑2026. The deal, structured as Robot‑as‑a‑Service, includes a five‑year actuator supply contract covering over half of Humanoid’s demand through 2031. Deployment targets a four‑digit number of robots by 2032, marking one of the largest disclosed humanoid‑robot rollouts. The partnership aims to prove economic viability of humanoid automation in live manufacturing.
Level 4 Requires 100 Incident‑Free Robotaxis for Six Months
WeRide CEO says the benchmark to be considered Level 4 is to have 100 robotaxis available to the public for 6 months without incident.
Native-Color Rev8 Lidar From Ouster Targets Level 4 AV Development
Ouster announced that its Rev8 OS family of digital lidar sensors is now qualified for Nvidia's Drive Hyperion platform, a key step toward Level 4 autonomous vehicle development. The Rev8 line introduces the world’s first native‑color lidar and the OS1 Max model,...
Waymo Skips Philadelphia Council Hearing on Driverless Taxi Safety, Sparking Labor Concerns
Waymo did not attend a Philadelphia City Council hearing on the safety and labor implications of its robotaxi program, offering only written testimony. Council members and labor leaders warned the absence leaves critical questions unanswered as the company moves toward...
Developing Active and Flexible Microrobots
Leiden researchers Daniela Kraft and Mengshi Wei have engineered microscopic, flexible chain‑like robots that propel themselves without sensors, software, or external controllers. The robots, printed with a Nanoscribe 3D‑printer, consist of 5 µm segments linked by 0.5 µm joints and move at...
Agentic AI Could Make Robots Affordable for Small Businesses
Siemens unveiled Eigen, an agentic AI software platform, at the Hannover Messe automation fair. The technology claims to automate the reprogramming of PLCs, DCS and robots, cutting the engineering and reconfiguration phase that accounts for roughly 70% of a robot’s lifecycle...
GM Cuts up to 600 IT Jobs, Hires AI Engineers as It Shifts to Software‑defined Cars
General Motors announced a workforce swap that will eliminate 500‑600 IT positions—over 10% of its IT staff—and replace them with AI‑native engineers. The move follows GM’s retreat from electric‑vehicle and robotaxi bets and underscores its focus on software‑defined vehicles using...
Rivian Deploys 'Hey Rivian' AI Assistant with Full Vehicle Control
Rivian has rolled out its AI‑powered ‘Hey Rivian’ voice assistant to every Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1 owner through an over‑the‑air update. The assistant, part of Rivian Unified Intelligence, can control core vehicle functions and is gated behind a $14.99‑per‑month Connect+...
WeRide Inc (WRD) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
WeRide announced the world’s first city‑level fully driverless robotaxi permit outside the United States, launching a commercial service with Uber in Abu Dhabi that now covers half the city. The company now holds L4 autonomous permits in eight countries, operates...
Efficient Robot Navigation Inspired by Honeybee Learning Flights
Researchers have introduced Bee‑Nav, a honeybee‑inspired navigation system that merges path integration with a compact neural view‑memory to enable long‑range, low‑power robot flight. Simulations show the learned homing area can be under 1 % of the total space while still correcting...
Agentic AI Cuts Federal Procurement Costs in $8.5 Million Pilot, Experts Call for Scale
The ATARC Agentic AI Lab demonstrated that a trio of specialized AI agents can evaluate an $8.5 million federal procurement proposal, flagging compliance risks and accelerating review. The pilot kept humans in the decision loop while cutting analyst time, leading advocates...
Seegrid Surpasses 20 Million Autonomous Miles in Industrial Facilities
Seegrid's autonomous mobile robots have logged over 20 million miles in active industrial facilities, equivalent to circling the Earth more than 800 times. The mileage was accumulated across 24/7 manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics sites in North America, with no recordable safety...
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VisionNav Robotics unveiled its VNE40-66 Autonomous Precision Stacking Solution at Modex 2026, marking the industry’s first system able to stack cages up to 8.8 feet wide and 22 feet high. The robot handles loads of up to 6,150 pounds with millimeter‑level accuracy, thanks...
Waymo’s London Driverless SUVs Stuck in Dead-End Street Three Times in One Week
Waymo’s driverless Jaguar SUV entered a narrow dead‑end street in Shoreditch, London, and became immobilized three times within a single week. The incidents, captured on video and shared by a local resident, highlight navigation gaps as Waymo expands its testing...
GM Cuts 10% of IT Workforce, Shifts to AI Engineers in Skills‑Swap
General Motors announced it will lay off roughly 500‑600 salaried IT employees, about 10% of its technology workforce, and simultaneously post dozens of openings for AI‑focused engineers. The move reflects GM’s strategy to retool its tech organization for autonomous‑driving, data‑driven...
Yarbo Makes Remote Backdoor Opt‑In After Safety Concerns
Yarbo announced it will eliminate the always‑on remote backdoor in its robot lawn mower, shifting to an opt‑in model after researchers exposed a vulnerability that allowed internet‑based reprogramming. The change aims to restore consumer confidence in connected home robots.
Shuanglin’s Autonomous, Distributed Drive, Battery Multi-Axle Mining Truck
Shuanglin Technology unveiled the K7, a 158‑ton autonomous mining truck that uses distributed battery‑electric drive‑by‑wire corner modules for each wheel. The modular design lets each wheel steer, drive and brake independently, giving the truck crab‑like sideways movement and the ability...
AI Will Go Decentralized, Running on Cheap Edge Devices
I believe that over the next 10-20 years, AI will become ubiquitous at about the pace smart phones did. But I don't think the giant AI businesses will survive. Instead, I expect we'll see AI running standalone on inexpensive, low-energy...
China Reveals AI-Powered Lunar Robot for 2029 Moon Mission
China’s Hong Kong University of Science and Technology team unveiled an AI‑powered lunar robot slated for the Chang’e‑8 mission in 2029. The 100‑kilogram, four‑wheeled rover combines a humanoid upper body with dual arms to transport payloads, install instruments and collect...
Super‑intelligent AI Won’t Fix Coordination; Central Control Will
No. Cheap, superior intelligence does not solve humanity's (and nature's) basic challenge of adaptation and coordination. In many ways, it intensifies/exacerbates them. If all cars became "super-intelligent," would that solve traffic? No, but making all cars connected and centrally controlled would....
EEWOC: Wheeled Orb Robot Scales Steel Using Extendable Limbs
Meet EEWOC: A Wheeled Orb #Robot That Climbs Steel with Extendable Limbs via @WevolverApp #AI #Robotics #Innovation #TechForGood #EmergingTech https://t.co/brryYXDb05
South Korean Ministry Backs MasAuto’s $1.5 M R&D Push to Grow U.S. Autonomous Truck Fleet
MasAuto, a Korean self‑driving truck startup, received 2 billion won (≈$1.5 million) from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to fund R&D and AI training for its U.S. long‑haul operations. The support backs a 3,379‑km fixed route from California’s Port of...
Waymo Detects High-Speed Street Race, Avoids Crash
Street racing at 125+ mph on the I-10 in LA led to a crash, but the Waymo Driver saw it coming: it detected the anomalous situation early, tracked the reckless vehicle post-crash, and maneuvered defensively to safely bypass the scene....
German Multicopter Delivers Heavy Payloads for Fast Rescue
Grille: High-Payload German Multicopter Built for Rapid Rescue Operations by @DefenseTrends #Drone #Engineering #EmergingTech #Innovation https://t.co/1xaEmv0hdA
Space42, Sindan Team Up to Test Autonomous Systems with Satellite Connectivity
Space42 and Sindan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly test satellite‑communication solutions on autonomous aerospace platforms. Announced at Make it in the Emirates 2026, the partnership aims to validate real‑time connectivity in operational conditions and aligns with the...
Advancing Safety Frameworks for London’s Upcoming Robotaxi Deployments
Looking forward to speaking at the @FT Future of the Car Summit tomorrow (13 May) on a very timely subject: Advancing safety frameworks for automated vehicles. As London readies itself for robotaxi deployments, this should be an exciting discussion... #FTCar...
UK Government Partners with Wayve to Lead Autonomous Driving
Today @peterkyle visited @wayve_ai HQ as we signed a new partnership with the UK government 🤝 After a decade building this technology, it’s great to formalise our collaboration with Government and build a national champion for self-driving across the UK. 🇬🇧...
General Motors Trims up to 600 IT Roles to Recruit AI Talent for Autonomous Vehicle Push
General Motors announced it will eliminate roughly 500‑600 salaried IT jobs, mainly in Austin, Texas and Warren, Michigan, as part of a broader restructuring. The cuts are offset by new openings for AI, motorsports and self‑driving vehicle engineers, signaling a...
Giant Humanoid Robot Revolutionizes Japan’s Railway Maintenance
A New Humanoid Giant Is Transforming Railway Maintenance in Japan by @CyberRobooo #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/N10UnSCqrU
Bolt-M Autonomous VTOL Achieves 40‑minute Flight
Bolt-M: #Autonomous VTOL Air Vehicle With 40+ Minute Flight Time by @spaceandtech_ #Drone #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/6LWTrD2BS4
Samsung Leads $27M Seed Round in Config, the ‘TSMC of Robot Data’
Config, a Seoul‑San Jose AI startup that supplies data for robotic foundation models, closed a $27 million seed round led by Samsung Venture Investment. The round, which brings total funding to $35 million and values the company at more than $200 million, includes...
Fine‑tuned Large Behavior Models Boost Robot Task Learning
A new Science #Robotics study finds that “fine-tuned” large behavior models are more data-efficient and successful than single-task policies at teaching robots complex new tasks like coring and slicing an apple. https://t.co/T6OugH8W0f https://t.co/IB7129rua6
Teen Builds ‘Bionic Underwater Robotic Turtle’ to Detect Ecological Threats
Fifteen‑year‑old Evan Budz of Burlington, Ontario, built a bionic underwater robotic turtle (BURT) that mimics sea‑turtle locomotion and uses AI to detect ecological threats such as coral bleaching, invasive species and microplastics. The robot weighs about 11 lb, can operate up...
China's Autonomous Delivery Network Reshapes Last‑mile Logistics
China’s Self-Driving Delivery Network Is Transforming Last-Mile #Logistics by @XueJia24682 #SelfDrivingCars #AutonomousVehicles #EV #Automation #Automotive #Transport https://t.co/qjKqtQeSUF
Revolutionising Autonomous Airfreight Through Smart Ground Integration
Grasshopper Air Mobility is developing the GH e350, an autonomous heavy‑cargo drone that can transport palletised loads up to 350 kg and dock directly with warehouse charging and loading stations. The platform consolidates multiple logistics hand‑offs into a single, standardized transfer,...
TARS Unveils Dual Humanoid Robots for Manufacturing and Versatile Tasks
Beijing Startup TARS Debuts Two Humanoid #Robots for Precision Manufacturing and General-Purpose Tasks by @CyberRobooo #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/MfxxXPZ2Nu
Ned Marine Launches Drone and Subsea ROV Inspection Services
Ned Marine, a Dutch non‑destructive testing specialist, has introduced combined aerial drone and subsea ROV inspection services for vessels, offshore installations, and industrial assets. The offering merges visual and ultrasonic NDT techniques with robotics, enabling faster surveys of confined spaces,...
Modular Quadrotors Dock Mid‑Air to Form Cooperative Robot
ModQuad: Modular Quadrotors That Dock Mid-Air to Fly as One Cooperative #Robot by @lukas_m_ziegler #Drone #Innovation #EmergingTech #Tech #Technology https://t.co/wbN93ZOMhE
Tesla's Robotaxi Rollout to Dallas, Houston Still Beta
JUST IN: Tesla announced an expansion of its robotaxis to Dallas and Houston, but Norihiko Shirouzu found them still in a beta-testing phase.
Lotte Hotel Seoul Feeds AI Robot with Napkin‑Folding Data to Automate Service
Lotte Hotel Seoul has wired ten food‑and‑beverage staff with body cameras to record napkin‑folding motions for South Korean AI startup RLWRLD. The data will train a robotics foundation model that could power service robots in hotels and other industries by...
General Motors Trims up to 600 IT Roles While Recruiting AI Talent in Workforce Overhaul
General Motors is eliminating 500‑600 salaried IT jobs, chiefly in Austin and Warren, as part of a cost‑saving restructure, yet it is simultaneously posting dozens of openings for AI, motorsports and autonomous‑vehicle specialists. The move reflects a shift toward generative‑AI...
STRADVISION Unveils Production-Ready Integrated Perception Platform, Raising ADAS Benchmark
STRADVISION announced the commercial launch of a production‑ready integrated perception platform that bundles its AI vision stack with a leading Physical AI developer. The solution offers a validated, low‑latency path to Level 2+ driver assistance, aiming for final delivery to OEMs...
Unmanned Chinese Rotary Tiller Conquers Muddy Fields
Remote-Controlled Power: Unmanned Chinese Rotary Tiller Masters Muddy Farmland by @XueJia24682 #Robotics #AgriTech #TechForGood #Innovation #Tech #Technology https://t.co/BQWhq34n2Q
SDVs Need Deterministic, Safety‑Critical Software Beyond Open Source
Open source alone isn’t enough. SDVs demand deterministic, resilient software built for safety-critical performance. https://t.co/oGto67CuV3
SAP and Cyberwave Deploy Fully Autonomous AI Robots in Live German Warehouse
SAP SE and Cyberwave announced the successful rollout of fully autonomous, AI‑powered robots in SAP's St. Leon‑Rot logistics center in Germany. The deployment demonstrates that Physical AI can operate at scale in a live fulfillment environment, promising faster training and...
SAM Act Aims to Clear Path for Autonomous Public Transit in the US
Representative Kevin Kiley introduced the Shared Autonomous Mobility (SAM) Act (H.R. 8692) to modernize federal regulations and funding for autonomous buses. The bill amends five grant programs to allow software licensing costs, permits early grant funding during testing, mandates DOT...
U.S. Sugar Launches Largest Commercial Autonomous Tractor Fleet in American Sugar Industry
U.S. Sugar has deployed the largest commercial autonomous tractor fleet in the American sugar sector, operating five John Deere tractors equipped with Autonomous Solutions Inc.’s Vehicle Automation Kit across its 255,000‑acre South Florida operation. The fleet runs 24 hours a day, seven days...
FCC’s DJI, Autel Ban Ignores How Drones Actually Work
The FCC is moving toward broad restrictions on foreign‑made drones, targeting DJI and Autel, while thousands continue to operate daily. The Drone Service Provider’s Alliance, representing over 33,000 U.S. pilots, argues the agency’s approach is inconsistent, urging a risk‑based framework...
RCT – Powered by Epiroc AutoNav Lite Solution Improving Stabilisation, Remediation Activities at Gold Mine
RCT – Powered by Epiroc quickly deployed AutoNav Lite semi‑automation on two Caterpillar D10 dozers at a northern Canada gold mine, enabling remote operation for stabilisation and remediation. The project moved from approval to commissioning faster than typical automation cycles....
Tesla's New Cars Have Already Logged 150k Km on FSD
Teslas autonomously driving off the production line have already driven cumulatively 150,000km (93k mi) on FSD https://t.co/11teqrHeKd