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.
SANY Signs Major Electrified Fleet Deal with Holcim Including 20 Autonomous Mining Trucks
SANY Group and Holcim have signed a Letter of Intent worth 100 million CHF to roll out electrified construction equipment over the next five years. The deal includes delivery of 100 electric units and deployment of 20 autonomous mining trucks across Holcim’s global sites within two to three years. It expands a collaboration that began in 2019 and aligns with Holcim’s NextGen Growth 2030 net‑zero ambition. The partnership also brings SANY’s IoT‑based fleet management and autonomous driving systems to Holcim’s operations.
EHang Progresses eVTOL Ecosystem Development Plans in Thailand
EHang’s senior leadership met Thai government officials and local firms in Bangkok to accelerate the rollout of its pilotless eVTOL aircraft. The discussions targeted a three‑dimensional transport system that could ease congestion, improve emergency response and link regions at low...
Feds Say No Need to Recall Tesla's One-Pedal Driving Despite Petition
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has declined to order a recall of Tesla’s one‑pedal driving system, concluding there is no systemic sudden unintended acceleration problem. The agency reviewed a 2023 petition from a Greek engineer that sought...
Tesla Delays FSD Approval in Europe Again, Now Expects April 10
Tesla Europe announced it has finished the final vehicle testing phase for Full Self‑Driving (Supervised) with the Dutch authority RDW, pushing the expected national approval from March 20 to April 10. The company submitted extensive documentation for UN R‑171 and Article 39 exemptions,...
Robinson Helicopters and Their Accelerated Path to FAA Autonomous Certification
Robinson Helicopter is pursuing FAA autonomous certification by retrofitting its proven R44 and R66 helicopters with autonomy systems. By certifying only the autonomy stack and control changes under Part 27, the company avoids the extensive airframe and propulsion validation required by...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Improved ADS-B Transceiver, New Public Safety Program, Counter-UAS College Program
uAvionix introduced the ping978EC 978 MHz UAT ADS‑B transceiver, tailored for UK BVLOS operations and eliminating the need for a permanent ICAO‑registered address. AirData expanded its flight‑data platform with a public‑safety module that records, streams and publishes drone missions for police...
Brazil Launches Public Consultation on National AAM Policy
The Brazilian Ministry of Ports and Airports has opened a public consultation to draft a National Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) policy that will regulate drones and electric vertical take‑off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for cargo and passenger transport. The consultation...
Korea Airports Corporation to Build UAM Test Hub
Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) will build a dedicated urban air mobility (UAM) vertiport test hub at the KINTEX exhibition center in Goyang, northwest of Seoul. The facility, slated for completion by 2027, is...
NXP Unveils Third-Generation RFCMOS Automotive Radar Transceiver
NXP Semiconductors introduced the third‑generation RFCMOS automotive radar transceiver TEF8388, an 8‑transmit/8‑receive (8T8R) device capable of supporting imaging radar sensors with up to 576 antenna channels. The chip maintains power consumption comparable to legacy 3T4R solutions while offering scalable configurations...
Drone Delivery’s Breakthrough Moment Has Arrived
Matternet has launched pilot drone deliveries for Dave’s Hot Chicken in Southern California and for NHS hospitals in London, showcasing both food and medical logistics. The FAA’s pending Part 108 rule would lift the line‑of‑sight requirement, enabling larger autonomous fleets. Retail...
How Chicago Robot Tutors Are Teaching SEL Effectively, without Pretending to Be Human
University of Chicago researchers partnered with Chicago Public Schools to test robot tutors in fourth‑grade SEL lessons. The experiment compared robots that used fictional, emotion‑laden dialogue with robots that spoke factually and admitted they had no feelings. Both robot groups...
Uber Commits up to $1.25 B to Rivian for 10,000 Robotaxis, Option for 40,000 More
Uber announced a multi‑year investment of up to $1.25 billion in Rivian, securing 10,000 fully autonomous R2 SUVs for robotaxi service with an option for 40,000 more. The fleet will debut in Miami and San Francisco in 2028 and expand to...
China Dominates Humanoid Robot Market with Volume Production
The humanoid robotics race is already uneven. In 2025, Chinese companies accounted for nearly 90% of global shipments. Unitree and AgiBot alone delivered over 10,000 robots combined, while U.S. players like Tesla, Figure, and Agility Robotics each shipped only around 150 units. That gap tells a...
Insights Shared on OWA Drone Discussion
Good discussion on OWA drones and happy to contribute some thoughts to this piece. https://t.co/9wzT67vLWy
Nebius Teams with Nvidia to Build Cloud for Robotics and Physical AI
Nebius, an AI‑focused cloud provider, has teamed up with Nvidia to launch a managed platform that spans the entire physical‑AI lifecycle—from large‑scale GPU training and physics‑accurate simulation to edge inference. The solution leverages Nvidia’s Physical AI Data Factory Blueprint, OSMO...
Pocket-Sized Quadruped Robot Packs Big Capabilities
Tiny but Mighty: A Pocket-Sized Quadruped #Robot via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/Lc8Ncpqx7B
Robotic System Turns Trucks Into Mobile Drone Bases
#Robotic Takeoff and Landing System to Transform Trucks into #Drone Mobile Bases via @ZappyZappy7 #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/j3oIWV4AOM
Techman’s Humanoid Robot Astonishes GTC 2026 Crowd, Redefining Industrial Robotics
Techman Robot unveiled the TM Xplore I, a wheeled‑base humanoid, at Nvidia's GTC 2026, showcasing Physical AI that can see, think, and act. The robot runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor edge module and employs a Vision‑Language‑Action model for real‑time perception,...
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Robot dogs priced at $300,000 a piece are now guarding some of the country’s biggest data centers | Fortune https://t.co/Lvw8vtIYdx
Zipline Revolutionizes Global Delivery Using Autonomous Drones
How Zipline Is Transforming Global Delivery with #Autonomous #Drones by @zipline #SupplyChain #Automation #Logistics https://t.co/9ugQN3qYXp
Nuro Lucid Test Vehicle Spotted in Mountain View
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...
Amazon Acquires Autonomous Robotics Startup Rivr
Amazon $AMZN has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr Rivr was valued at $110 million in an August 2024 funding round which included investment from Jeff Bezos and Amazon - The Information
NVIDIA Clarifies Its Role: Not Full Autonomy Solutions Provider
Jensen says at the 42-minute mark, “we’re not the solutions provider" for autonomy. Obviously they won't make cars but what exactly is NVIDIA’s role beyond compute and training? Do Mercedes and others still need a separate AV partner?...
Wind-Powered Robot Could Enable Long-Term Exploration of Hostile Environments
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...
Fast Online RL Upgrades Π-06 with 15‑minute Data
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...
Smarter, Faster, and More Human: AI System Helps Robots Outpace Their Human Teachers
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...
Seoul Workshop Aligns Global Stakeholders on IMO MASS Code
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...
Humanoid Robot Demos Thrive only in Controlled Labs
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.
Big Efficiency Gains Seen From Autonomous Trucking
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...
Bezos Plans $100B Fund to Automate Manufacturing with AI
"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 Unveils Robotaxi GXR on NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion, Expands to Slovakia
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 Automated Solar Construction Platform Is Ready for Its Full Market Debut
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...
170 Million Miles Prove Safety‑First Strategy Works
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’ Sentrycs Supports Airspace Protection at World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos
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...
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Biomimetic Drone Patrolling Our Coastlines in the Guise of a Seagull
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 FlatFish Underwater Drone Completes Petrobas Test Campaign
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 Launches CubeVerse and AutoStore Intelligence Platforms
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...
Generative AI Improves a Wireless Vision System that Sees Through Obstructions
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...
Agility Robotics Plans Fully Automated, Robot-Staffed Factory
#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
Power, Precision, and Practical Efficiency
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 Startup eternal.ag Launches Fully Autonomous Harvesting Robot to Tackle Greenhouse Labor Shortage
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...
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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 Autonomous Cars Arriving Within a Decade.
50k more autonomous cars on the roadmap in less than one decade. Autonomy will not take decades to scale. It’s happening now.
WeRide Launches AV Program in Slovakia
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 Aims to Tape Out AI6 Chips in December, Eyes 2027 Production
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 & Cannon Dynamics Integrate Cell Phone Location Payload Onto Long-Range UAV for Anti-Poaching
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 to Develop Heavy-Lift Drone Logistics for Offshore Wind Operations & Maintenance
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: New Factory Will Start Making Drone Wingman in Just ‘Days’
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 Raises Tesla Target to $508 on Fuel‑Price Tailwind, Autonomy Push
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...
Hong Kong: AI, Robotics Drive New Aerospace Technologies
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...