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.
Boeing Christens Second Extra-Large Orca Submarine Drone
Boeing has commissioned its second extra‑large Orca uncrewed undersea vehicle, designated XLE2, marking the third hull in the program after XLE0 and XLE1. The 85‑ton, 85‑foot platform boasts a 6,500‑nautical‑mile endurance, hybrid electric power and a 33‑foot mission bay capable of carrying up to eight tons of payload for ISR, mine warfare and seabed missions. Unlike traditional UUVs, Orca can launch and recover from a pier without a dedicated support ship, expanding the Navy’s operational tempo. However, the delivery schedule has slipped far beyond the 2019 contract’s 2022 deadline, leaving future timelines uncertain.
British Startup Skycutter Stuns US Military-Industrial Complex in Pentagon’s ‘Drone Dominance’ Trials
British startup Skycutter topped the Pentagon’s ‘Drone Dominance Gauntlet I’ with a 99.3‑out‑of‑100 score, eclipsing U.S. competitors in a trial aimed at fielding 30,000 low‑cost expendable UAVs. The company’s SC‑1200 heavy‑lift, hydrogen‑powered SC Gryphon and backpack‑deployable SC‑ISR platforms impressed evaluators...
Waymo Hits the Highway and Should Build Its Own Pit Crew
Waymo recently completed a highway run from San Francisco International Airport to Mountain View, showcasing smooth three‑lane navigation and strict speed‑limit compliance, even sounding its horn when cut off. The company is simultaneously scaling its Miami Beach operations, relying on third‑party...
M-SAAVE Completes Humanitarian UAV Mission and Launches New Clean Air Initiative
The University of Michigan M‑SAAVE student team completed a five‑year Humanitarian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Mission (HUM) with Air Serv International, showcasing a modular aircraft capable of aid drops and RGB/infrared imaging. The team delivered a comprehensive technical package to Air...
Viewpoint: Why ‘Always-On’ Environments Break Most Robotics Deployments – and How to Fix Them
Sorting Robotics’ founders warn that most robot failures arise from “always‑on” production environments rather than hardware defects. Lab‑validated robots encounter particulate buildup, temperature and humidity shifts, and calibration drift when operating 24/7, especially in regulated sectors such as cannabis. The...
Automation Expo in Thailand Concludes with Strong Attendance
The 2026 Automation Expo in Thailand drew a record 11,723 visitors, a 50% year‑on‑year increase, and featured 150 exhibitors across 7,500 sqm. The show highlighted IIoT, advanced robotics, and smart‑factory solutions in dedicated IIoT Ecosystem and Future‑X zones. Organisers Messe Frankfurt...
Techman Robot and Tesollo Unveil Adaptive Robotic Gripper Solution for High-Mix Manufacturing
Techman Robot Korea and Tesollo unveiled an adaptive robotic gripper solution for high‑mix, low‑volume manufacturing at the 2026 Smart Factory & Automation Industry Exhibition. The system pairs the TM5S collaborative robot with Tesollo’s DG‑3F‑M three‑finger articulated gripper, offering 2.5 kg pinching...
ITS America 2026: Registration Open and Future Leaders Program
Registration is now open for the ITS America Conference & Expo 2026, scheduled for June 9‑12 at Detroit's Huntington Place. The event’s theme, “Empowering Innovation,” will bring together government agencies, DOTs, planners, investors, telecoms and other public‑private stakeholders. Highlights include...
Global Alliance Advances Safe Automated Driving for All
Bringing 🇪🇸🇬🇧🇯🇵🇩🇪🇳🇱🇪🇺 together on a common mission of deploying safe automated driving & bringing safe moblity to all in society... Thank you to Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI) for organising the SAKURA project final event & convening the global forum...🙏🏽 #traveldiaries🇯🇵...
Dominion Dynamics Says It Will Invest $50 Million to Build a “Sovereign Autonomous Wingman”
Dominion Dynamics, an Ottawa‑based defence startup, announced a CAD 50 million investment to develop an Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), a sovereign “autonomous wingman” that will operate alongside manned fighters. The company plans to deliver a sub‑scale prototype within 24‑36 months, leveraging advanced...
MicroVision Targets Sub‑$200 LIDAR for Mass‑market Cars
LIDAR is expensive to add to most cars. That’s why until now, it’s only been used for high-end autonomous vehicles. But MicroVision wants to lower LIDAR prices, designing a sensor that costs under US $200 to produce. https://spectrum.ieee.org/solid-state-lidar-microvision-adas
Anduril Prioritizes Battle OS Over Platforms in Combat Race
"The thing that really matters is the autonomy behaviours that should be sovereign, because we can swap out vehicles.” How Anduril is building the battle OS first, platforms second as West races to rebuild combat mass #avgeek https://t.co/69i5ruKVXK https://t.co/nJuPlxPPGf
Thiess Global Summit Visits EACON AHS Retrofitted Trucks at Mulgarrie
Leaders from Thiess, MACA, RTL Mining and Earthworks visited Norton Gold Fields' Mulgarrie site to witness the autonomous trial of two Komatsu HD1500 trucks, Tom and Jerry, retrofitted with EACON’s ORCASTRA® system. These trucks are the world’s first HD1500s equipped...
Safe Street Rebels: How Idiots Hinder Safer Road Traffic
Waymo’s robotaxi fleet now completes roughly 450,000 driverless rides weekly across ten U.S. metros, and safety data consistently shows autonomous vehicles outperform human drivers. Neurosurgeon Jonathan Slotkin even called the technology a public‑health breakthrough. In contrast, a fringe group called...
Logic Robotics Develops a Logistics Operating System for the Space Economy
Logic Robotics unveiled a logistics operating system designed to automate the movement of palletized cargo from terrestrial factories to spaceports and beyond. The platform, called LINK, integrates an AI‑driven digital twin that models facilities, vehicles, and missions in real time,...
Waymo Gets Shy As Scaling Creates More Incidents; Plus Key New Details
Waymo’s autonomous‑vehicle fleet has accelerated its rollout, but the rapid scaling has coincided with a sharp uptick in reported incidents. The company has become more reticent about publishing detailed safety data, prompting criticism from analysts and regulators. New information reveals...
Brazil’s Moya Targets 2027 for First Heavylift Cargo Drone Services
Brazilian startup Moya announced it will begin operating its heavy‑lift cargo eVTOL service in 2027. The company highlights the rapid expansion of the global logistics market, which is expected to reach $5.951 trillion by 2030 with a 7.2% annual growth rate....
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FAA Flight Reductions at Major Hubs and What They Mean for Uncrewed Aviation
The FAA ordered airlines to trim scheduled flights at Chicago O’Hare this summer, capping daily operations at roughly 2,800 to avoid a repeat of Newark‑style gridlock. The move reflects a broader capacity squeeze in the National Airspace System, where runway,...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Student Drone Competition, Amazon Prime Air, World Cup Security
The UAS4STEM competition is recruiting global judges to evaluate student‑built drones, with training due by March 15. Amazon Prime Air will launch its quieter, rain‑capable MK30 drones in Baton Rouge, offering sub‑5‑lb deliveries within an hour across a 7.5‑mile radius. The U.S. Department...
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Teledyne e2v unveiled the Perciva™ 5D camera, a single‑CMOS sensor solution that delivers simultaneous 2D images and occlusion‑free 3D depth maps. The device leverages Angular Sensitive Pixel technology and on‑board processing to fuse data in real time at short ranges. An...
U.S. Military Moves to Turn C-130J Into Drone
Merlin Labs announced the successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review for its Merlin Pilot autonomous system on the C‑130J Super Hercules, clearing a key technical hurdle with U.S. Special Operations Command. The milestone unlocks the Critical Design phase, where...
SuperDrive 6.0 From PlusAI Enables Night Driving and Construction Zone Handling
PlusAI unveiled SuperDrive 6.0, adding night‑driving and construction‑zone handling to its autonomous‑truck platform. The upgrade accelerates AI model training tenfold and cuts data‑labeling costs by three times, thanks to a new Transformer‑based Reflex layer and distributed Nvidia hardware. Early Texas deployments...
A Sub-$300 Drone with Obstacle Avoidance? Meet Skyrover S1
Skyrover has launched the S1, a sub‑$300 drone that packs DJI‑level capabilities into a sub‑249 g, fold‑foldable package. It delivers 4K/60 fps video from a 1/2‑inch Sony sensor on a 3‑axis gimbal, forward obstacle avoidance, and up to 12 km transmission. Smart flight...
WEBINAR: Want to Scale ITS ? Edge AI Can Help
The webinar hosted by ITS International featured OnLogic VP Sheldon Sun and Intel technologist Tony Abuta discussing how edge artificial intelligence can help scale intelligent transportation systems (ITS). They emphasized maximizing existing assets and selecting the right rugged hardware to...
ParaZero Appoints New VP of Global Sales to Support Global Expansion
ParaZero Technologies announced the appointment of Bat‑Sheva Noy as Vice President of Global Sales, aiming to accelerate its international commercial push in the drone safety and aerospace defense arena. Noy arrives from a two‑decade tenure at Pfizer, where she led...
Agilica & DronePort Partner to Advance Autonomous Flight in GNSS-Denied Environments
Agilica and DronePort announced a strategic partnership to embed Agilica’s ultra‑wideband (UWB) positioning system into DronePort’s innovation hub, targeting autonomous drone operations where GNSS signals are unavailable. The collaboration will debut a permanent UWB installation in DronePort’s outdoor cage with...
Secure Mesh Radio Technology & C2 Capabilities for UAVs & Unmanned Systems
Beechat Network Systems joins Unmanned Systems Technology as a Gold Partner, showcasing its Kaonic™ mesh radio platform for UAVs, UGVs and autonomous platforms. The solution delivers infrastructure‑free, multi‑hop networking with up to 128 encrypted hops, dual‑band SDR operation and cryptographic...
Valeo to Showcase In-Cabin Tech at SXSW 2026
Valeo will showcase a suite of in‑cabin and lighting technologies at SXSW 2026, highlighted by the production‑grade Racer gaming system now installed in the Renault Filante. The Racer leverages ADAS sensors to blend real‑world driving data with gameplay, a collaboration with holoride...
Friday’s Headlines Wrote Themselves
Cities across North America are confronting a wave of mobility challenges, from Uber’s trillion‑dollar driverless‑car ambition to shrinking California high‑speed rail budgets. Snow‑shovel mandates, power‑outage‑induced Waymo freezes, and new bike‑lane battles illustrate the friction between legacy infrastructure and emerging transport...
Tesla Cybercab Spotted in Palo Alto
Tesla’s Cybercab prototype was photographed on El Camino Real in Palo Alto on March 5, 2026 at 3:26 pm PST. The sighting confirms that Tesla is conducting on‑road autonomous ride‑hailing trials in a real‑world, high‑density environment. The vehicle, part of Tesla’s long‑term robotaxi...
Warehouses Lack Agility—And Are Paying the Price
Recent Lucas Systems research of 114 U.S. supply‑chain executives reveals that 51% of warehouses consider their automation systems unprepared for unforeseen disruptions, while 77% admit that at least half of their hardware or software is too rigid. The lack of...
Easily Compare Top Robotics Reward Functions on Your Videos
for robotics researchers: there's many fantastic reward functions out there (TOPReward, Robometer, GVL, etc), so I made a lil website so you easily evaluate them on your own videos. Try: https://philfung.github.io/rewardscope/
SANY Highlights AI Service Assistant and Remote Control at CONEXPO 2026
At CONEXPO 2026 SANY unveiled its AI Service Assistant (SASA), RootPilot 3D guidance system, and a 5G‑enabled Remote Control that let visitors operate an excavator 6,500 miles away. The company also highlighted telematics that integrate location, hours and maintenance data...
Skyryse Plans ‘Universal’ Autoland for Helicopters, Airplanes
Aviation automation firm Skyryse announced a universal emergency autoland capability for both helicopters and airplanes, integrated into its SkyOS flight operating system. The feature leverages SkyOS’s fly‑by‑wire architecture and onboard sensors to autonomously manage approach, descent, and touchdown after a...
Drone Dominance: Pentagon to Order 30,000 One-Way Drones in ‘Next Few Days’
The Pentagon will place orders for 30,000 one‑way attack drones within days after concluding the "Gauntlet" competition that tested platforms from 25 vendors at Fort Benning. Operators with only two hours of training evaluated the drones in simulated combat, and...
Tesla Full Self-Driving Likely to Expand to yet Another Asian Country
Tesla is preparing to roll out its Full Self‑Driving (FSD) software in Japan, targeting a 2026 launch after successful employee test drives of the Model 3 and Model Y. The company plans to activate FSD via OTA updates for roughly 40,000 Teslas...
Researchers Are Combining Drones and AI to Make Removing Land Mines Faster and Safer
Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology have combined drone‑borne multisensor imaging with artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up land‑mine detection while reducing risk to human deminers. Their field trials showed that drone‑mounted magnetic sensors match ground‑based accuracy and can survey...
Plug-and-Play GMSL Camera Adapters Turn NVIDIA Jetson Orin Dev Kits Into Rugged Multi-Camera Vision Platforms
oToBrite unveiled plug‑and‑play GMSL2 camera adapters that convert NVIDIA Jetson Orin developer kits into rugged, multi‑camera vision platforms. The kits support four or eight GMSL2 cameras via standard FAKRA connectors and include driver bundles with JetPack 6.2 for immediate testing. Designed...
HII and Nominal Partner to Modernise REMUS, ROMULUS Data Workflows
HII has teamed with engineering firm Nominal to overhaul data collection, validation, and analysis for its REMUS autonomous underwater vehicles and ROMULUS uncrewed surface vessels. The partnership will introduce standardized digital‑twin workflows that speed post‑mission analysis and improve traceability from...
Aptiv Subsidiaries Begin $1.5bn Notes Offering for EDS Spin-Off
Aptiv’s subsidiaries have launched a $1.5 bn private senior notes offering tied to the planned spin‑off of its Electrical Distribution Systems (EDS) unit. The notes, due in 2031 and 2034, will be held in escrow until the separation is finalized. In...
Macnica Teams up with Applied EV on Industrial Autonomous Vehicles
Macnica has entered a strategic partnership with Applied Electric Vehicles to create autonomous driving solutions for logistics and industrial applications. The collaboration centers on Applied EV’s Blanc Robot, a cabin‑less, modular tabletop EV that can be reconfigured for diverse cargo...
Intertraffic Amsterdam Opens Its Doors to the Mobility Ecosystem Next Week
Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026 will run March 10‑13 at RAI, drawing roughly 30,000 mobility professionals from over 140 nations. The exhibition will host more than 900 exhibitors across 12 halls, marking the largest floor space in its 50‑year history. A revamped...
Nashville Opposes Elon Musk’s Loop Tunnel — a Decade Later, Still No Proof It Beats a Subway
Nashville’s Metro Council voted 20‑15 to formally oppose the Boring Company’s Music City Loop, a 13‑mile underground tunnel linking downtown to the airport. The state of Tennessee is pushing the project forward, with legislation to centralize oversight and strip the...
World Models: From Craik’s 1943 Insight to Autonomous Driving
In 1943, Cambridge psychologist Kenneth Craik proposed a powerful idea: intelligent systems carry a “small-scale model” of the world inside their heads, allowing them to simulate actions and anticipate outcomes before acting. Today, we call these world models. Kant described abstract mental...
Robotic Modules Bloom to Shade Rooms Based on Light
Scientists have developed rearrangeable robotic modules that can “bloom” like flowers to shade a sunlit room by sensing light levels and adapting collectively. Learn more in Science #Robotics: https://t.co/0zas9GijHE https://t.co/el9OOHyFMB
TI Accelerates the Next Generation of Physical AI with NVIDIA
Texas Instruments announced a partnership with NVIDIA to accelerate safe humanoid robot deployment. The collaboration merges TI’s real‑time motor control, sensing, radar and power technologies with NVIDIA’s Jetson Thor compute and Holoscan ecosystem. A sensor‑fusion solution using TI’s IWR6243 mmWave radar...
From Zero to $1B in 3.5 Years: Lux‑Backed Success
From ZERO to $1B in 3.5 years. We wrote their first check at Lux… Here’s how they did it.
Software Streamlines Manufacturing for Defense, Space, Energy, Automotive
Software that helps hardware companies in the defense, space, energy and automotive industries streamline their manufacturing processes. Nominal's @CameronLMcCord and FF's @traestephens join us on the show today.
Dexterity's World Model, Foresight, Delivers a Big Leap for Physical AI Powered Truck Loading
Dexterity unveiled Foresight, a physics‑consistent world model and 4D packing agent that powers its dual‑arm robot Mech for autonomous truck loading. The system evaluates up to 400 placement options per box in under 400 ms, optimizing density, stability, reachability and parallelism....
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The Battery Decision in the New Age of Commercial UAV Operations
The commercial UAV sector is approaching a post‑Part 108 era where fleet‑based operations will dominate, shifting focus from single‑aircraft flight time to rapid aircraft turnaround. Operators must choose between battery‑swapping docks that deliver minute‑level exchanges and fast‑charging stations that minimize inventory...