Benteler Acquires Deutsche Bahn Company Ioki to Scale Autonomous Mobility
Benteler Group announced the near‑term acquisition of ioki GmbH from Deutsche Bahn, merging vehicle manufacturing, mobility software and fleet‑operations under one European owner. The deal combines Benteler’s Holon autonomous shuttles, ioki’s on‑demand routing and simulation platform, and Benteler Mobility’s financing and service capabilities. Financial terms were not disclosed. The integrated offering targets cities and transit agencies seeking a single, scalable solution for autonomous public transport.
EngineAI Robotics Technology Introduces the T800 Humanoid Robot at CES 2026
EngineAI Robotics Technology unveiled two embodied intelligence platforms at CES 2026: the lightweight PM01 general‑purpose agent and the full‑scale T800 humanoid robot. The PM01 is positioned for near‑term deployment in transportation, retail guidance, and inspection tasks, while the T800 showcases...
Hexagon Robotics Partners with Microsoft to Develop Humanoid Robots
Hexagon Robotics announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to accelerate the development of production‑ready humanoid robots for data‑driven manufacturing. The collaboration merges Hexagon’s sensor‑fusion and spatial‑intelligence expertise with Microsoft Azure’s cloud, edge, and real‑time analytics services. Initial deployments will focus...
I10X Announces $1M Pre-Seed Round to Build the Discovery & Distribution Layer for AI
i10X announced a $1 million pre‑seed round backed by Iterative, Antler AI Disrupt and PPR Ventures to fast‑track its unified AI platform. The service aggregates access to all major large language models, image and video generators, and more than 500 specialized...
Ascentiz Debuts Modular Exoskeleton
At CES 2026, Ascentiz unveiled its first commercial modular exoskeleton, a compact system designed for everyday mobility, outdoor activities, and occupational endurance. The platform features interchangeable hip and knee modules controlled by an AI motion engine that adapts assistance across...
Chinese Robotics Company Agibot Enters U.S. Market with Full Humanoid Robot Portfolio
Chinese robotics firm Agibot announced its U.S. market debut at CES, claiming to have shipped more than 5,000 humanoid robots and entered mass production. The company showcases a unified “one body, three intelligences” architecture that integrates locomotion, manipulation and interaction...
XELA Robotics Introduces Enhanced Automation for Humanoid and Industrial Robots
XELA Robotics unveiled its uSkin 3D tactile sensing platform at CES 2026, offering continuous, human‑like touch feedback for humanoid and industrial robots. The elastomer‑based sensors capture contact forces, object shape, and movement across fingertips, phalanges, and palms, and can be...
Zeroth Robotics Emerges From Stealth, Enters U.S. Market & Debuts Lineup of Interactive AI Robots
Zeroth Robotics has emerged from stealth to launch a five‑robot portfolio in the U.S., beginning with the 15‑inch Zeroth M1 humanoid home assistant priced from $2,899. The M1 offers multimodal sensing, a safety stack and an app‑based ecosystem, with pre‑orders...
The Week Ahead in AI: European Banks Prep for Job Cuts, Professor Fights AI with Oral Exams, AI Safety Risk...
AI Insider’s weekly roundup highlights a surge in AI‑driven transformation across finance, enterprise software, and consumer robotics. Morgan Stanley predicts European banks may eliminate over 200,000 positions by 2030 as AI automates back‑office and compliance functions. Amsterdam‑based Orq.ai raised €5 million...
RealSense Identifies the 5 Trends Defining Robotics in 2026
At CES 2026 RealSense announced five trends that signal a shift from scripted automation to shared autonomy, positioning visual perception as the core capability for next‑generation robots. Advances in depth sensing, sensor fusion and real‑time perception underpin mission‑based humanoids, autonomous...
LG To Unveil Home Robot At CES 2026, Sharing Vision For The ‘Zero Labor Home’
LG Electronics will unveil its first humanoid home robot, LG CLOiD, at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The device features two articulated arms, finger‑level dexterity, onboard AI, sensors, cameras, audio and a display for navigation and voice interaction. LG positions...
German Bionic Presents the Exia Robotic Exoskeleton at CES 2026
German Bionic will debut its cloud‑connected Exia exoskeleton at CES 2026, marking its fifth consecutive show appearance. Exia combines a lightweight vest, AI‑driven motion analysis and over‑the‑air updates to deliver up to 84 lb of dynamic lifting assistance. The system targets logistics,...
Tenniix Unveils Vision-Based AI Tennis Robot at CES 2026
Tenniix unveiled its vision‑based AI tennis robot at CES 2026, demonstrating the system in Eureka Park at the Venetian Expo from Jan 6‑9. The robot uses a dual‑vision tracking system to monitor player movement and ball trajectory, enabling real‑time repositioning and adaptive...
Shenzhen Kingkey Smart Agriculture Times Invests in Huibo Robotics
Shenzhen Kingkey Smart Agriculture Times signed an equity investment intention agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Jiangsu Huibo Robotics. The deal includes a capital increase, equity transfer and the creation of an Embodied Robotics Research Institute led by Academician...
ECOPEACE Accelerates Global Deployment of AI-Driven Water Cleanup Technology in Singapore and Dubai
South Korea‑based ECOPEACE is launching its first overseas pilots, deploying autonomous water‑cleanup robots and AI‑driven filtration systems in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. The technology combines the ECOBOT robot, stainless‑steel microfilters and real‑time sensor data to remove algae, clean...
Study Finds AI Cut News Traffic After 2024 but Left Newsroom Hiring Intact
A new economic study by Rutgers and Wharton shows generative AI has begun to erode online news traffic, with a 13% decline emerging after August 2024. Blocking AI crawlers backfired, reducing total visits by 23% and human traffic by 14%...
AI Insider’s Robotics Funding Year in Review
Robotics funding surged in 2025, with twelve landmark deals totaling over $5 billion. Record‑size rounds backed humanoid leaders such as Figure AI ($1 billion Series C) and UBTech ($1 billion credit line), while China dominated with multiple $100 million-plus investments. Companies pursued hardware‑agnostic embodied AI...
Hypereal AI Secures Seed Funding to Power Fast, Cost-Efficient AI Image and Video Generation for Developers
Hypereal AI announced a seed‑stage investment to accelerate its high‑performance API for AI‑generated images and videos. The undisclosed round will fund expanded model offerings, faster inference, and a developer‑first ecosystem designed for production‑scale workloads. By focusing on low latency and...
Chinese Firms OYMotion and Radical Announce Partnership to Pursue ‘Embodied Intelligence’ Tech
Shanghai‑based OYMotion and Hangzhou‑based Radical have signed a strategic partnership to develop embodied intelligence technologies that combine robotics, neural interfaces and large‑scale manufacturing. The deal includes a 160 million yuan ($22.8 million) investment and a 100 million yuan joint venture to create a vertically integrated...
POSCO Group Invests $3M in Persona AI for Industrial Humanoid Robot Development
South Korea's POSCO Group is committing $3 million to U.S. startup Persona AI to fast‑track industrial humanoid robots across its steel and heavy‑industry sites. POSCO DX led a $2 million corporate‑venture investment, while a POSCO Capital‑backed scale‑up fund contributed the remaining $1 million....
China Publishes Draft of Regulations for Human-Like AI Tech
China’s Cyberspace Administration released draft interim measures regulating anthropomorphic, emotionally interactive AI services. The rules impose full‑lifecycle responsibility, mandatory AI identity disclosure, and strict consent requirements for using interaction and sensitive data. Providers must undergo tiered risk assessments, security reviews,...
Hyundai Motor Group to Unveil AI Robotics Strategy at CES 2026
Hyundai Motor Group announced it will reveal a group‑level AI robotics strategy at CES 2026. The rollout includes the live debut of Boston Dynamics’ next‑generation Atlas humanoid robot, highlighting a shift toward collaborative industrial robots. The strategy centers on the company’s...
New York Enacts RAISE Act, Establishing State-Level AI Safety and Transparency Framework
New York has signed the RAISE Act, creating the nation’s first state‑level AI safety and transparency framework. The legislation requires AI developers to register high‑risk systems, submit impact assessments, and disclose key model details to a newly formed oversight board....
UK AI Benefits Platform Ben Announces $27.5M Series B to Modernize Enterprise HR
This week’s AI landscape featured several pivotal developments. New York enacted the RAISE Act, establishing a state‑level framework for AI safety, transparency, and accountability. OpenAI expanded ChatGPT with a new app ecosystem and personalization controls, while also exploring a mega...
Aptiv and Vecna Robotics to Develop Next Generation Autonomous Mobile Robots
Aptiv and Vecna Robotics announced a joint venture to create next‑generation autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for industrial and logistics environments. The collaboration combines Aptiv's vehicle‑grade sensor and software platform with Vecna's modular robot chassis and AI navigation stack. The partners...