Today's Robotics Pulse
Komatsu hits milestone with 1,000 autonomous haul trucks
Komatsu commissioned its 1,000th autonomous ultra‑class haul truck, a 930E‑5AT deployed at Barrick’s Nevada gold mines, becoming the first OEM to reach this scale. The fleet now comprises 52% 930E models and has moved over 11.5 billion metric tons, generating roughly $2.4B in revenue.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires UK underwater sensing firm for $442M
Robot Maker Kuka Eyes US, Asia as Europe’s Factories Lag on AI
German‑Chinese robotics firm Kuka AG warns that European manufacturers are falling behind in artificial‑intelligence adoption, leaving them vulnerable to faster‑moving rivals. CEO Christoph Schell cites legacy equipment and data silos as key barriers. Backed by China’s Midea Group, Kuka is pivoting toward growth in the United States and Asia to offset Europe’s slowdown. The company continues to supply major OEMs such as Volkswagen and Airbus with industrial robots.
Huntington Ingalls Teams with GrayMatter Robotics to Pilot AI‑Driven Shipyard Automation
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced a partnership with GrayMatter Robotics to pilot artificial‑intelligence‑enabled robots on its shipyard floor. The collaboration will test autonomous sanding, grinding, coating and inspection to address a shrinking skilled workforce and accelerate ship production, building on...
The Rosheim Joint: A Hidden Breakthrough in Wrist Design
In this episode the host and guest dive into the evolution of the Rosheim Joint—a wrist mechanism that balances extreme stiffness with full 180° motion. They trace its lineage from Victorian-era gear‑heavy designs, through the costly custom‑machined OmniRist generations, to...
Future Robots and Humans Will Share a Dynamic Holodeck
Interesting post by @peteflorence who is a robotics pioneer. He triggered me by positioning against people who talk about technology like world models. But he is right. Where we are going with robotics is the interesting part. It is clear to me that both...
Waymo Suspends New York City Robotaxi Tests After Permit Expiry
Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous‑vehicle unit, announced it will cease robotaxi testing in New York City after its city and state permits lapsed. The move underscores growing regulatory friction as the company evaluates its next steps while other AV firms expand elsewhere.
UE5 Is Becoming the Platform of Choice for Robotics Simulation
Unreal Engine 5 is rapidly becoming the preferred platform for robotics simulation, offering real‑time photorealism through Nanite, Lumen and hardware ray tracing. Its Chaos Physics system and integrations like AGX Dynamics provide high‑fidelity contact and actuator modeling, while tools such...
Hong Kong: Robotics and AI Ensure Smart Utility Management
Hong Kong’s government is accelerating its smart‑city agenda by deploying advanced robotics and unmanned systems across water‑utility operations. An award‑winning multifunctional welding robot now performs precision pipe repairs inside confined water mains, while drones conduct autonomous water‑sampling, infrared leak detection,...
Defense Department Urges FCC to Oppose DJI Petition Over Security Risks
The U.S. Department of Defense formally urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject DJI's petition to be removed from the FCC’s "covered list," which bars certain foreign‑made drone equipment from import and sale. In a memorandum, the DoD argued that...
Ocado to Launch AI-Powered Ocado IQ Software at MODEX
Ocado Intelligent Automation will unveil Ocado IQ, a cloud‑based AI platform, at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta. The software orchestrates every pick, path and priority, supporting two concurrent pick modes—Sweep and TagTeam—across a warehouse. It powers the Chuck and Porter autonomous...
KNAPP to Show AeroBot, Discuss AI and Service Strategy at MODEX
KNAPP will showcase its AeroBot 3‑dimensional warehouse robot and the new KNAPP Brain artificial‑intelligence layer at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta. The AeroBot, which integrates with SAP, recently earned LogiMAT’s Best Product award and demonstrates vertical storage, retrieval and picking. KNAPP...
Lyft Posts Record Q2 Earnings, Completes $1 Bn FREENOW Deal and Launches European AV Rollout
Lyft announced record Q2 results, posting $993 million in free cash flow and a 26% jump in adjusted EBITDA. The ride‑hailing firm also closed its €1 billion (≈$1.09 billion) acquisition of FREENOW and unveiled plans to deploy hundreds of autonomous vehicles in Europe...
Signode Showcases Integrated Automation and ASRS Solutions at MODEX 2026
Signode will showcase its integrated automation and ASRS solutions at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, featuring a unified portfolio that links stretch‑wrapping, robotics, and storage technologies. The exhibit includes the Octopus Prestige automatic stretch‑wrapper paired with an autonomous mobile robot forklift, a...
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Green Tech: Rise of the [Hull Clening] Robots
Robotic hull‑cleaning systems are moving from niche compliance tools to essential efficiency assets for shipowners. By removing biofouling, robots can cut fuel consumption, which can rise 10‑30% on dirty hulls, and dramatically shorten maintenance windows—from weeks of diver work to...
Amazon’s AI Gripper ‘Feels’ 75% of Items
The main robotics invention Amazon made to help automate 75% of its fulfilment center is called the Vulcan system. An AI-powered gripper has the “sense of touch”, which can handle 75% of Amazon’s 1 million unique items. The previous picking robots...
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Piaggio Fast Forward announced its hybrid navigation technology for the kilo® robot at MODEX 2026, combining edge AI with deterministic control. The system lets the robot infer a leader’s intent and switch seamlessly between AI‑driven and algorithmic modes for forward...
Temple University Student Highlights IEEE Membership Perks
Temple University junior Kyle McGinley, an IEEE student member, showcases how the society’s perks have propelled his academic and professional growth. He helped rebuild an older lab robot into an AI‑integrated android that assists Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers, using Python,...
Magnetic Coil Setup Guides Microrobots without Seeing Them
SMU researchers have built a triaxial Helmholtz coil system that creates a uniform magnetic field gradient, enabling microrobots to be guided without continuous visual tracking. The six‑coil arrangement, calibrated with a triaxial magnetometer and refined by Tikhonov regularization, delivers consistent...
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace Awarded $270 Million AFCENT Contract to Accelerate Deployment of K1000ULE
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace secured a $270 million single‑source IDIQ contract from U.S. Air Forces Central to fast‑track deployment of its K1000ULE unmanned aerial system. The electric, modular UAS offers the longest endurance in its class, two‑person logistics, and secure SATCOM for...
Ukrainian War Robots, Drones Hit Front Lines, Testing Russia’s Firepower
Ukraine has rapidly integrated low‑cost unmanned ground vehicles and drones into frontline operations, with UGVs now handling roughly 90% of logistics and completing 7,000 missions in January alone. These machines can operate up to eight hours, carry heavy payloads and...
From One Demo to Reliable Automation: How GPA Reimagines GUI Process Automation
Salesforce AI Research unveiled GPA, a GUI Process Automation system that learns a workflow from a single human demonstration and replays it with deterministic precision on the local machine. Unlike traditional RPA, GPA avoids brittle scripts, and unlike vision‑language models,...
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Volume 24 [Members Edition]
Y Combinator announced a robot‑focused hackathon aimed at accelerating hardware‑centric AI startups. Andreessen Horowitz introduced $5,000 grants for developers contributing to the Vibe code platform, a move to nurture early‑stage tooling. OpenAI completed its acquisition of TBPN, adding a seasoned...
Zappos Beat Amazon with Kiva Robots Before Acquisition
Zappos was beating Amazon on cost per order. Amazon couldn't figure out how. Turns out @Alfred_Lin's team was running Kiva robots before Amazon even believed they'd work. Amazon later bought Kiva for $775M. Alfred went from operating automation at Zappos to funding...
One-Third of Robotaxi Trips Run Unsupervised, Data Shows
One third of Robotaxi rides reported to @RtaxiTracker in the last week were unsupervised https://t.co/Vt2ZqPuLZj
Attabotics Announces Integrator Partnership Program to Expand Availability of Robotic Cube Storage Technology
Attabotics announced an integrator partnership program to broaden distribution of its 3D robotic cube storage solution, naming SAVOYE North America as the inaugural partner. The collaboration leverages SAVOYE’s AiRVOS™ WES platform to integrate Attabotics technology into end‑to‑end fulfillment workflows. By...
STITCH 2.0 Accepted, Set for ICRA2026 Presentation
Congratulations to Kush for many improvements over STITCH 1.0 ! STITCH 2.0 was accepted by @IEEE RA-Letters and will be presented #ICRA2026 next month in Vienna. Much remains to be done before we're ready for clinical trials...
AI Enables Real-Time Human Command Execution for Robots
New #AI system lets #Robots understand and act on human commands in real time by Neetika Walter @IntEngineering Learn more: https://t.co/GjKIvpoupm #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/eji6gJBiJ9
Attabotics Announces Integrator Partnership Program
Attabotics announced an integrator partnership program to extend its 3D robotic cube storage technology through third‑party distributors. The first partner, SAVOYE North America, will combine its automated storage expertise with Attabotics’ hardware and software to deliver end‑to‑end fulfillment solutions. The...
Security Update Causes AI to Hallucinate, Mislead User
Hilarious claw moment. Upgraded to OpenClaw 2026.4.5, security update rescinded exec rights. Instead of telling me that, my claw starting making shit up and pretending it was doing things it couldn't do. Fooled me for a solid hour.
Wheeled Bipedal Robot Conquers Complex Terrain Autonomously
#Autonomous Wheeled Bipedal #Robot Masters Complex Terrain Navigation via @ZappyZappy7 #Innovation #Robotics #EmergingTech #Tech #Technology https://t.co/erKhmiLUmq
Yokogawa and ANYbotics to Integrate Robotics Software with Inspection Robots
Yokogawa Electric and ANYbotics are integrating Yokogawa’s OpreX Robot Management Core software with ANYbotics’ four‑legged ANYmal inspection robots, including the explosion‑proof ANYmal X. The unified platform will allow autonomous inspections of hazardous zones in oil & gas, power and metals facilities,...
Record Your Chores to Teach Future Home Robots
How filming your chores could train the android butlers of the future https://t.co/LDpB30sx4c The dream of deploying humanoid robots in every home has created a new type of job. The only requirements are a head strap, a smartphone and a...
Robots Climb Ceilings and Walls in Warehouses
Gravity-Defying #Robotic #Warehouse System: Ceiling- and Wall-Climbing #Automation via @ZappyZappy7 #Robot #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/ks5DdvJcWX
Asylon and Thrive Logic Bring Physical AI to Enterprise Perimeter Security
Asylon and Thrive Logic have partnered to embed physical AI into enterprise perimeter security, combining Asylon’s autonomous robotic patrols with Thrive Logic’s AI‑driven analytics and automated incident workflows. The integration streams video from mobile robots to the AI platform, which...
Intel Partners with Musk on Terafab AI Chips
Intel joins Musk's Terafab AI chip project to power humanoid, data center goals “One facility would power cars and humanoid robots, while the other would be designed for AI data centers in space, Musk had said.” https://t.co/tCGZgjWZ72 @intel https://t.co/M5L1Q6Njr6
Lyft to Operate Waymo Robotaxis in Nashville
You'll be able to get these Nashville Waymos from both Lyft and Waymo app, once the service expands. Lyft will handle the fleet's readiness and maintenance, charging, and depot ops. I'll write more on the dynamics in my Robotaxi Report on Thursday,...
Arastelle Joins Red Cat Futures Initiative to Expand Persistent ISR and Tactical Communications Capabilities
Red Cat Holdings announced that Arastelle Drone Solutions has joined its Futures Initiative, integrating Arastelle’s modular tethered UAS technology with Red Cat’s drone family, including the Black Widow platform. The partnership enables persistent ISR, communications relay, and extended flight times...
ParaZero Technologies Expands Israeli Defense Contract with New Order for Anti-Drone Systems
ParaZero Technologies announced a follow‑on purchase order from an Israeli defense entity for its DefendAir Counter‑Unmanned Aerial Systems. The order expands an existing contract and underscores the growing demand for soft‑kill anti‑drone solutions that use a patented net‑launch mechanism. ParaZero...
Dwbrobot Launches Zero-Investment Robot Model to Accelerate Industrial Automation
Dwbrobot has unveiled an advanced robotics platform that operates on a zero‑investment Robotics as a Service (RaaS) model, allowing manufacturers to adopt automation without large capital outlays. The company also introduced RaaStp, a sharing‑economy variant that lets individual investors fund...
General Cherry Partnering with Orqa FPV
General Cherry has announced a partnership with European UAV manufacturer Orqa FPV to build an underground factory that will produce drone components free of Chinese parts. The joint venture will establish production lines in Ukraine and Croatia, leveraging Ukraine’s battlefield‑tested...
Automation Anywhere Reports 61% of Q4 Software Bookings From AI as Enterprises Deploy Agentic AI to Run Core Business Functions
Automation Anywhere reported that AI‑powered offerings accounted for 61% of its Q4 software bookings, signaling a decisive shift from AI pilots to production‑scale deployments. The company saw double‑digit growth in non‑GAAP ARR and RPO, and its $1 million‑plus ARR customer base...
Why UiPath Is Re-Designing Its Platform Around Agents that Build Automations, Not Just Run Them
UiPath is redesigning its automation platform around coding agents that create, deploy, and self‑heal workflows, shifting the focus from execution to design. The new approach embeds AI‑driven agents into the development lifecycle, expanding the user base beyond specialist RPA developers...
Reliable Robotics Completes Detect and Avoid Testing for the FAA
Reliable Robotics announced the completion of a Federal Aviation Administration contract to conduct Detect and Avoid (DAA) flight tests using its ACAS X‑based system around Hollister Municipal Airport. The campaign, performed with Virginia Tech and partners Sagetech, Collins and uAvionix, generated...
Mujin Launches Software Subscription for Robotics, Shifting Automation to a Recurring Software Model
Mujin Corp. announced a subscription‑based model for its flagship MujinOS operating system, moving away from traditional one‑time licensing. The service delivers continuous software upgrades, dedicated remote support, and performance dashboards, initially for the Single SKU Palletizing application with Standard and...
Automating Tasks Creates a Need for Evaluation Agents
“as soon as you create an agent to automate some task, you will need a second agent to evaluate the work done.” https://t.co/Bw6gVndmBW #AI #CIO
Smart Manufacturing: How IoT Is Transforming Industrial Operations
Smart manufacturing is reshaping factories by fusing IoT sensors, edge computing and advanced analytics into a unified, data‑driven architecture. Real‑time visibility enables predictive maintenance, production optimization and digital‑twin simulations, while private 5G and edge AI improve latency and reliability. The...
One Million Industrial Vehicles Charged in North America and Beyond by Delta to Advance Electrified Automated Logistics
Delta announced that its MOOV Series charging solutions have powered more than one million industrial vehicles across North America and globally. The portfolio spans 1‑30 kW conductive and inductive systems, including the MOOVair wireless chargers and the modular MOOVbase fast‑charging stations....
Mobile Robot Maps Environment Instantly in Real Time
Watch a Mobile #Robot Map Its Environment in Real Time by @lukas_m_ziegler #EmergingTech #Innovation #TechForGood #Technology https://t.co/NIqSp8bLDQ
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Medline (Nasdaq: MDLN) has launched Pick Pack Pro™, an automated fulfillment system at its Montgomery, N.Y., distribution center. The technology combines robotics, conveyor sortation and right‑size packaging to handle high‑volume, narrow‑catalog orders for health plan members. By optimizing order batching...
Robotaxi Firms Refuse Senate Request for Remote‑operator Intervention Data
Seven robotaxi firms—Aurora, May Mobility, Motional, Nuro, Tesla, Waymo and Zoox—have refused Sen. Ed Markey’s request for data on remote assistance operator (RAO) interventions. The denial intensifies a Senate‑led probe into safety oversight and data transparency for autonomous‑vehicle platforms.
Stealth RQ-180 Drone Spotted Near Greece's Larisa Air Base, Confirming U.S. Recon Ops
A rare video released by The Aviationist shows the secretive Northrop Grumman RQ-180 stealth surveillance drone approaching Larisa Air Base in Greece. The sighting confirms the base as a forward operating location for the platform, underscoring heightened U.S. intelligence activity...