Today's Robotics Pulse
Spirit AI tops global robot benchmark and secures $222M funding
Chinese robotics startup Spirit AI's embodied intelligence model, Spirit v1.6, achieved the highest score on the RoboArena leaderboard, beating Nvidia's offering. The company also announced a ¥1.5 billion (≈$222 million) financing round to accelerate its technology.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Shifters raises $10.2M seed round
Drone Safety Day 2026: Why the 107–108 Divide Matters More Than Ever
Drone Safety Day, now a one‑day event on April 25, 2026, serves as the FAA’s platform to usher in Part 108, the long‑awaited BVLOS regulatory framework. The day unites more than 855,000 registered drones and 400,000 certificated pilots, highlighting the sector’s rapid growth. While Part 107 will continue to govern visual‑line‑of‑sight flights, Part 108 will run alongside it, targeting enterprise‑scale, automated operations. The event also reinforces public trust by showcasing a safety‑first culture as drones become a routine part of the national airspace.
Texas A&M-RELLIS and Unmanned Safety Institute Partner to Expand Drone Training Across Texas
Texas A&M‑RELLIS and the Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) announced a partnership to roll out professional drone and UAS training programs across Texas starting June 2026. The curriculum includes FAA Part 107 exam prep, Remote Operator and Maintenance Technician certifications, and advanced...
CiDi 2025 Report Brings Insights Into Mining Truck Autonomy Growth & Challenges
CiDi Inc., a Hong Kong‑listed autonomous haulage system (AHS) player, posted 2025 revenue of roughly US$124 million, up 115% from the prior year, while gross profit rose to about US$26.5 million. Despite the top‑line surge, the firm recorded a larger net loss,...
Robots Master Rollerblading, Ice Skating: Winter Olympics Loom
If you think this Unitree G1 robot rollerblading is scary, wait until you see it iceskating — robot Winter Olympics can’t be far behind, and we should talk about robot mobility https://t.co/zDLYZhnszm
Hydrogen-Fueled AUV Breaks Range Expectations with 2,000-Kilometer Subsea Run
Cellula Robotics’ hydrogen‑fuel‑cell‑powered Envoy autonomous underwater vehicle completed a 2,023‑kilometer submerged mission lasting 385 hours, surpassing its original performance specifications. The AUV executed more than 4,000 turns, mimicking real‑world subsea operations and demonstrating higher energy consumption than straight‑line travel. Developed...
China Plans to Invest Billions on a Robot Army to Run Its Power Grid
China's State Grid Corporation has earmarked 6.8 billion yuan (about $1 billion) for AI‑enabled robots in 2026, targeting the purchase of roughly 8,500 units. The rollout will feature 5,000 robot dogs for remote substation and line inspections, plus humanoid and dual‑arm robots...
Episode 153: Origami-Inspired Robots - Chenying Liu
In this episode, Claire Asher talks with Oxford junior research fellow Chen Ying Liu about embedding intelligence directly into robot bodies using geometry, origami-inspired structures, and unconventional materials. Liu explains how mechanical bifurcation lets a two‑motor gripper achieve eight grasping...
Pudu Robotics Inaugurates US Headquarters in Dallas
Pudu Robotics has opened its U.S. headquarters in Dallas, consolidating sales, service, solutions and marketing under one roof. Since entering the market in 2018, the firm has deployed nearly 15,000 robots across the Americas, fueling a 285% year‑over‑year revenue increase....
Office of Naval Research Leaders Talk Future of Autonomy and Unmanned Innovation at Panel Discussion
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) highlighted its legacy in autonomous maritime systems—from REMUS and swarmboats to Sea Hunter—during a panel at the Sea‑Air‑Space Expo. Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley emphasized a shift toward faster testing, streamlined software...
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IN PICTURES: Humanoid Half Marathon in Beijing, and More From Around the World
On April 19, Beijing hosted the world’s largest humanoid robot half‑marathon, lining up more than 100 robots from 76 Chinese research institutions alongside 12,000 human runners. The 21‑kilometre race featured a unique “human‑robot co‑running” format, with robots navigating separate lanes....
Chuck Fawcett Launches Owner’s Representation for Animatronics Across the Attractions Industry
Chuck Fawcett relaunched his firm FGR8 in late 2024 as an independent owner’s representation platform for animatronics, moving away from traditional vendor roles. Leveraging more than 35 years of experience with Disney, Universal and Warner Bros., he now advises developers,...
ABS Signs Pact with Fleet Robotics on Maritime Robotics
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Fleet Robotics have signed a memorandum of understanding at Singapore Maritime Week to develop autonomous robotic systems for hull cleaning and inspection. The partnership will assess robot suitability, validate sensor data and imagery,...
ABS Signs Pact with Fleet Robotics on Maritime Robotics
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Fleet Robotics have signed a memorandum of understanding at Singapore Maritime Week to develop autonomous robotic systems for hull cleaning and inspection. The partnership will assess robot suitability, validate sensor data and imagery,...
Deepvein Mining Tech Wins Gold for Quadrupedal Exploration Robots, Cutting Survey Time by 95%
Deepvein Mining Tech secured Gold at the 2026 NY Product Design Awards for its Intelligent Geological Mapping and Geochemical Sampling Quadrupedal Robots. The robots have reduced data‑collection cycles from roughly a year to a week and lowered workflow costs by...
Bundeswehr Launches Loitering Munition Spending Spree with $2.16 Billion Unassigned
Germany’s Bundeswehr has opened a €2.4 billion (≈US$2.75 billion) framework for loitering‑munition systems, kicking off with a €300 million (US$344 million) contract to Rheinmetall for its FV‑014 autonomous reconnaissance‑strike drone. The deal, delayed for months, schedules qualification in Q2 2026 and initial deliveries in the...
Pentagon Wants Miniature Deep-Ocean Drones
DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office launched the Deep Thoughts program, a 24‑month solicitation for autonomous underwater vehicles that can reach full‑ocean depth. The hardware‑centric effort requires functional prototypes, not studies, with abstracts due May 21, 2026 and an estimated start in November...
FGR8
FGR8 is an independent advisory and technology platform that helps owners, developers, and creative teams deliver animatronic and character‑driven experiences in the global attractions sector. Founded by Chuck Fawcett, who has over 35 years designing animatronics for Disney, Universal and...
PAL Robotics to Debut New Manipulation Robot at ICRA 2026
PAL Robotics will unveil a new manipulation robot at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Vienna from June 1‑5, 2026. The company will host interactive demos that let visitors teleoperate the robot, collect data, and test...
China Unveils a Fixed-Wing Drone Made of Bamboo Fibre Composite Material
China’s International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, together with Beihang University and Long Bamboo Technology, flew the world’s first fixed‑wing drone built largely from bamboo‑based composite material. The UAV’s fuselage contains over 25% bamboo, achieving a weight reduction of more...
Star Robotics Unveils New Security Robot with Improved Autonomy and Navigation
Star Robotics introduced Watchbot 2, an upgraded autonomous security robot designed for continuous surveillance in demanding environments. The new model offers up to 16 hours of operation daily, thanks to a battery that doubles the capacity of its predecessor, and can...
Realizing the Promise of the Drone Revolution
The Department of War (DoDW) is eyeing a drone‑centric warfare model that leverages cheap, attritable unmanned systems to counter numerically superior foes. Technological advances since the early 2010s have driven down costs, enabling large swarms that can perform mission‑critical tasks....
Peruvian Entrepreneur Profits From Drone Facade Cleaning
Peruvian Entrepreneur Earns Big with #Drone-Powered Building Facade Cleaning by @Arcfunmi #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/ZJN9uY5jTG
Kollmorgen Launches Layout Analysis Tool to Improve Mobile Robot Performance
Kollmorgen unveiled the NDC Layout Assistant, a software tool that evaluates and optimizes routes for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in factories and warehouses. By breaking down routes into smaller sections, the assistant highlights travel‑time, speed...
Innovative Robotic Hand Grips, Holds, Organizes Objects
Smart #Robotic Hand That Grips, Holds, and Organizes Multiple Objects with Innovative Design by @amazingthings_ #AI #Robots #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/C8zDdRzMGW
Autonomous Material Handling Stack Links Thoro and Orbbec
Thoro unveiled CoreFlex, a modular autonomy platform that pairs its software stack with Orbbec’s Gemini 336 3‑D cameras, enabling plug‑and‑play automation across pallet trucks, tuggers and other industrial vehicles. The infrastructure‑free system promises to cut integration cycles by using a...
Robot Performs Spider‑Man’s Incredible Stunts
Spider-Man’s Jaw-Dropping Stunts Are Pulled Off by a #Robot by @lukas_m_ziegler #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/kHXDIDNy6F
Kraken Robotics Secures $28M in Orders for SeaPower Batteries & SAS Technology
Kraken Robotics announced roughly $28 million in new contracts for its SeaPower pressure‑tolerant batteries and Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) technology. The orders include battery deals with three large international defense firms and a SAS purchase from a commercial uncrewed underwater vehicle...
Stop Chasing the Shiny Object: Focus First on a Comprehensive Counter-UAS Training Program
Organizations are increasingly vulnerable to small unmanned aircraft, yet many chase the latest counter‑UAS hardware without first establishing a solid training foundation. The article argues that a comprehensive Counter‑UAS training program—covering legal, operational, and strategic dimensions—is the essential backbone for...
KDDI Selected for Japan Government Project to Test Satellite-Connected Drones
KDDI has been chosen by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for a fiscal‑2026 digital transformation initiative that will pilot satellite‑direct communication to control drones in regions lacking mobile coverage. The program, part of the government’s regional DX promotion...
NTT Tests AI-Based Inspection of Railway Viaducts
Japan’s NTT e‑Drone Technology completed a proof‑of‑concept trial of its AI‑driven inspection service for railway viaducts, in collaboration with Tokyu Construction. The e‑Drone AI platform processes high‑resolution images of concrete structures to automatically identify cracks, delamination, exposed rebar, water leakage...
China’s Zoomlion Debuts New Robot Operating System at Hannover Messe 2026
Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology unveiled Robot Ops, an embodied‑intelligence operating system, at Hannover Messe 2026 in Germany. The platform merges DevOps, DataOps and AgentOps into a single lifecycle solution that spans data collection, model training, simulation, deployment and...
Roundup: Warehousing Automation Benefits
Warehouse automation is accelerating, with Interact Analysis projecting over 6% of global warehouses adopting it by 2027. Companies that model workflows, integrate WMS with robots, stage rollouts, and plan for exceptions see the fastest ROI, according to Insurance Edge. Decathlon’s...
RoboDK CAM Solution Cuts Robotic Machining Deployment Times
RoboDK launched RoboDK CAM, a software that auto‑generates robot code from CAD designs, cutting robotic machining deployment from days to minutes and reducing testing time by up to 40%. The solution offers both a standalone interface and integrated add‑ins for...
Human‑Robot Hybrids Outpace Solo Humans or Machines
TGIF Human+Robot beats human or robot alone. From domestic duties to chess to warfare, the augmented human seems to be the way to go at this stage of development, have a great weekend ahead with or without your augmented friend...
Italian Eatery Pioneers Pizza Delivery with Drones
Italian Restaurant Makes History by Delivering Pizza via #Drone via @Rainmaker1973 #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/YbpWeJhosp
Toyota's CUE7 Humanoid Robot Scores AI-Powered Free Throw at Tokyo Arena
Toyota demonstrated its CUE7 humanoid robot at Toyota Arena Tokyo, where the 7‑foot‑2, 163‑lb machine made an autonomous free‑throw shot before a crowd of 8,400. The robot relies on reinforcement‑learning AI, a shift from the scripted control that powered earlier...
Wheel‑Leg Robot Uses Vision and LiDAR for Delivery
Meet the Wheel-Leg #Robot Delivering Food and Packages with Smart Vision and LiDAR by @IntEngineering #AI #Robotics #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/ZplPu0GcUv
Columbia Engineers Create Self‑Repairing, Self‑Upgrading Robots
Self-Repairing, Self-Upgrading #Robots Developed at Columbia #Engineering by @tweetciiiim #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/3U07MjpYDv
Unitree G1 Rolls and Skates, Showcasing Next‑Gen Mobile Robot Agility
Unitree demonstrated its $16,000 G1 quadruped robot moving on large wheels, roller blades and ice skates in a one‑minute‑fifteen‑second video, highlighting a new focus on wheeled agility. The showcase raises questions about the future balance between legged and wheeled mobility...
Chery's AiMOGA Humanoid Robot Becomes Chinese Traffic Officer
Chery’s AiMOGA Humanoid #Robot Joins Traffic Police in China by @XRoboHub #AI #Robotics #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/1dDc1guTgx
Spy Drones Are Compromising America’s Nuclear Triad
In early March, a series of high‑altitude drones repeatedly breached the airspace of Barksdale Air Force Base, a key site for the U.S. B‑52 strategic bomber fleet. The incursions forced a halt to flight operations, evaded handheld jammers, and displayed...
Tiny Robots, Huge Impact: Swarm Technology's Future
Small Machines, Massive Power: The Future of #Robotic Swarms via @IlirAliu_ #Robots #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/AhtqZhHoSR
Birdon America and Mythos AI Jointly Pursuing U.S. Navy MUSV Opportunities
Birdon America and Mythos AI signed a memorandum of understanding at Sea‑Air‑Space 2026 to develop medium unmanned surface vessels (MUSVs) for the U.S. Navy. Birdon will provide maritime platform, integration and program execution expertise, while Mythos AI will supply autonomous navigation,...
Hybrid Bipedal Robot Tackles Rough Terrain and Urban Spaces
Wheels Meet Legs: The Hybrid Bipedal #Robot Conquering Rough Terrain and Human Spaces via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/D3vuSjXShi
Droidup Introduces Moya: Next‑Gen Lifelike Humanoid Robot
Droidup #Robotics Unveils Moya, a Next-Gen Lifelike Humanoid by @CyberRobooo #AI #Robots #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/hfLVUIDSuZ
Robotic Fish Prototype Cuts Aquaculture Stress While Inspecting Nets and Water
The Centre for Research in Robotics and Underwater Technologies (CIRTESU) at Universitat Jaume I has unveiled UJIFISH, a modular, bio‑inspired robotic fish designed for aquaculture inspection and sensor deployment. By using undulatory propulsion instead of propellers and avoiding high‑intensity lighting, the...
Six Pillars for Collaborative Robot Learning with Humans
A new Science #Robotics Viewpoint outlines six design pillars that could cultivate collaborative intelligence to enable robotic foundation models to learn with humans and other robots, and not just for them. @rienerr @s_albrecht https://t.co/9XG0blNqsK https://t.co/oqF0Vo1GwT
Tesla to Spend $2 B on AI‑Hardware Acquisition and Leverage Intel 14A for Terafab Chips
Tesla disclosed a $2 billion stock‑and‑equity deal to acquire an undisclosed AI‑hardware firm and confirmed it will build its next‑gen Terafab chips on Intel’s 14A node. The moves underscore Musk’s aggressive shift toward in‑house silicon to power autonomous vehicles, robotics and...
Coast Guard Launches RAS PEO to Unify Uncrewed Systems
The U.S. Coast Guard has created the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Program Executive Office (RAS PEO) to centralize management of unmanned air, surface, underwater and space assets. The new office replaces fragmented, siloed structures with a unified portfolio that mirrors...
Tesla’s $25 B AI and Robotics Bet Triggers Stock Volatility and Higher CapEx
Tesla disclosed a $25 billion capital‑expenditure plan for AI software, chips and robotics, sending its shares down nearly 3% after an initial rally. The spending surge, driven by the Terafab chip fab and Optimus robot production, raises questions about cash flow...