Today's Robotics Pulse
Chinese startup Spirit AI tops global AI robot leaderboard, beating Nvidia
Spirit AI’s embodied intelligence model, Spirit v1.6, achieved a score of 1,924 on the RoboArena benchmark, surpassing Nvidia’s Cosmos3‑Nano‑Policy. The company also disclosed a ¥1.5 billion (≈$222 million) funding round to accelerate its robotics AI platform.
Also developing:
By the numbers: OneRobotics acquires Nanoleaf for $40M
Revolutionary Silicon Anode Battery Technology for Drones & Robotics
Silicon‑nanotech firm Sila Nanotechnologies has joined Unmanned Systems Technology’s supplier ecosystem as a Platinum Partner, offering its Titan Silicon anode for lithium‑ion batteries. The anode delivers up to five times the gravimetric energy and twice the volumetric capacity of conventional graphite, translating to 20% higher energy density, 15% lighter and 25% smaller cells, and sub‑15‑minute fast charging. Manufacturing is based in the United States to automotive‑grade standards, providing an NDAA‑compliant, defense‑ready supply chain. The technology is already being integrated into electric drones, cargo delivery platforms, and emerging eVTOL applications.
DoD Seeks Expanded Investment in Counter-UAS Capabilities
The Pentagon’s Counter‑Drone Task Force is asking Congress for more than $580 million in FY 2027 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) to accelerate counter‑UAS systems. The request targets rapid fielding of technologies that detect, track and neutralize small commercial drones that...
South Korea Deploys 24‑Hour High‑Altitude Strategic Drone
Busan, April 8, 2026. South Korea rolls out its first production strategist drone... the MUAV/KUS-FS. 13m fuselage, massive 25–26m wingspan, powered by a 1,200 hp turboprop. Developed domestically with 90% local parts by Korean Air, Hanwha, and LIG Nex1. It can...
Meet ‘Alex’: A Disaster-Response Humanoid Challenging China’s Robotics Rise
The Institute for Human Machine Cognition (IHMC) unveiled Alex, an 85‑kg humanoid robot that forgoes legs and is 15 kg lighter than its predecessor Nadia, featuring upgraded manipulation, perception and teleoperation for disaster‑response tasks. Backed by a multimillion‑dollar, multi‑year grant from...
Persistent Flight in the Stratosphere - Justin Selfridge, Phd. And CEO of Devorto
In this episode, Dr. Justin Selfridge, founder and CEO of DeVorto, explains the Tethered Uni‑Rotor Network (TURN), a novel aircraft architecture that uses multiple small rotor‑like drones tethered to a central hub and spun to keep ultra‑thin wings under tension,...
Open-Source 6-DoF Robot Accelerates Curved FFF
Researchers have released an open‑source six‑degree‑of‑freedom (6‑DoF) robotic system that integrates FFF 3D‑printing with advanced kinematics and a low‑cost control stack. The robot achieved a deposition speed of 128 mm/s—44% faster than a conventional three‑axis printer—while cutting idle travel by up...
Tuurny Deploys AI Robotics to Harvest RAM Chips, Tackling US Chip Shortage
Tuurny unveiled its Nantul robotic cell, capable of pulling up to 300 RAM integrated circuits per hour from domestic e‑waste, and secured a six‑figure contract with UK processor Areera. The system promises a new on‑shore source of memory chips while...
Plus One Robotics Surpasses 2 Billion Picks and Celebrates 10 Years of AI-Powered Warehouse Innovation
Plus One Robotics announced it has surpassed 2 billion successful picks across its global fleet, marking a milestone achieved in just two years after reaching 1 billion. The milestone coincides with the company’s 10th anniversary and reflects rapid adoption of its AI‑driven...
RoboSense Q1 2026 LiDAR Sales Jump 204% YoY, Robotics Segment Surges 1,459%
RoboSense announced that it shipped 330,300 LiDAR units in the first quarter of 2026, a 204.1% year‑on‑year increase. Robotics‑focused LiDAR sales leapt 1,458.8% to 185,500 units, surpassing the ADAS segment for the first time, underscoring rapid scaling of autonomy hardware.
U.S. Special Forces Tests FOG Unmanned Vessel in Spain
U.S. Special Forces conducted maritime exercises in Cartagena, Spain, using NEWT21’s FOG unmanned surface vessel equipped with UAV Navigation–Grupo Oesía’s autonomous control system. The USV executed a fully autonomous navigation plan, dynamically adjusting routes, avoiding collisions, and maintaining health monitoring...
Green Cubes Supports Emerging Innovator USAMR with Advanced Lithium Battery Systems for AMRs
Green Cubes Technology is providing its industrial lithium‑ion battery systems to USAMR for use in automated mobile robots (AMRs) that transport goods in warehouses and factories. The swappable battery packs feature lithium‑iron‑phosphate chemistry, high energy density, and integrated battery‑management to...
EBV Elektronik Unveils MOVE Platform to Accelerate Next-Generation Robotics Development
EBV Elektronik, an Avnet company, launched the MOVE platform to streamline development of next‑generation robotics. MOVE aggregates a network of more than 20 embedded technology partners, offering a central gateway to processors, AI accelerators, sensors, motion‑control and connectivity solutions. The...
Coptrz Named Exclusive UK Partner for Avy
Coptrz has secured an exclusive partnership with Amsterdam‑based Avy, becoming the sole UK distributor of Avy’s long‑endurance BVLOS drone network for emergency services and defence. The agreement adds Avy’s fixed‑wing Aera aircraft and Dock "drone‑in‑a‑box" system to Coptrz’s portfolio, delivering...
VIDEO | AgXeed Series 7 Tested in the Field: Can It Handle Heavy Tillage and Tight Headlands?
The AgXeed AgBot Series 7 was put through a real‑world field trial on a French arable farm, pulling a heavy cultivator and navigating tight headland turns. The video demonstrates the robot’s ability to maintain precise trajectories while delivering the power needed...
Bankrupt Robot Manufacturer Agrointelli Sold in Parts
Agrointelli, the Danish maker of the Robotti field robot, was declared bankrupt on February 27, 2026 and failed to secure a full‑company buyer by the March 12 deadline. As a result, all staff were laid off and the trustee split the assets, selling...
When Robots Build Robots, Bottlenecks Shift Upstream
Robots building robots. It sounds futuristic, but it’s becoming a real direction. Once humanoids can assemble components, handle tools, and operate in human-designed environments, manufacturing starts to change fundamentally. You don’t just automate tasks. You automate the creation of the systems themselves. That has implications: Faster...
ARK Invest Is Betting on Underdog Drone Delivery Company Manna to Beat Out Alphabet and Zipline
Manna, the Irish drone‑delivery startup, closed a $50 million Series B round led by ARK Invest, bringing total funding to $110 million. The company has already completed more than 250,000 deliveries in Ireland, Finland and Texas and partners with Uber, DoorDash, Deliveroo and Just Eat....
Mastering Extremes: The UAS Trio that Could Tackle Latin America’s Diverse Needs
At FIDAE 2026 in Santiago, Airbus unveiled three uncrewed aerial systems—Flexrotor, Aliaca and SIRTAP—designed to meet Latin America’s varied terrain and mission sets. Flexrotor’s VTOL design and 12‑hour endurance make it ideal for wildfire monitoring and maritime ISR. Aliaca offers rapid...
US Drone Declares Emergency, Drops From 52,000ft over Gulf
A US Navy MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft emitted a 7700 emergency squawk over the Persian Gulf and rapidly descended from roughly 52,000 ft to about 12,750 ft. Open‑source flight‑tracking data shows the drone’s altitude drop occurred within minutes north of Bahrain before...
Circus Awarded Contract by Lithuanian Armed Forces for Autonomous Sustainment Robot Deployment
Munich‑based Circus SE has been awarded a contract to field an autonomous, AI‑powered sustainment robot for the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Vilnius. The system will be woven into existing barracks infrastructure and tested in real‑world training and multinational NATO exercises....
America’s Drone Strategy Has a Supply Chain Problem
The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program (DDP) seeks to field 30,000 UAVs in Phase I and scale to 150,000 by 2028, but the push for mass production collides with a fragile, NDAA‑compliant supply chain. War with Iran is accelerating demand, potentially exceeding...
Ukraine Logs 21,500 UGV Missions in Q1 2026, Tripling Combat and Logistics Deployments
Ukraine’s defense ministry said more than 21,500 uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) missions were flown in the first quarter of 2026, a three‑fold increase from November 2025. March alone saw over 9,000 combat and logistics missions, reflecting a rapid expansion of...
Drones Are Changing Warfare And America Isn’t Ready
The United States is confronting a new threat: cheap, swarming drones that can overwhelm traditional air‑defense and missile‑defense systems such as THAAD and Patriot. While the Pentagon is pouring tens of billions of dollars into Counter‑UAS technologies, it is neglecting...
From Hype to Reality: ASI CEO Mel Torrie on Why Autonomous Vehicles Are Outpacing Humanoid Robots
Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) leverages its two‑decade‑old Mobius command‑and‑control platform to coordinate fleets of autonomous vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining and logistics. CEO Mel Torrie argues that these vehicle systems already generate clear, measurable returns, while humanoid robots remain expensive,...
U.S. Marine Corps Launches Kamikaze Drone Program for Frontline Units
The U.S. Marine Corps issued a sources‑sought notice for a $50 million‑$75 million support contract aimed at its Organic Precision Fires‑Light (OPF‑L) loitering‑munition system. The contract will fund engineering, logistics, software and lifecycle services for the emerging kamikaze‑drone capability. OPF‑L is slated...
A Maker of Pet Toys in Ukraine Turns to Killer Drones
Ukrainian pet‑monitoring startup Petcube pivoted to combat drones, launching Odd Systems and The Fourth Law to produce AI‑enabled FPV quadcopters. The drones integrate image‑recognition that spots tanks, artillery and soldiers, and use a YOLO interface that hands off the final...
UAV Defence Moves Beyond Standalone Systems
UAVs are no longer just kinetic weapons; they now disrupt energy, communications and logistics, forcing a rethink of defence. Ukrainian firm Kvertus, whose SIGINT and electronic‑warfare tools are fielded by the Defence Forces, argues that standalone counter‑UAV kits are obsolete....
Modular Robotics – Key to Flexibility in High-Mix Manufacturing
At Evertiq Expo Tampere 2026, Piotr Owczarek of Fitech and AIRob highlighted modular robotics as a solution for high‑mix, low‑volume (HMLV) electronics manufacturing. He explained that flexible, plug‑and‑play robot cells can adapt to frequent product changes without the rigidity of...
Primoco UAV Obtains Final Building Permit for New Manufacturing Facility in Písek
Primoco UAV SE secured the final building permit for a new $34 million manufacturing complex in Písek, Czech Republic. The plant, slated to begin production in 2028, will raise annual UAV output to up to 300 units and house headquarters, a...
Rethinking Robotics Reinforcement Learning: A Practical Humanoid Training Workflow
NVIDIA’s DGX Spark workstation, powered by the Grace‑Blackwell (GB10) Superchip, runs the full Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab stack natively on Arm, eliminating cross‑compilation. By leveraging 512 parallel environments, the system achieves roughly 65,000 simulation steps per second, enabling a humanoid robot to...
Leidos Proceeds with Sea Archer USV Trials in Australia
Leidos Australia has built the only Australian‑made Sea Archer unmanned surface vessel and is conducting harbour acceptance trials in Tasmania, followed by sea trials from Darwin in May. The 11.2‑metre craft aims to reach Technology Readiness Level 6, demonstrating performance in...
U.S. Air Forces Central Selects Skydio Dock to Secure U.S. Airbases in the Middle East
Skydio secured a contract worth more than $9 million from U.S. Air Forces Central to deploy its Dock autonomous‑security system and X10 drones across Middle‑East airbases. The Dock can launch an X10 drone in under 20 seconds, delivering live HD and...
ARA Spot Sprayer by Ecorobotix Receives New Algorithms
Swiss ag‑tech firm Ecorobotix has upgraded its ARA spot sprayer with new vision algorithms that can now recognize cauliflower, broccoli, and both red and white cabbage. The software enhancements are finished development and will be delivered through the next over‑the‑air...
Arable Farms Switch to Robotic Dogs to Guard Valuable Corn Crops
Bayer has begun using Asylon’s DroneDog robotic security dogs to patrol its 8,000‑acre Hawaiian corn seed farms, supplementing human guards. The autonomous units carry thermal and electro‑optical cameras, AI classifiers and 20× zoom, streaming live video to on‑site and remote...
Revtech Becomes Exclusive Canadian Integrator of Motofil Robotic Welding Solutions
Revtech Systems of Québec has secured an exclusive partnership with Motofil to become the sole integrator of the Swedish company's robotic welding solutions in Canada. The agreement enables Revtech to deliver turnkey, pre‑engineered welding robots for heavy‑industry sectors such as...
Microsoft Launches Sovereign Edge AI for Industrial Networks
Microsoft brings sovereign edge AI to Industry 4.0 private networks “While corporate headquarters enjoy high-bandwidth, low-latency access to hyperscale public clouds, the factory floor, the offshore oil rig, and the remote mining site operate in an entirely different physical domain....
Robotic Hull Cleaner Tackles Biofouling in Oceans
CLIIN #Robotics’ Hull-Cleaning #Robot Fights Biofouling at Sea via @WevolverApp #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #ML #Technology https://t.co/hnlmI6Nn2w
From Sensors to Smarts: Fraunhofer’s AI-Driven Approach to Human–Robot Teamwork
Fraunhofer’s NeurOSmart platform merges LIDAR‑based 3D sensing, AI‑enabled edge chips and neuromorphic accelerators to enable real‑time, safe collaboration between humans and industrial robots. By embedding data pre‑processing in the sensor, the system slashes bandwidth and cuts power draw, while neuromorphic...
Unitree Launches World's Cheapest Humanoid Robot Globally
Unitree to debut cheapest humanoid robot globally via Alibaba The international launch of the company’s cheapest humanoid robot next week is expected to cover North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore https://t.co/RHCUHGkTdh via @scmpnews
DJI Debuts Premium, High‑Performance Home Cleaning Drone
Welcome to the future with DJI’s first foray into the pantheon of home cleaning — expensive, but extremely capable. https://t.co/yiJzFJSRmy
Chinese Firms Deploy over 1,600 Autonomous Delivery Vehicles, Handling 1 M+ Orders Monthly
Neolix and other Chinese companies have rolled out more than 1,600 unmanned delivery vehicles in over 100 cities, completing 1.02 million autonomous drops in September and earning 8.7 million yuan ($1.2 M). The rapid expansion highlights a shift toward low‑cost, AI‑driven last‑mile logistics...
D1 MAX: Unstoppable All‑Terrain Robot Redefines Mobility
Meet D1 MAX — The All-Terrain #Robot That Won’t Stop by @XRoboHub #Robotics #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/Fut9Gfd0H6
Tesla's FSD 14.3 Proves Reliable Driverless Robotaxis
FSD 14.2 is incredibly good FSD 14.3 is even better, and just as reliable They’re deploying fully driverless Robotaxis in Austin You can try and convince me this is all a failure, but that doesn’t match up with what I...
Eclipse VC Secures $1.3 B to Accelerate Physical‑AI and Autonomous Startups
Eclipse, the Palo Alto‑based venture firm, closed a $1.3 billion fund—$591 million for early‑stage incubation and the balance for growth‑stage companies—to back physical‑AI startups ranging from electric boats to autonomous construction vehicles. The capital boost aims to build an ecosystem that scales...
Shenzhen Emerges as Global Robotics Hub, Video Shows
This Video Proves It: Shenzhen Is the World’s Robotics Hub by @Robo_Tuo #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/TgVQIetO7R
San Francisco's Lume Lamp Brings Home Robot Assistance
I got a close look. San Francisco robot innovation. Will be seen in many homes there.
Waymo’s NYC Robotaxi Permits Expire, Halting Tests in the City
Waymo’s two permits to test robotaxis in New York City expired on March 31, forcing the company to cease its eight‑vehicle pilot south of 112th Street and in downtown Brooklyn. The New York Department of Transportation has not indicated whether the...
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/H1RK3w55G5
Kraken Robotics Shows Autonomous Mine‑Countermeasure System on SEFINE USV
Kraken Robotics integrated its KATFISH towed synthetic aperture sonar and autonomous launch‑recovery system (LARS) onto SEFINE’s RD‑22 unmanned surface vessel during a Q1 2026 demo off Istanbul. The trial delivered 3 cm × 3 cm resolution imagery across a 200‑meter swath, streamed live to...
Romanian F-16s Scrambled as 17 Russian Drones Detected Near Ukraine Border
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense ordered two F-16 fighters to take off after radar picked up 17 Russian drones near Tulcea County, a NATO frontier with Ukraine. The drones never crossed into Romanian airspace, but the incident underscores the expanding...