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
Applied Intuition, LG Innotek Partner to Speed Autonomous Vehicle Production
Applied Intuition and LG Innotek have signed a strategic partnership that couples LG Innotek's camera, LiDAR and radar sensors with Applied Intuition's Self‑Driving System. The deal aims to cut development cycles for OEMs and expands into drones and robotics, leveraging real‑world testing across the U.S., Europe and Japan.
Amazon Acquires Fauna Robotics, Adding $50K Sprout Humanoid to Its Portfolio
Amazon has completed the acquisition of Fauna Robotics, the New York start‑up behind the $50,000 Sprout humanoid robot. The deal brings a 42‑inch, soft‑material robot and a team of about 50 engineers into Amazon’s Personal Robotics Group, expanding the e‑commerce...
MegazoneCloud and AVITA Team Up to Deploy Physical AI Services for Enterprises
MegazoneCloud announced a strategic partnership with Japanese AI avatar leader AVITA to co‑develop physical AI services that combine autonomous robots with conversational avatars. The alliance targets enterprise customers in retail, finance, manufacturing and public sectors, aiming to cut costs and...
Q&A: Digital Workforce Looks to Expand Further Into the U.S. Market
Digital Workforce, a Helsinki‑based automation firm, serves over 200 large organizations and targets roughly $40 million in revenue this year. Its flagship Outsmart platform blends robotic process automation and AI to run entire patient‑care pathways, with a particular emphasis on healthcare...
Aureka Sends Survey Drones Skyward to Unlock Victorian Gold Potential
Aureka Limited has launched a low‑altitude, high‑resolution drone magnetic survey over its Irvine gold project in Victoria’s Stawell Corridor. The survey, flying at 50 metres with 50‑metre line spacing, aims to deliver a dramatically clearer picture of subsurface structures than the...
Electric and Hybrid Aerial Drone Fleets Are Expanding Their Footprint
Renewable‑powered uncrewed aerial vehicles are moving from prototype to frontline deployment, with electric and hybrid drones gaining traction across Western militaries. The UK Royal Navy cleared the T‑150 for combat, while the United States and France are pouring funds into...
NAD Strengthens Board with Former UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey
Nordic Air Defence (NAD), a Stockholm‑based defence‑tech startup, announced the appointment of former UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey and Head of Product Nicholas Högasten to its board. The move comes as NAD pushes its K100XR autonomous interceptor into European...
Volatus Aerospace Expands Drone Training to Jamaica
Volatus Aerospace has partnered with the University of Technology, Jamaica to launch advanced drone training programs beginning April 2026. The curriculum blends online fundamentals with hands‑on instruction focused on disaster preparedness, search‑and‑rescue, and environmental monitoring. The initiative expands Volatus' global...
BRINC Drones – Product Marketing Manager
BRINC, a public‑safety technology firm, has built an ecosystem of drones and ruggedized throw phones that deliver real‑time visual data to first responders. Its solutions are deployed by more than 600 agencies across the United States and the company has...
Robots Evolve From Code to Self‑Learning Adaptation
𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱. That’s the real shift I’m seeing from NVIDIA’s GTC. Using Isaac Lab, robots are learning through reinforcement learning in simulation: ▪️ Millions of trials ▪️ No step-by-step instructions ▪️ Learning by reward and feedback That’s how a machine learns...
Sophisticated Mystery Drones Disrupt Operations at U.S. Air Force Base in Louisiana
Earlier this month, sophisticated drone swarms of 12‑15 units each loitered over Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for about four hours daily. The intrusion forced the Global Strike Command headquarters to suspend B‑52 bomber launches for Operation Epic Fury...
Magnetic Nanorobots Offer Targeted Cancer Therapy, Researchers Claim
Scientists have demonstrated magnetic nanorobots smaller than blood cells that can be steered by external magnets to deliver chemotherapy directly to tumors. The technology aims to cut side effects and enable new hyperthermia treatments, signaling a potential shift in nanomedicine.
Optimus Gen 3: Tesla’s AI Robot Ready for Homes and Factories
Tesla Optimus Gen 3 AI robot in Every Home and Factory... Is the the future awaiting? https://t.co/8Y8OcSWa0s via @YouTube #humanoidtech #humanoid #robot #Robotics #AI #TechRevolution #TechInnovation #ArtificialInteligence #PhysicalAI @AlbertoEMachado @Eli_Krumova @postoff25 @Khulood_Almani @anand_narang @NutritiousMind @baski_LA @TanyaSinha_ @devaang @AlAmadi1 @jeancayeux @enilev @efipm @mvollmer1...
Robot Gains True First-Person Vision Capability
Seeing Through Its Own Eyes: Building a #Robot with True First-Person Vision via @WevolverApp #AI #MachineLearning #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/yby6It2Jwd
🦾 Robotics Funding Rounds by Month - February 2026
February 2026 saw robust robotics venture activity, with 113 equity rounds totaling $4.39 billion. The month’s headline deals included Wayve’s $1.2 billion Series D, Apptronik’s $520 million Series A, and Bedrock Robotics’ $270 million Series B. Smaller but notable raises such as RLWRLD’s $26 million seed round and...
NASA's Zero-Gravity Arms Master Delicate to Heavy Grips
NASA’s Zero-Gravity #Robotic Arms Master Delicate, Heavy, and Irregular Grips by @tweetciiiim #Tech #TechForGood #EmergingTech https://t.co/0GYmLH3Zxd
Robot Kepler K2 Outpowers Human, Pulls 105 Tons
Human vs #Robot Rowing Battle: Kepler K2 Pulls an Insane 105 Tons by @XRoboHub #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/u7tZLy7uQk
Robotic Legs Skate, Climb Stairs, and Balance on One Wheel in Demo Video
The Robotics and AI Institute unveiled a demo of its Roadrunner robot, a 15‑kg bipedal platform that combines legs with two wheels. In the video the bot rolls, climbs stairs, skates sideways, and even balances on a single wheel by...
Precision Robot Powers Next-Gen Smart Factories
High-Precision Industrial #Robot Built for the Future of Smart Factories by @XueJia24682 #SupplyChain #Automation #Logistics https://t.co/OBNMNwnl9U
VinMotion Unveils Motion 2: Next‑gen Logistics Humanoid
Motion 2 Arrives: VinMotion’s Next-Gen Humanoid for Industrial #Logistics by @CyberRobooo #AI #Robotics #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/1yMagg0Mmx
Drone Scare Triggers Ground Stop at Palm Beach Airport During Air Force One Departure
A drone sighting near Palm Beach International Airport forced a temporary ground stop as Air Force One, carrying President Donald Trump, prepared for takeoff. Helicopters were dispatched to locate the UAV while Delta pilots informed passengers of the security breach. The airport...
AI Will Soon Weld Jobs Like It Did Coding
"Learn to weld" will go down like "learn to code." Lot of companies building AI "brains" for robots that should, among other things, know how to weld. Idea that AI won't disrupt blue collar work feels like fallacy.
Surgical Robots Are Endoscopic, Not Humanoid Giants
Yeah. Real surgical robots are mostly endoscopic. Some big humanoid isn't going to do what tiny probes that slide through your body can.
Ukraine Rebukes Rheinmetall over CEO’s ‘Play with Legos’ Drone Insult
German arms maker Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger sparked outrage in Kyiv after calling Ukraine’s drone program a "Lego" exercise and dismissing its technology as amateurish. Ukrainian officials and defense firms defended the drones, highlighting their battlefield efficiency and the role...
3D‑Printed Micro‑Robots Swim Like Real Animals
Alive or not? Tiny 3D-printed robots that swim and navigate just like animals https://t.co/Nd2S2RdT5H https://t.co/H3krknX9yy
Italian Pizzeria Makes History with Drone Delivery
Italian Restaurant Makes History by Delivering Pizza via #Drone via @Rainmaker1973 #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/n8wavGdGas
Leiden University Unveils Microrobots Ten Times Thinner Than Human Hair
Scientists at Leiden University have built microrobots only a few tens of micrometres long—about ten times thinner than a human hair—that move and adapt without any onboard electronics. The devices, fabricated with a high‑precision 3D microprinter, achieve self‑propelled motion at...
Crossing 99% Sim‑Real Accuracy Triggers Digital‑First Production
The Economic Engine of Physical AI. {🧵 Full breakdown below.} After this, you should understand… • why 99% sim-to-real accuracy is the tipping point • how simulation replaces hardware • how ROI shifts in production design • why Digital First...
Universal Physical AI Powers Robots Across Tasks Instantly
Nearly every major industry is bottlenecked by one thing: scarce human capital. Skild Brain is changing that. Their AI just assembled GPU racks live at NvidiaGTC, one of the most precise tasks in hardware manufacturing. Here's what makes it wild: Most robot AI is...
Humanoid Robots Dazzle Audiences at Boao Forum, Wushu Championships and Beijing Expo
Dozens of humanoid and dancing robots performed at the Boao Forum for Asia, the World Junior Wushu Championships and a high‑profile robot exhibition in Beijing, underscoring China's rapid progress in advanced motion‑control and commercial robotics. Industry analysts say the surge...
U.S. Deploys Autonomous Sea‑Drone Speedboats in Iran Conflict
The U.S. military has begun using autonomous, AI‑enabled sea‑drone speedboats in combat operations against Iran, joining a broader deployment of 3,500 marines and amphibious assets. The move intensifies a high‑stakes conflict that has already seen drone and missile attacks across...
AI Benchmark Helps Robots Plan and Complete Their Chores in the Real World
Microsoft and academic researchers introduced GroundedPlanBench, a benchmark that tests robots on 1,009 tasks drawn from 308 real‑world scenarios, exposing gaps between language‑based planning and precise motor execution. To bridge this gap they built V2GP, a video‑to‑spatially grounded planning system...
AI-Powered Micro‑drones Navigate Using Bat‑like Echolocation
Tiny drones are learning to navigate like bats. By combining ultralight sonar with AI, they can move through dark or low-visibility environments using echolocation-style sensing instead of relying only on cameras. It’s another example of how AI is not just improving software,...
Dual‑Arm Robot Maintains Precise Pouring Amid Disturbances
Dual-Arm #Robot Achieves Precision Pouring Under External Disturbance via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #Technology #RPA #Innovation #Automation https://t.co/pMBVaFJWRY
Two Cross-Border Drones Crash in Finland
Finland’s defence ministry reported that two small, slow‑flying drones entered Finnish airspace on Sunday and crashed near the city of Kouvola, about 200 km northeast of Helsinki. Officials, including Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen, said the incursions were taken seriously and that...
Wheeled Biped Robot Tackles Complex Terrain
XSTO A6: A Wheeled Bipedal #Robot Built to Conquer Complex Terrain via @WevolverApp #Robotics #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/IZKiOFeQyq
Robots Install 100 MW Solar, Automation Accelerates Renewable Build
Robotic solar installation is quickly becoming real. Planted, Maximo and others all deploying automated construction platforms. This Maximo machine just installed 100 MW of solar power https://t.co/M1NSKOSVMT
Drones Cut Survey Times While AI Cameras Boost Park Security in PropTech Rollout
Surveyors in Texas are deploying drones to finish land‑survey projects in days instead of weeks, while East Baton Rouge’s park authority is installing over 1,500 AI‑enabled cameras across 77 parks. Both moves illustrate how imaging tech is accelerating data collection...
Foundation Unveils Phantom MK-1 for Factory Hazards
Phantom MK-1: Foundation’s New Humanoid #Robot Aimed at Factories and High-Risk Environments by @IntEngineering #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/vJaXNzhtwN
Jetson Thor Humanoid Robot Gains Full Autonomous Mobility
Jetson Thor–Powered Humanoid #Robot Achieves Fully #Autonomous Wheeled Mobility via @ZappyZappy7 #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #MI #ML #Tech #Innovation https://t.co/DQDf7xWFor
Uber, Rivian to Deploy 10,000 Driverless SUVs in Miami by 2028
Uber announced a partnership with electric‑vehicle maker Rivian that includes a $1.25 billion investment and a commitment to purchase 10,000 autonomous R2 SUVs for a 2028 rollout in Miami and San Francisco. The deal aims to expand Uber’s driverless fleet to...
HexRunner Reaches Stable 30 MPH Through Speed‑Focused Design
Designing for Speed: How HexRunner Achieved Stable 30 MPH Locomotion by @lukas_m_ziegler #EmergingTech #Engineering #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/W2jAL0BpmW
Chicago Halts Sidewalk Delivery Robots After Bus Shelter Collisions Shatter Glass
Chicago city officials ordered a temporary suspension of sidewalk delivery robots after several units crashed into bus shelters, shattering glass and injuring pedestrians. The incident highlights safety and regulatory challenges for the fast‑growing urban logistics sector.
Quieter, Stealthier, Further: New Hybrid Unit to Power China’s Small Battle Drones
China’s state‑backed Sichuan Tianfu Light Power Technology has successfully flight‑tested a 60‑kilowatt hybrid propulsion unit for small battlefield drones. The system pairs a gas‑turbine generator with an electric ducted fan, allowing on‑the‑fly switching between fuel‑driven and pure electric modes. This...
Immersive Haptics Enable Real‑Time Remote Robot Interaction
Immersive Haptic System Brings Remote #Robots to Life via @ZappyZappy7 #Innovation #TechForGood #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/jklmbQxzBb
Alphabet's Wing Expands Drone Delivery to San Francisco Bay Area, Targeting Last‑mile Market
Alphabet announced that its Wing drone delivery unit is scaling its ultra‑fast residential service to the San Francisco Bay Area. The rollout is part of a broader plan to reach 270 drone‑enabled locations by 2027, leveraging a partnership with Walmart...
Physical Intelligence Targets $1 Billion Raise at $11 Billion Valuation
San Francisco‑based Physical Intelligence is in early talks to secure about $1 billion in new capital, which would lift its post‑money valuation to more than $11 billion. The round would likely include returning backers Thrive Capital and Lux Capital, with Founders Fund...
Uber, Pony.ai and Verne Launch Europe's First Robotaxi Service in Zagreb
Uber Technologies, autonomous‑driving specialist Pony.ai and Croatian fleet manager Verne announced a joint venture to operate Europe's first commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb. The partnership plans to scale to a fleet of thousands of driverless taxis across multiple European cities...
Next-Gen Home Robot Redefines Everyday Living
Meet the Next-Generation Personal Home #Robot via @ZappyZappy7 #AI #Robotics #EmergingTech #Innovation #Technology #TechForGood https://t.co/T0AEvGBnfe
Heyman Tech Unveils Waterproof Humanoid Hand for Deep‑sea Robotics
Heyman Tech Introduces Waterproof Humanoid Hand Built for Extreme Depths by @TheHumanoidHub #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML #Innovation https://t.co/EuKlyFAoxd