Northrop Grumman Tests Lumberjack Strike Drone
Northrop Grumman showcased its Lumberjack Group 3 uncrewed aircraft system at the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division’s Operation Lethal Eagle exercise. The drone executed fully autonomous missions through the Army’s Maven Smart System, launched the six‑pound Hatchet precision‑strike munition, and then transitioned to surveillance mode. Developed in partnership with Empirical Systems Aerospace and Palantir, the platform went from concept to first flight in under 14 months, highlighting rapid prototyping. Integrated AI targeting and a satellite datalink provided beyond‑line‑of‑sight control and real‑time battle‑damage assessment.
Nearly 8,000 UxS Delivered to the UK in the Last 18 Months
The UK has received nearly 7,900 uncrewed systems (UxS) over the past 18 months, while aiming to supply 100,000 military drones to Ukraine by April 2026. Recent defence reviews introduced a hybrid force model and accelerated procurement protocols, enabling projects...
U.S. Army Evaluates Low-Cost Hornet Kamikaze Drone in Germany
The U.S. Army conducted its first evaluation of the Hornet DE‑2, a low‑cost, AI‑enabled one‑way attack drone, at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. The loitering munition can travel roughly eight miles and is designed to operate in contested electronic‑warfare...
SAP and ANYbotics Drive Industrial Adoption of Physical AI
SAP is partnering with Swiss robot maker ANYbotics to embed four‑legged autonomous inspectors directly into its ERP platform. The robots act as mobile data‑gathering nodes, using edge AI to analyze thermal, acoustic and visual feeds and instantly push fault alerts...
Nomadic Raises $8.4 Million to Wrangle the Data Pouring Off Autonomous Vehicles
NomadicML raised an $8.4 million seed round at a $50 million post‑money valuation to commercialize its vision‑language platform that auto‑annotates autonomous‑vehicle video. The tool transforms terabytes of archived footage into searchable, structured datasets, enabling rapid identification of rare edge‑case events for training...
Cold Storage Goes High-Tech
Rising e‑grocery sales and aging U.S. cold‑storage facilities are driving a surge in demand for modern, temperature‑controlled warehouses. DHL Supply Chain teamed with real‑estate developer RLCold to build over 5 million square feet of new cold‑storage space across North America, emphasizing...
The Lucid Lunar Is a Robotaxi for Two Passengers
Lucid Motors unveiled the Lunar, a two‑seat, doorless robotaxi concept, at its Investor Day in New York. The vehicle trims its battery to about 55 kWh, promising roughly 9.7 km per kWh—nearly double the efficiency of typical four‑seat EVs and enough for...
GMEX Robotics Advances Development of Intelligent Robot Chassis
GMEX Robotics announced progress on its Intelligent Robot Chassis, a rugged platform that shields autonomous robots from shocks, vibrations and harsh environments. The chassis integrates structural health monitoring, active vibration isolation and thermal management to extend sensor and hardware life....
See Everything, Always: Manufacturing Precise Positioning with Private 5G
Private 5G networks now embed precise indoor positioning, delivering meter‑level accuracy without separate hardware. This unified approach replaces fragmented Wi‑Fi, UWB, Bluetooth and RFID solutions, giving manufacturers real‑time visibility of assets, workers, and equipment. Integrated location services feed directly into...
Epson Robots and Clayton Controls Form Southwest Alliance
Epson Robots has entered a strategic alliance with Clayton Controls to provide advanced automation solutions across the Southwest United States. Clayton, a 60‑year‑old integrator with ISO 9001:2015 certification and a UL508A panel shop, will distribute Epson’s full robot lineup, including SCARA,...
Samsara to Accelerate the Future of Physical AI at HumanX 2026
Samsara (NYSE:IOT) announced its participation in HumanX 2026, the leading AI conference, to unveil its vision for physical AI that unifies autonomous vehicles, robotics, and human operators. On April 8, 2026, the company will co‑host a panel titled “Orchestrating the Mixed‑Autonomy Revolution”...
Cyngn Deploys 4 DriveMod Tuggers at Vann Family Orchards
Cyngn announced the deployment of four autonomous DriveMod Tuggers at Vann Family Orchards, a major California‑based agricultural processor. The tuggers now handle raw‑material transport between storage and processing zones, reducing reliance on manual forklifts while keeping humans for loading and...
Upcoming Webinar to Cover Pan-European Drone Testing
The Commercial UAV News webinar on April 7 will tackle Europe’s fragmented drone certification landscape, where each member state interprets EASA guidance differently. Speakers Tiziano Fiorucci of WindShape and Jordi Salvador of BCN Drone Centre will discuss how controlled indoor testing...
DoorDash Invests in EV Startup with Plans to Automate More Deliveries
DoorDash is investing in Also’s $200 million Series C round and launching a multi‑year partnership to develop autonomous electric‑vehicle delivery units. The collaboration builds on DoorDash’s earlier Dot robot rollout and aims to create purpose‑built, small EVs that can navigate bike lanes...
PR-DC Introduces the First Military-Certified Multicopter Capable of Launching Three Aircraft Rockets
PR‑DC unveiled the IKA‑ROCKET, the world’s first military‑certified multicopter capable of launching three aircraft rockets. The system, built on the IKA‑20‑M hexacopter, passed internal tests that proved it can fire rockets from all three launch positions while hovering and during...
DroneShield Partners with Kinetic Interceptor Manufacturer with Origin Robotics MOU
DroneShield and Origin Robotics have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine DroneShield’s sensor‑fusion detection suite with Origin’s autonomous BLAZE interceptor drones. The partnership aims to deliver a seamless detect‑track‑engage capability against emerging threats such as low‑cost Shahed loitering munitions....
This Industrial Name Is Down in 2026. Why Jefferies Thinks It's Time to Buy the Dip
Emerson Electric (EMR) received a Buy upgrade from Jefferies, which lifted its price target to $175, implying about 42% upside from the latest close. The firm’s pivot to industrial automation has boosted order growth 9% year‑over‑year, driven by five strategic...
Why China’s New Humanoid Robot Standards Could Change the Industry
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released its first national standard system for humanoid robots in February 2026, aiming to unify safety, technical, and ethical requirements. The framework, developed by a 120‑member committee, addresses hardware integrity, predictable software behavior,...
Colruyt Is Rolling Out a Driverless Delivery Vehicle in Leuven
Colruyt Group’s Collect&Go is piloting an unmanned electric delivery vehicle in Leuven from mid‑May through August, marking Belgium’s first autonomous vehicle on public roads without a fixed route. The compact vehicle, limited to 25 km/h, can transport groceries for two customers,...
UK Royal Navy Awards Teledyne Contract for Underwater Gliders
Teledyne Marine has secured a UK Ministry of Defence contract to provide autonomous ocean observing systems—including Sentinel and Slocum gliders and APEX floats—for the Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Data Gathering (FMDG) program. The equipment will expand the Navy’s unmanned fleet,...
UK Drone Rules Just Got Way Easier to Understand
Grey Arrows Drone Club has integrated every UK council’s byelaw, PSPO and local policy into its Drone Scene app, creating a comprehensive map of local drone restrictions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The update adds a traffic‑light colour...
Sweden Orders More GAVIA AUV Systems From Teledyne
Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) placed a follow‑on order for additional GAVIA autonomous underwater vehicles and payload modules from Teledyne Marine, signed at the Navy Tech Conference in Gothenburg. The new units build on the four AUVs delivered in early...
MiniV-Bat 234g, 74 Minutes Hover Bicopter
Researchers unveiled the MiniV‑Bat, a 233.7 g micro bicopter that can hover for 74 minutes, setting a new benchmark for endurance in its class. By redefining control to focus on the rotor disc rather than the vehicle’s attitude, the team eliminated non‑minimum...
Resource-Sharing Boosts Robotic Resilience
Researchers at EPFL’s Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory introduced a hyper‑redundancy framework that lets modular robots share power, sensing and communication resources across all units. In the Mori3 origami robot, this local resource‑sharing revived a completely dead module, allowing the four‑module system...
STV Group and Post-Quantum Successfully Trial World’s First Quantum-Resilient Drones
STV Group and UK‑based Post‑Quantum announced the successful trial of the world’s first quantum‑resilient drones, demonstrating secure, future‑proof communications between unmanned aircraft and operators. The tests, conducted in operational environments linked to Ukraine and other allied theatres, proved the drones...
Autonomous UXO Detection Demonstrated with Bayonet 350 AUGV
Greensea IQ demonstrated autonomous detection and classification of unexploded ordnance (UXO) using its Bayonet 350 autonomous underwater ground vehicle (AUGV) at a former military bombing range in Maine. The vehicle towed White River Technologies’ APEX three‑dimensional electromagnetic sensor and, aided by...
Drones and the Future of Urban Logistics: Rethinking Congestion in the Supply Chain
Cities are confronting curb‑side congestion as the primary bottleneck in urban logistics, prompting officials to explore unmanned aerial vehicles as a remedy. In New York, a drone could transport a container from Brooklyn Marine Terminal to Wall Street in under ten...
Drone Surveying without GCPs? Wingtra Says It’s Here
Wingtra introduced the SURVEY61 payload for its WingtraRAY drone, promising survey‑grade accuracy of up to 3 cm without using ground control points. The system leverages a post‑processed kinematic (PPK) workflow and ultra‑high‑resolution imagery to map large sites in minutes rather than...
Sikorsky Collaborates with Robinson Helicopter Company to Integrate MATRIX™ Autonomy Into Robinson R66 TURBINETRUCK
Sikorsky and Robinson Helicopter Company unveiled the R66 TURBINETRUCK, an autonomous cargo helicopter that integrates Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ autonomy suite with Robinson’s R66 airframe. The platform, the 21st aircraft equipped with MATRIX, targets both civil and military logistics, offering rapid reconfiguration...
Embry-Riddle Provides UAS Training Programs for Drone Professionals
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University has launched comprehensive UAS certificate programs covering ground school, multirotor, fixed‑wing, and advanced air mobility training. The curriculum aligns with FAA requirements and prepares pilots for the General Knowledge Test and real‑world commercial missions such as inspection,...
Agility Robotics Secures Commercial Deal with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada
Agility Robotics has signed a Robots-as-a-Service agreement with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada to place seven Digit humanoid robots at the Woodstock, Ontario plant that builds RAV4 SUVs. The robots will automate repetitive logistics tasks such as loading and unloading totes...
Sphere Brings HubT Drone Manufacturing In-House to Speed Deployments
Sphere, an Australian full‑stack tech provider, is moving HubT autonomous drone hardware manufacturing entirely in‑house. The shift includes enclosure fabrication, electrical integration and compliance testing, enabling faster, repeatable production cycles. New trailer and skid deployment configurations reduce site preparation, while...
Energy-Efficient Robotics: Designing Greener Automation Systems for a Power-Constrained Future
Energy consumption is emerging as a primary design constraint as robotics scale across manufacturing, logistics, and field operations. Advances in motor efficiency, lightweight materials, and wide‑bandgap power electronics are delivering incremental gains that compound across large fleets. AI‑driven power management...
Q&A: Robots Can't Feel, but Novel Sensors Could Change That
Researchers at Penn State have developed a flexible pressure‑sensor array using reduced graphene oxide aerogel, creating an electronic skin capable of ultrahigh sensitivity and a broad pressure range. Each 8 mm sensor supports roughly three ounces of force and endures over...
Construction Data Woes Hold Back Robot Use
Construction firms are deploying robots and AI to automate tasks like wall layout scanning and schedule analysis, promising faster decisions and risk mitigation. However, executives at New York Build 2026 warned that these tools are only as reliable as the...
Autonomous Railcar Builder Signs Short Line Operator
Intramotev, a developer of autonomous freight railcars, announced a new partnership with short‑line operator R.J. Corman Railroad Company. The company’s TugVolt railcars will be deployed on Corman’s 113‑mile Memphis Line, serving 30 customers across Kentucky and Tennessee. R.J. Corman, which...
Robots with Different Bodies Can Now Share Skills: What Intention-Based Learning Changes
Researchers introduced Intention‑Aligned Imitation Learning (IAIL), a method that lets robots share skills by focusing on high‑level goals expressed in natural language rather than exact motions. Published in Science Robotics, the approach was validated on seven heterogeneous robots across 30...
Universal Robots and Scale AI Unveil UR AI Trainer at GTC
Universal Robots announced the UR AI Trainer, a joint solution with Scale AI, at NVIDIA’s GTC 2026. The system uses a leader‑follower robot configuration to record high‑fidelity motion, force and visual data for training vision‑language‑action models. Integrated with UR’s AI...
DHL Supply Chain Accelerates Automation Deployments with SVT Robotics SOFTBOT Platform
DHL Supply Chain announced deployment of SVT Robotics' SOFTBOT platform across its global warehouse network. The plug‑and‑play solution lets DHL integrate new robotics up to twelve times faster than its previous custom‑coding approach, shrinking rollout times from weeks to hours....
Robotics Out to Revolutionize Construction Industry in Philippines
Magis X is launching robotic construction systems in the Philippines, teaming up with Danish 3D‑printing leader COBOD and global partners such as PERI, Holcim and General Electric. The technology uses robotic concrete extrusion guided by digital models to build structural...
How Aigen Transformed Agricultural Robotics for Sustainable Farming with Amazon SageMaker AI
Aigen, a maker of autonomous weed‑removing robots, migrated its machine‑learning pipeline to Amazon SageMaker AI to overcome on‑premises bottlenecks. By automating data labeling with vision foundation models and leveraging SageMaker’s distributed training, the company boosted labeling throughput 20‑fold and cut...
EVS to Debut T-Motion Robotics at 2026 NAB Show
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, EVS will launch T‑Motion, a robotics suite built on its recent Telemetrics and XD Motion acquisitions. The portfolio includes a six‑axis camera arm, roving platform, robotic jib, track system, elevating pedestal and...
HEAPGrasp: A Faster, Smarter Way for Robots to Handle Tricky Objects
Researchers at Tokyo University of Science introduced HEAPGrasp, a novel robot grasping system that relies solely on RGB images to reconstruct 3D shapes of transparent, reflective, and opaque objects. By extracting silhouettes from multiple viewpoints and using a shape‑from‑silhouette algorithm...
Chinese Humanoid Robot Slaps Child in Viral Demo Mishap, Sparking Safety Concerns
On March 21 in Shaanxi, China, a Unitree G1 humanoid robot accidentally slapped a young boy in the face while performing a choreographed spin. The 35‑kilogram (≈77‑lb) machine kept executing its routine even as handlers tried to intervene, prompting a viral...
Airbus’ Uncrewed Bird of Prey Interceptor Autonomously Engages Kamikaze Drone with Frankenburg Missile
Airbus demonstrated its Bird of Prey uncrewed interceptor in northern Germany, where the drone autonomously located and engaged a simulated kamikaze threat using a Mark I air‑to‑air missile from Frankenburg Technologies. The prototype, derived from a Do‑DT25 platform, carried four lightweight...
Skyports Drone Services Brings Automated BVLOS “Drone-in-a-Box” Aerial Surveying to German Construction Leader HOCHTIEF, Piloted From Spain
Skyports Drone Services has deployed an automated BVLOS “drone‑in‑a‑box” system at HOCHTIEF’s Rheinbrücke Leverkusen bridge site in Germany, with all flights piloted remotely from its Madrid operation centre. The weekly surveys generate 2D and 3D outputs via DroneDeploy, giving HOCHTIEF...
Voyager Awarded Contract with Icarus Robotics
Voyager Technologies announced a mission‑management contract with Icarus Robotics to fly the free‑flying Joyride robot on the International Space Station. The agreement covers payload integration, safety certification, launch coordination, on‑orbit operations planning and real‑time execution support. Voyager leverages its heritage...
Neolix Scales RoboVan-as-a-Service Model, Accelerates Expansion Across China and Overseas
Neolix announced that its RoboVan-as-a-Service (RaaS) model has processed over 1.5 million on‑demand delivery orders and logged more than 40 million kilometers of autonomous driving across Chinese cities. In Qingdao, the company now runs one of the largest single‑city autonomous fleets, handling...
A3 Launches Introduction to Industrial Robotics Course
Association for Advancing Automation (A3) has introduced an on‑demand Introduction to Industrial Robotics course, a 2.5‑hour program aimed at professionals across manufacturing and operations. The curriculum offers a vendor‑neutral, system‑level view that blends business and technical concepts, with pricing set...
HMND 01 Alpha Goes to Work: Humanoid Completes Automotive Manufacturing Logistics POC with SAP and Martur Fompak
Humanoid’s HMND 01 Alpha wheeled robot completed a live‑production logistics proof of concept with SAP and Martur Fompak, demonstrating autonomous picking and delivery in an automotive factory. The robot received task orders from SAP’s Business AI, navigated to pallets, retrieved KLT...
