Industrial

Latest news and articles about industrial

Carbon Robotics built an AI model that detects and identifies plants

Carbon Robotics unveiled its Large Plant Model (LPM), an AI system trained on 150 million labeled plant images that enables its autonomous laser weeding robots to instantly recognize and identify new weed species without retraining. The breakthrough allows farmers to command the robots to target new plants in real-time through a simple user interface, eliminating the previous 24-hour labeling and retraining process required for each new weed variant.

TechCrunch Robotics2d ago

What evolving robot standards mean for implementations of cobots

New ISO 10218 standards published in 2025 unify safety requirements for industrial robots and cobots into a single standard series, eliminating the previous robot/cobot distinction and instead classifying any system where operators and robots share space as a collaborative application. The updated standards are intended to improve safety and will require designers, OEMs, and end users to adjust their compliance and implementation approaches for both traditional industrial robots and collaborative robots.

Robotics Business Review3d ago

Top 10 robotics developments of January 2026

This article is a curated roundup of the 10 most significant robotics developments from January 2026, spanning major announcements including Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid working with Google's DeepMind, Microsoft's Rho-alpha vision-language-action model for robots, Amazon's acquisition of Rightbot for logistics automation, and autonomous system debuts from companies like Doosan Bobcat and Neocis. The piece highlights the industry's shift from theoretical capabilities to real-world deployments across humanoids, industrial automation, AI models, and commercial applications.

Robotics Business Review4d ago

Robot Talk Episode 142 - Collaborative robot arms, with Mark Gray

Robot Talk Episode 142 features an interview with Mark Gray from Universal Robots discussing collaborative robot arms (cobots) that work alongside humans. Gray, with 30 years of experience in automation, shares insights from his work as Universal Robots' first UK country manager and his collaborations with major research institutes including AMRC, MTC, the National Robotarium, and Bristol Robotics Lab.

Robohub5d ago

First patient enrolls in clinical trial for Wandercraft Atalante X exoskeleton

Wandercraft's Atalante X self-balancing exoskeleton has enrolled its first patient in a clinical trial at Brigham and Women's Hospital to evaluate its safety and effectiveness in helping thoracic surgery patients mobilize in intensive care. The FDA-cleared, hands-free exoskeleton is being tested in a first-of-its-kind interventional pilot study designed to assess whether robotic assistance can enable earlier and safer patient mobilization compared to current clinical practices.

Robotics Business Review5d ago

Webinar examines evolving automated storage and retrieval systems

A webinar scheduled for February 4, 2026 will examine the evolution of automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), exploring how robotic shuttles, AI-powered routing, and advanced software are making these systems more flexible and intelligent while comparing them with alternative approaches like AMRs and micro-fulfillment centers. Expert panelists from leading ASRS integrators and robot providers will discuss the capabilities unlocked by AI, ROI considerations, and the future of warehouse automation.

Robotics Business Review5d ago

Mercedes-Benz Unveils New S-Class Built on NVIDIA DRIVE AV, Which Enables an L4-Ready Architecture

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a new S-Class built on NVIDIA's DRIVE AV platform, featuring a level 4-ready autonomous driving architecture designed for future robotaxi operations. The vehicle integrates NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion with sensor redundancy, multimodal perception, and parallel AI/safety stacks to handle complex driving scenarios, and will be deployed through Uber's mobility network as part of a strategic partnership between the automakers and NVIDIA.

NVIDIA Blog AI6d ago

RobCo raises Series C funding to scale industrial automation

RobCo GmbH has raised $100 million in Series C funding to scale its physical AI-powered autonomous manufacturing platform across the U.S. and Europe. The Munich-based startup combines modular hardware with self-learning software to enable industrial robots to acquire task-specific skills through demonstration rather than manual programming, with deployments across manufacturers including BMW and various mid-size enterprises.

Robotics Business Review6d ago

Into the Omniverse: Physical AI Open Models and Frameworks Advance Robots and Autonomous Systems

NVIDIA announced a comprehensive suite of open physical AI models and frameworks at CES 2026 to accelerate robotics and autonomous systems development, including new tools for simulation, synthetic data generation, and edge deployment. The stack was demonstrated through real-world applications including Caterpillar's AI-assisted heavy equipment, LEM Surgical's FDA-cleared robotic surgical system, and NEURA Robotics' humanoid and service robots, all leveraging NVIDIA's Omniverse, Isaac, and foundation model technologies.

NVIDIA Blog AI6d ago

ABB Robotics seeks to standardize measurement of robot energy consumption

ABB Robotics announced a standardization initiative to develop a global ISO technical specification for measuring energy consumption and efficiency of industrial robots, addressing the lack of uniform measurement standards that currently makes it difficult for customers to compare robot energy efficiency. Working with the Swedish Institute for Standards and experts from 11 countries, ABB aims to complete the technical specification by August 2026 to help reduce the industry's carbon footprint and support sustainable manufacturing practices.

Robotics Business Review6d ago

9 weeks to 9 days: How autonomous drilling is transforming data center construction

DEWALT and August Robotics have partnered to develop an autonomous drilling system that mounts a DEWALT concrete drill on August Robotics' Lionel autonomous mobile robot for data center construction. The system reduces floor preparation time from 8-9 weeks to 7-9 days with four robots, achieving 99.97% placement accuracy and lowering cost per hole from $60 to $20, with commercial availability expected mid-2026.

Robotics Business Review6d ago

OpenMind Unveils Robot App Store

OpenMind has launched a robot app store platform designed to improve software access for robot operators and facilitate broader adoption of robotics. The platform aims to streamline how robotic systems are deployed and managed across organizations.

AI Business1/29/2026

OnRobot to share automation roadmap advice in Dallas

OnRobot is hosting a "Build your Automation Roadmap" event in Dallas on February 19 to demonstrate practical automation solutions for North Texas manufacturers facing labor shortages. The event will feature live demonstrations of FANUC robots equipped with OnRobot end-of-arm tooling for applications like machine tending, material handling, and assembly, with experts on hand to help manufacturers move from considering automation to confident implementation.

Robotics Business Review6d ago

Gartner predicts fewer than 20 companies will deploy humanoids at scale by 2028

Gartner predicts that fewer than 20 companies will deploy humanoid robots in production for supply chain and manufacturing by 2028, despite nearly 200 humanoid companies existing today. The research firm cites technological limitations, high costs, integration challenges, and energy constraints as major barriers, and suggests that polyfunctional robots with wheels and alternative designs may be better suited for warehouse and logistics operations than humanoid form factors.

Robotics Business Review1/28/2026

Should companies replace human workers with robots? Study takes a closer look

Binghamton University researchers published a study in the Journal of Organizational Behavior examining human-robot collaboration in the workplace, finding that companies may gain greater competitive advantage through complementary human-robot integration rather than simple worker replacement. The study argues that collaborative approaches foster better employee commitment and organizational learning, while purely substitutive automation strategies can be easily replicated by competitors and may undermine efficiency gains.

Phys.org Robotics1/27/2026

Robotiq brings sense of touch to physical AI with fingertips for 2F grippers

Robotiq launched the TSF-85 tactile sensor fingertips for its 2F-85 Adaptive Gripper, enabling robots to sense and manipulate objects through touch using capacitor-based sensing technology. The product combines adaptive gripping with high-frequency tactile sensing (1000 Hz micro-slip detection) and is based on academic research from École de technologie supérieure, aiming to give industrial robots better perception and manipulation capabilities at scale.

Robotics Business Review1/27/2026

Big robot on campus: Starship finds 97% student approval rating

Starship Technologies released survey results showing 95% approval of its autonomous delivery robots among 5,000 students across 65 U.S. college campuses, demonstrating widespread acceptance of autonomous technology in everyday environments. The company has completed over 9 million deliveries worldwide and 1.5 million miles on U.S. campuses in 2025, with students citing benefits including improved food accessibility, reduced stress, and safer late-night delivery options.

Robotics Business Review1/27/2026

Scientists develop advanced low-damping impedance control for collaborative robots

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Liverpool developed an adaptive jerk control method to improve low-damping impedance control in collaborative robots, addressing force-tracking errors and system instability in industrial applications. The novel control framework expands the stable parameter range for cobots and demonstrates improved force-tracking accuracy and contact stability, with potential applications in high-end manufacturing tasks like impact riveting and precision assembly.

Phys.org Robotics1/27/2026

Multiply Labs partners with AstraZeneca to automate cell therapy manufacturing

Multiply Labs announced a partnership with AstraZeneca to evaluate GMP-ready robotic systems for automating commercial-scale cell therapy manufacturing. The collaboration will leverage Multiply Labs' multi-arm robotic biomanufacturing platform to automate industry-standard instruments, aiming to increase manufacturing efficiency and scalability while maintaining regulatory standards.

Robotics Business Review1/27/2026

Vention raises $110M to accelerate physical AI deployments in manufacturing

Vention has raised $110 million in Series D funding to advance its physical AI platform for manufacturing automation, which combines hardware, software, and AI to accelerate robotic workcell deployment. The Montreal-based company plans to use the funding to serve enterprise clients, commercialize physical AI applications, expand its end-to-end industrial tech stack, and grow into Europe, with a focus on defense, data center, and end-of-line automation sectors.

Robotics Business Review1/27/2026

PVH reimagines the future of fashion with OpenAI

PVH Corp., parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, is adopting ChatGPT Enterprise to bring AI into fashion design, supply chain, and consumer engagement.

OpenAI Blog1/27/2026

AAA20 Group debuts cobot palletizer for food and protein processing

AAA20 Group is debuting its CP-66-WD wash-down collaborative palletizer at the International Production & Processing Expo, a sanitary automation system designed specifically for food and protein processing with IP69K waterproof rating. The cobot addresses labor shortages in beef processing through a robot-as-a-service model with month-to-month leasing at approximately $5,000 per month, enabling rapid deployment without traditional automation infrastructure costs.

Robotics Business Review1/26/2026

State of robotics industry report 2026

This report draws on reporting, interviews, and analysis from across the global robotics ecosystem, spanning industrial automation, mobile robots, humanoids, autonomous vehicles, investments, and emer...

Robotics Business Review1/26/2026

Thomas Pilz on innovation and safety in robotics

This Robot Report Podcast episode features Thomas Pilz from Pilz GmbH discussing innovation and safety in robotics, alongside coverage of major industry news including iRobot's emergence from bankruptcy under new ownership, Serve Robotics' acquisition of hospital logistics provider Diligent Robotics, and Microsoft Research's announcement of Rho-alpha, a vision-language-action model for robotic manipulation tasks. The episode explores current challenges in the rapidly evolving robotics landscape and emerging technologies shaping the industry.

The Robot Report1/23/2026

Hadrian raises funding for automated manufacturing, bringing valuation to $1.6B

Hadrian, an AI-powered manufacturing automation company, raised funding that values it at $1.6 billion, with plans to accelerate factory expansion and advance its automated manufacturing platform for aerospace and defense. The company uses its proprietary Opus software stack to build production-ready factories in under six months and is launching a new division focused on scalable additive manufacturing for the U.S. defense industrial base.

Robotics Business Review1/25/2026

Registration opens for Robotics Summit & Expo 2026

Agility Robotics, Amazon Robotics, ASTM International, AWS, Brain Corp, GM, Harmonic Drive, maxon, PickNik Robotics, QNX, RealSense, Robust AI, Tesla, Toyota Research Institute, Universal Robots, and...

The Robot Report1/23/2026

Video Friday: Humans and Robots Team Up in Battlefield Triage

DARPA-supported research demonstrates a quadruped robot working alongside human medics to assist in battlefield triage by helping identify and prioritize critical injuries among casualties. The project showcases practical human-robot collaboration in high-stakes medical scenarios.

IEEE Spectrum Robotics1/23/2026

iRobot emerges from Chapter 11 as restructured Picea U.S. subsidiary

iRobot has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy following Shenzhen Picea Robotics' acquisition, with the company restructured as a privately held entity. As part of the deal, iRobot established iRobot Safe Corp., a U.S.-based subsidiary with an independent board to protect consumer data and maintain separation from Chinese ownership, addressing regulatory and privacy concerns that had previously blocked Amazon's acquisition attempt.

The Robot Report1/23/2026

Vine-inspired robotic gripper gently lifts heavy and fragile objects

MIT and Stanford University researchers have developed a vine-inspired robotic gripper that uses inflatable pneumatic tubes to gently wrap around and lift fragile objects, heavy items, and even people. The soft robotic system can navigate tight spaces and has applications in agricultural harvesting, cargo handling, and eldercare settings where it could safely assist with patient transfers.

Robohub1/23/2026

LivsMed completes Korean IPO to accelerate remote robotic surgery

LivsMed completed a Korean IPO on KOSDAQ, raising $94 million and achieving a $1 billion valuation to fund development of its STARK robotic surgery system and expand its portfolio of minimally invasive surgical instruments. The company recently demonstrated remote surgical capabilities with its STARK robot operating across long distances, partnering with telesurgery provider Sovato, and plans to pursue U.S. regulatory approval.

The Robot Report1/22/2026

NVIDIA DRIVE AV Raises the Bar for Vehicle Safety as Mercedes-Benz CLA Earns Top Euro NCAP Award

Mercedes-Benz CLA equipped with NVIDIA DRIVE AV software won Euro NCAP's Best Performer of 2025 award, achieving the highest overall safety score by combining passive safety features with AI-powered driver assistance systems. The DRIVE AV platform uses a dual-stack architecture pairing end-to-end AI driving with classical safety systems, incorporating sensor redundancy and achieving ISO 26262 ASIL D compliance for autonomous vehicle safety.

NVIDIA Blog AI1/22/2026

Festo introduces AI-based predictive maintenance platform to improve automation uptime

Festo introduced AX Motion Insights, an AI-based predictive maintenance platform designed to reduce unplanned downtime in industrial automation systems like conveyors, sortation systems, and material-handling equipment. The platform combines predictive analytics with maintenance workflows and offers flexible deployment options for on-premises and cloud environments, integrating with Festo's existing software lineup and third-party maintenance management systems.

The Robot Report1/21/2026

Boston Dynamics releases Spot and Orbit 5.1 with new Spot Cam

Boston Dynamics released version 5.1 of its Spot quadruped robot and Orbit fleet management software, featuring improved AI models for visual inspection, a new Spot Cam 2 with 4K PTZ camera and acoustic imaging capabilities, and new autonomous behaviors including door opening and security patrol missions. The update enables Spot to perform more complex facility inspections and monitoring tasks with enhanced perception capabilities across multiple sensor types.

The Robot Report1/21/2026

"Largest Infrastructure Buildout In Human History": Jensen Huang on AI's "Five-Layer Cake" at Davos

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang described AI as the foundation of the largest infrastructure buildout in human history at the World Economic Forum in Davos, framing it as a five-layer platform spanning energy, chips, data centers, AI models, and applications. Huang argued that AI will create jobs across the economy rather than eliminate them, as productivity gains in fields like radiology and nursing enable workers to focus on higher-value tasks while demand for skilled labor increases across manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries.

NVIDIA Blog AI1/21/2026

Microsoft Research reveals Rho-alpha vision-language-action model for robots

Microsoft Research announced Rho-alpha (ρα), a vision-language-action model derived from its Phi series that enables robots to perceive, reason, and act autonomously by integrating tactile sensing and learning from human feedback. The model translates natural language commands into control signals for bimanual manipulation tasks and is being evaluated on dual-arm cobots and humanoid robots, with training enhanced through simulation, physical demonstrations, and reinforcement learning.

The Robot Report1/21/2026

Handy robot can crawl and pick up objects from multiple angles

Researchers have developed a detachable robotic hand with symmetrical five or six-finger designs that can crawl independently and grasp objects from multiple angles, addressing limitations of traditional asymmetric robotic hands. The hand can retrieve up to three objects sequentially, hold items weighing up to 2kg, and replicate 33 human grasp types, with potential applications in industrial, service, and exploratory robotics including access to confined spaces.

Phys.org Robotics1/21/2026

Serve Robotics to acquire hospital logistics provider Diligent Robotics

Serve Robotics is acquiring hospital logistics provider Diligent Robotics for $29 million, gaining access to Moxi, a mobile manipulation robot currently operating in over 25 hospitals. The acquisition marks Serve's entry into indoor environments and healthcare, while combining Serve's outdoor autonomous fleet expertise with Diligent's mobile manipulation capabilities and real-world deployment experience.

The Robot Report1/20/2026

Konnex raises funding to advance robotics-as-a-service offering

Konnex, a robotics-as-a-service startup, raised $15 million in funding to build a marketplace and protocol enabling autonomous robots to be contracted for physical work like software applications. The platform aims to break down siloed automation systems by allowing robots to be easily deployed, verified, and paid through blockchain-based settlement, treating robotic labor as a verifiable, liquid asset across industries.

The Robot Report1/20/2026

Rad Power Bikes warehouse catches fire following flammable battery warnings

In a strange twist of fate, a fire broke out this week at the Rad Power Bikes retail store warehouse in Huntington Beach, California, Electrek reports. The structural blaze came less than two months a...

Engadget1/20/2026

Meet MassRobotics' 5th Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst cohort

MassRobotics announced its fifth Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst cohort, featuring 11 startups developing robotic technologies for clinical care, hospital operations, and laboratory automation. The five-month mentorship program running January-May 2026 connects founders with industry experts and culminates in showcases at Healthcare in Robotics Week and the Robotics Summit & Expo, with solutions ranging from AI-guided dentistry to pharmacy automation and surgical robotics.

The Robot Report1/20/2026

Chinese robotics outlook for 2026 includes cobot growth, competitive pressure

China's robotics market is expected to grow 5-9% in 2026, with collaborative robots outpacing broader industrial robot sales and increasing emphasis on intelligent solutions for differentiation. Chinese companies like X Square, TARS, and AgiBot are attracting significant venture capital for embodied AI development, with X Square raising $140 million in January 2026 to advance its foundation models for physical AI, while Unitree's anticipated IPO could mark a major milestone for Chinese robotics listings.

The Robot Report1/19/2026

How YC-backed Bucket Robotics survived its first CES

Bucket Robotics, a YC-backed startup founded by former autonomous vehicle engineer Matt Puchalski, made its debut at CES 2026 with an AI-powered vision inspection system for manufacturing quality control. The company uses advanced computer vision and synthetic data generation from CAD files to automate surface defect detection on industrial parts like car door handles, addressing a gap in manufacturing automation that currently relies on manual inspection.

TechCrunch Robotics1/18/2026

The hidden technology behind fluid robot motion

This article explains the key technologies enabling fluid, smooth robot motion in cobots and soft robots, including pneumatic artificial muscles, strain wave gears, central pattern generators, and electroactive polymers. The piece discusses how these mechanisms improve precision, human-robot collaboration, and enable robots to operate in constrained spaces and delicate applications like surgery and emergency response.

The Robot Report1/18/2026

Botsync brings in investment from SGInnovate to continue scaling robots, software

Singapore-based Botsync secured additional funding from SGInnovate as part of its extended Series A round to scale its autonomous mobile robots and orchestration software for warehouse and factory automation. The company has deployed over 200 systems with 30 enterprise clients including Ford, Caterpillar, and Nestlé, and plans to use the funding to enhance AI analytics, optimize its MAG AMR robots, and expand its multi-vendor fleet orchestration platform across Asia-Pacific and beyond.

The Robot Report1/17/2026Featured

Botsync raises more funding for mobile robot orchestration

Botsync, a company focused on mobile robot orchestration software, has raised additional funding to support its operations. The funding round reflects growing investment in solutions that coordinate autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in industrial and warehouse environments.

Mobile Robot Guide1/16/2026

NEURA Robotics partners with Bosch to advance German-made robotics

NEURA Robotics announced a strategic partnership with Bosch to advance humanoid robotics and physical AI deployment in industrial settings, with plans to jointly collect real-world production data and co-develop AI software to improve robotic capabilities. The company also unveiled its new Quadruped and 4NE1 Mini robots at CES 2026, both integrated with NEURA's Neuraverse ecosystem, and expanded operations with a new Zurich hub for physical AI research and development.

The Robot Report1/16/2026

IFR names top 5 global robotics trends of 2026

The International Federation of Robotics identified the top five trends shaping the robotics industry in 2026, with the global industrial robot market reaching $16.7 billion. Key trends include AI-driven robot autonomy through analytical and generative AI, increased robot versatility via IT/OT convergence, humanoid robots moving from prototypes to real-world industrial deployment, and growing emphasis on safety and security as robots work alongside humans.

The Robot Report1/16/2026

Humanoid and Siemens complete logistics robot proof of concept

Humanoid and Siemens have completed a proof of concept for a logistics robot, demonstrating the application of autonomous mobile robots in industrial settings. The collaboration showcases the integration of robotics with manufacturing and logistics automation solutions.

Mobile Robot Guide1/16/2026

Humanoid and Siemens proof of concept shows the way to industrial deployments

Humanoid and Siemens completed a proof of concept demonstrating the HMND 01 mobile manipulator robot performing autonomous tote-to-conveyor de-stacking tasks in industrial logistics at a Siemens facility in Germany. The robot met all performance targets including 60 tote moves per hour, >90% pick-and-place success rate, and 8+ hours of uptime, with the partners planning to expand the collaboration across Siemens' facility network.

The Robot Report1/16/2026

Walmart and Wing Launch Major Drone Delivery Expansion from Houston

Walmart and Wing announced a major expansion of their drone delivery partnership, launching operations from five Walmart locations in the Houston area as part of a plan to add 150 store locations across the southern U.S. The autonomous delivery drones use AI-powered route planning and obstacle avoidance technology, with the partnership already completing hundreds of thousands of missions and approximately 1,000 daily deliveries in existing Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta markets.

Drone Life1/16/2026