Robotics & Autonomy

Amazon operates over 1 million robots in its warehouses and plans to expand its fleet with more capable robot workers. This growth raises questions about the future of human employment alongside increasing automation.

DeepSeek is backing a new startup founded by an ex-Tencent AI scientist that is building AI for robots. The investment aims to deploy capital from DeepSeek's own financing to support the rapidly growing field.

The path for self-driving trucks is becoming clearer, with significant progress being made in overcoming the obstacles that have previously hindered their widespread adoption. This development is largely attributed to the accelerating role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the transportation…

Odyssey-3, a new generative world model, has been released as a public research preview. This 14-billion-parameter model can generate interactive environments from text prompts in real time and control various systems.

Zalando, a leading European online fashion retailer, is strategically expanding its investment in robotics to address the notoriously complex and unpredictable world of customer returns. This initiative builds directly upon the company's prior success in deploying AI-powered robots to manage…

The burgeoning field of drone delivery is necessitating a new class of aviation professionals: Remote Pilots in Command (RPICs), who function as air traffic controllers for unmanned aerial vehicles. Trevor Wischnewsky, an RPIC at FlyTrex, exemplifies this emerging role.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the startup Rek, aiming to halt its controversial robot versus human cage matches. This action, reported by The New York Times, follows an event held on September 18th…

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle technology subsidiary, has secured a significant $5 billion debt financing package from investment management firms Blackstone and PIMCO. This marks the first instance of Waymo utilizing debt financing to fuel its operations and expansion.

Tesla engaged in extensive efforts over several months to influence the Dutch vehicle regulator, RDW, regarding its review of the "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" system. These efforts included challenging a €365,000 bill associated with the review process, as detailed in emails…

Uber and the autonomous vehicle technology company Pony.ai announced on Thursday that they will commence testing of Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis in London within the coming weeks. This collaboration marks a significant step towards introducing autonomous ride-hailing services to the UK…

The current hype surrounding humanoid robots, fueled by the success of AI models like ChatGPT and Claude, is met with skepticism from many researchers. These experts argue that the intelligence developed for language and image processing may not be sufficient…

Nvidia has committed billions of dollars to the development of physical artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, extending its focus beyond AI data centers to encompass robotics and self-driving cars. A significant portion of this investment is directed towards creating comprehensive safety…

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have fueled significant optimism regarding the future of robotics, particularly humanoid robots. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has been a vocal proponent, envisioning his company's Optimus robot as a transformative product capable of automating vast…

Mecka AI, a startup focused on collecting and analyzing human motion data for robot training, announced it has secured $60 million in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital. This significant investment aims to accelerate the development of more sophisticated…

Tesla, under the leadership of Elon Musk, is actively pressuring European regulators to expedite the approval process for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. Musk and a significant online following have asserted that delays in FSD's European rollout will result…

A Tesla Cybercab experienced a significant structural failure during a crash in Philadelphia this week, losing the entire outer panel of its driver-side door. The incident occurred on Broad Street, a major thoroughfare in the city.

German regulators have indicated their support for approving Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system for use across Europe, a significant step towards broader market access for the advanced driver-assistance technology. However, the approval comes with a crucial condition: Tesla must rename…

Parallel Systems, a startup co-founded by former SpaceX engineers, announced on October 26, 2023, that it has raised $100 million in Series B funding. This significant investment is earmarked for scaling the production of its innovative autonomous electric rail vehicles…

The burgeoning drone delivery business faces significant challenges that extend beyond obtaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for flights, particularly concerning public interaction and the practicalities of widespread deployment. For over a decade, the narrative surrounding drone delivery has centered…

The burgeoning driverless car industry is confronting a fundamental branding challenge: as vehicles transition from owned possessions to summoned services, the traditional brand loyalty associated with car manufacturers like Ford or Volkswagen is diminishing.