AI robotics labs are outsourcing the tedious physical work of collecting robot training data to companies like XDOF, highlighting the hidden labor behind AI development.

Amazon introduced a next-generation Proteus warehouse robot with language capabilities for worker-assigned tasks.

Nvidia selected China's Unitree for its first publicly available humanoid robotics system for researchers.

Roomba inventor Joe Jones is back with an AI-powered companion robot designed to behave more like a pet than a household helper.

Ouster unveiled Rev8 color lidar sensors that combine imagery and depth data for robotaxis, drones and robotics perception.

Meta bought Assured Robot Intelligence as it builds AI models and teams for humanoid robotics inside Meta Superintelligence Labs.

Samsung's Project Luna is a round-screen AI robot with a swiveling head, offering a glimpse of the company's vision for consumer AI robotics.

Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots outpaced human runners in a Beijing half-marathon, demonstrating major leaps in autonomous navigation and physical AI.

Robotics startup Physical Intelligence releases π0.7, a general-purpose robot model capable of figuring out tasks it was not explicitly trained to perform.

Driven by acute labor shortages, Japan is scaling physical AI deployments in factories and warehouses, aiming for 30% of the global physical AI market.

Google DeepMind and Agile Robots announced a strategic research partnership to integrate DeepMind's Gemini Robotics models into Agile Robots' industrial platforms, creating a scalable AI flywheel for next-generation autonomous manufacturing.

NVIDIA's Jensen Huang delivered a sweeping GTC 2026 keynote covering DLSS 5 AI gaming software, the NemoClaw AI agent security layer, the NVIDIA AI Agent Toolkit, 110 AI-powered robots, and a vision for the first space-based data center, Vera Rubin Space-1.

Nvidia's GTC 2026 conference opens in San Jose with CEO Jensen Huang's keynote, expected to unveil next-generation AI chips, robotics platforms, and details on the Groq inferencing technology integration.

Palo Alto-based Rhoda AI secured $450 million in Series A funding led by Premji Invest, reaching a $1.7 billion valuation, to develop foundational robotics models trained on publicly available internet videos using its 'Direct Video Action' approach—aiming to give robots the generalization ability that teleoperation alone cannot provide.

Caitlin Kalinowski, head of OpenAI's robotics team, has resigned citing concerns that OpenAI's agreement with the Department of Defense lacked sufficient guardrails against domestic surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons, calling it a governance failure.

Unitree G1 kung fu robots captivate global audience at China's most-watched TV event, with company targeting 20,000 humanoid shipments in 2026.

Chinese Academy of Sciences develops fruit fly-inspired compound eye with 1,027 visual units in 1.5mm sensor, enabling 180-degree vision and chemical detection.

Gather AI secures $40M led by Keith Block's Smith Point Capital for AI-powered warehouse drones using Bayesian curiosity techniques.

China leads global embodied AI development with humanoid robots and autonomous systems, positioning itself as major supplier while US lags behind.

Tesla discloses $2B investment in xAI's Series E funding round, aiming to enhance AI product deployment into the physical world and develop Optimus robots at scale.