RobotToday Weekly Industry Briefing: Feb 2 – 6, 2026

Summary

Post-CES 2026, robotics moved from demos to deployment, with China commanding about 90% of global humanoid rollouts. Skild AI’s $1.4B raise underscored investor focus on software-defined robot intelligence. Momentum built as Boston Dynamics aligned with Google DeepMind, FedEx deployed autonomous unloading, and Carbon Robotics scaled plant AI. North American robot orders rose 6.6% in 2025, reflecting a shift toward autonomy, efficiency, and real-world performance.

Top Stories

Feb 5 — China Seizes Global Lead in Humanoid Robotics as Deployment Accelerates China now controls 90% of the global humanoid robot market, dominating production and deployment as domestic manufacturers rapidly scale commercial operations ahead of international competitors. Source

Feb 6 — Boston Dynamics Bets on Foundation AI in Renewed DeepMind Partnership Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind announced a partnership to integrate Gemini Robotics foundation models into the Atlas humanoid, marking renewed collaboration a decade after Google sold its robotics division to SoftBank. Source

Feb 6 — ISS Trials Flying Robots and VR as Space Operations Turn Autonomous Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are testing free-flying robots and virtual-reality tools, advancing autonomous systems for microgravity research and future space missions. Source

Market & Financials

Jan 15 (reported Feb 6) — Skild AI Raises $1.4B as Investors Back a Universal Robot Brain Skild AI raised $1.4B led by SoftBank, tripling its valuation to $14B in seven months, with participation from NVentures, Bezos Expeditions, Samsung, and LG Technology Ventures, bringing total funding to $1.83B. Source

Jan 29 (reported Feb 2) — RobCo Secures $100M to Scale Autonomous Industrial Robots RobCo closed a $100M Series C led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lingotto Innovation to expand deployment of its autonomous industrial robotics platform across U.S. and European manufacturing sites. Source

Feb 5 — Space Robotics Market Set to Reach $14.5B as Orbital Services Expand The space robotics market is projected to reach $14.5B by 2033, growing at a 12.5% CAGR as satellite servicing, orbital manufacturing, and lunar missions drive demand. Source

Feb 6 — Industrial Robotics Revenue Hits Record $16.7B, Says IFR Global industrial robotics revenue reached an all-time high of $16.7B, with the IFR forecasting continued growth driven by AI autonomy, humanoids, and labor-shortage pressures. Source

Feb 6 — Robotic Arm Market Poised for Long-Term Expansion Through 2035 The industrial robotic arm market is projected to reach $45.41B by 2035, supported by rising adoption across manufacturing, logistics, and service industries. Source

Feb 6 — China’s Humanoid Race Shifts From Hardware to AI Brains Chinese humanoid robot makers are pivoting from mechanical differentiation toward intelligent models and AI software as commercial competition intensifies. Source

Feb 6 — Service Robotics Market Forecast to Surpass $209B by 2031 The service robotics market is expected to exceed $209B by 2031, with autonomous systems accounting for more than 80% of total market value across healthcare, hospitality, retail, and logistics. Source

Feb 6 — Oil and Gas Robotics Gains Momentum as Market Heads Toward $205B Robotics deployment in oil and gas is expanding rapidly, driven by offshore inspection, pipeline monitoring, and hazardous-environment automation. Source

Product Launches & Breakthroughs

Feb 2 — Carbon Robotics Introduces ‘Large Plant Model’ Trained on 150 Million Crops Carbon Robotics launched the world’s first Large Plant Model, a foundational AI system trained on 150 million plants to advance precision agriculture and automation efficiency. Source

Feb 3 — FedEx Deploys Fully Autonomous Trailer Unloader in Logistics Operations FedEx launched Berkshire Grey’s autonomous robotic trailer unloader “Scoop,” using physical AI to improve safety and efficiency in bulk-handling logistics. Source

Feb 6 — RoboDK Targets Faster Robotic Machining With New CAM Software RoboDK released a CAM software solution that cuts robotic machining deployment time by up to 40% by automatically generating robot code from CAD designs. Source

Feb 6 — IDEKO Advances Flexible Robotic Cells for Aerospace Composites IDEKO developed sensorized robotic cells under the ROBOCOMP project to automate composite machining for aerospace manufacturing and support zero-emission targets by 2050. Source

Feb 6 — Harvard’s New 3D Printing Method Enables Shape-Morphing Soft Robots Harvard engineers unveiled a 3D-printing technique that allows soft robots to bend, twist, and grasp on command, advancing adaptive manipulation capabilities. Source

Feb 6 — AutoFlight Unveils World’s First 5-Ton Heavy-Lift eVTOL Drone AutoFlight introduced Matrix, a 5-ton heavy-lift eVTOL drone designed for industrial logistics and large-scale autonomous aerial transport. Source

Feb 6 — ADR and Intel Bring Edge AI Underground for Mining Automation ADR and Intel detailed how edge AI technologies are enabling autonomous robotic operations in underground mining environments. Source

This weekly briefing is designed as a curated overview rather than a complete news log. For ongoing coverage and real-time global robotics developments, the Industry Briefing channel provides continuous updates throughout the week.