RobotToday Weekly Industry Briefing: March 23 – March 27, 2026

SUMMARY

The week of March 21–28, 2026 saw robotics investment and deployment accelerate across every front. Physical Intelligence is reportedly seeking another $1 billion raise, Amazon acquired humanoid maker Fauna Robotics, and China’s ROBOTERA closed a RMB 1 billion round. Agile Robots partnered with Google DeepMind to deploy foundation models on humanoids. Uber launched Europe’s first robotaxi service via Pony.ai and Verne, while Zoox expanded to four US cities. LG and HD Hyundai announced major humanoid supply-chain and partnership moves. Drone activity surged with DJI’s Avata 360 launch, BRINC’s Guardian 911 drone, Skydio’s $52M US Army order, and Wing’s Bay Area expansion.

TOP STORIES

Mar 28 — Physical Intelligence in Talks to Raise $1 Billion Again

The robotics foundation model startup is reportedly in advanced fundraising discussions that would effectively double its $5.6 billion valuation in under four months. | TechCrunch

Mar 27 — Agile Robots to Deploy Google DeepMind Foundation Models on its Humanoid

Agile Robots SE has partnered with Google DeepMind to integrate Gemini Robotics foundation models into its humanoids, targeting high-value industrial use cases in sectors with acute automation demand.| The Robot Report

Mar 26 — Figure AI Humanoid Makes White House Appearance with Melania Trump

Figure AI’s humanoid robot attended a technology education summit hosted by First Lady Melania Trump, marking the first time a humanoid robot appeared as a featured guest at the White House. | CNBC

Mar 23 — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Calls China 'Formidable' in Robotics

At a Silicon Valley podcast, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang said the US robotics industry will have to depend on China’s supply chain for motors and rare earth materials, even as Nvidia bets heavily on physical AI. Source | South China Morning Post

Mar 21 — Boston Dynamics Joins US Push to Shape National Robotics Strategy

Boston Dynamics is participating as a key player in the Special Competitive Studies Project, a private nonprofit studying the impact of AI, robotics, and semiconductors on national security. Source | Korea Herald

MARKET & FINANCIALS

Mar 27 — Shield AI Lands $12.7B Valuation — Up 140% — After US Air Force Deal

Defense AI startup Shield AI’s valuation surged 140% in a year after securing a contract as the software provider to Anduril’s Fury fighter jet for the US Air Force. | TechCrunch

Mar 27 — Serve Robotics Partners with White Castle for Autonomous Delivery on Uber Eats

Serve Robotics has announced a partnership with White Castle to conduct autonomous sidewalk robot deliveries through the Uber Eats platform, with Wedbush analysts highlighting its strong positioning for market share gains. | Yahoo Finance

Mar 27 — Waymo's Weekly Paid Robotaxi Trips Have Increased Tenfold in Under Two Years

New TechCrunch data shows Waymo’s paid autonomous ride volume has grown 10x in less than 24 months, underscoring the rapid commercial scaling of its robotaxi network. | TechCrunch

Mar 26 — Pony.ai Shares Slide as Revenue Falls Despite Robotaxi Surge

Pony.ai reported falling revenues despite expanding its robotaxi fleet, sending shares lower as investors weighed the cost of rapid deployment against near-term financial performance. | Yahoo Finance

Mar 26 — Zoox Sets New Geographic Milestones for its Robotaxi

Amazon-owned Zoox is expanding its purpose-built robotaxi service to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Austin, and Miami, marking the broadest national rollout yet for the driverless vehicle unit. | The Robot Report

Mar 25 — Amazon Acquires Humanoid Developer Fauna Robotics

Amazon’s second robotics startup acquisition this month brings Fauna’s ‘Sprout’ — a 3.5-ft, $50,000 approachable humanoid — into the retail giant’s portfolio as it pursues a measured entry into personal robots. | TechCrunch

Mar 25 — Zipline Raises Another $200M to Fuel Drone Delivery Expansion

Drone delivery pioneer Zipline has raised an additional $200 million in funding, adding to a previous round that valued the startup at $7.6 billion, as it scales autonomous delivery services globally. | TechCrunch

Mar 25 — Lucid Bots Raises $20M Series B to Scale Autonomous Exterior Cleaning Platform

Lucid Bots has closed a $20M Series B co-led by Cubit Capital and Idea Fund Partners, bringing total funding to $34M as its operator network surpasses $75M in completed jobs. | TechCrunch

Mar 25 — Decathlon Boosts Warehouse Productivity with Exotec Robots Across Seven Sites

The world’s largest sporting goods retailer has automated seven of its warehouses using Exotec robots, reporting significant productivity gains while reducing physical strain on human workers. | Business Insider

Mar 24 — Skydio Wins Record $52M US Army Order for 2,500 X10D Drones

The US Army awarded Skydio its largest-ever single-manufacturer small drone procurement, completing the bid-to-award process in under 72 hours, underscoring urgent military demand for domestic drone suppliers. | DroneDJ

Mar 24 — LG's Humanoid Robotics Push: Mass-Production for Joints and Sensing Modules

LG Electronics will reach mass-production capacity for robot joints by end-2026, while LG Innotek targets large-scale output of humanoid sensing modules by 2027–2028, framing a coordinated supply-chain push within the LG Group. | Korea Herald

Mar 24 — HD Hyundai and Persona AI Partner to Develop Welding Humanoids for Shipyards

HD Hyundai signed a joint development agreement with Persona AI and HD Hyundai Robotics to develop and commercialize welding humanoid robots for heavy industrial use in shipyards. Source | Korea Herald

Mar 24 — US Army Tests Apache Helicopter as Launch Platform for Scout-and-Strike Drones

The US Army conducted a key aviation test at Yuma Proving Ground integrating the Apache attack helicopter as a launch platform for autonomous drones designed to scout and strike enemy targets.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 24 — Renault Plans to Deploy 350 Humanoid Robots in Its Factories

French automaker Renault Group has announced plans to deploy 350 humanoid robots across its manufacturing facilities for logistics and heavy industrial tasks. | Interesting Engineering

Mar 24 — TI Partners with NVIDIA to Accelerate Robot Deployments

Texas Instruments announced a partnership with NVIDIA to connect physical AI compute capabilities to real-world robotic applications with deterministic control, sensing, power, and joint-level safety. | The Robot Report

Mar 24 — Comau and Reis Robotics Sign Cooperation Agreement for Advanced Automation

Comau and Reis Robotics have agreed to pursue advanced automation projects across shipbuilding, intralogistics, giga casting, and battery production in Germany, Italy, and globally. Source | Robotics Tomorrow

Mar 23 — ROBOTERA Raises RMB 1 Billion, Valuation Exceeds RMB 10 Billion

Chinese humanoid robotics firm ROBOTERA closed a strategic round backed by 16 domestic and international investors spanning automotive, logistics, semiconductors, and telecommunications sectors. | Robotics Tomorrow

Mar 23 — Canada Establishes National Drone Innovation Hub with $900M Investment

The National Research Council of Canada is establishing a new Drone Innovation Hub to expand domestic capacity in drone and aerospace technology production, positioning Canada as a world leader in autonomous aviation. | DroneLife

Mar 23 — LG Electronics CEO Declares 2026 'Pivotal Year' for Robotics Business

LG Electronics CEO Lyu Jae-cheol told the firm’s annual shareholders meeting the company will ‘completely scale up its robotics-related B2B business,’ targeting smart factories, data center cooling, and home solutions. | Korea Herald

Mar 23 — Intellivix and Tom Shaw Partner on AI Patrol Robot Targeting 2032 Brisbane Olympics

South Korean AI video analytics firm Intellivix and Australian security company Tom Shaw have signed an MoU to jointly develop an autonomous quadruped patrol robot, with deployment at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics as a key milestone. | Korea Herald

PRODUCT LAUNCHES & BREAKTHROUGHS

Mar 27 — 'Roadrunner' Bipedal Wheeled Robot Prototype Unveiled

A new 15-kg bipedal wheeled robot prototype can seamlessly switch between side-by-side and in-line wheel configurations and stepping modes, with a single control policy trained to handle all locomotion modes.  | IEEE Spectrum

Mar 27 — BRINC Unveils Guardian: Next-Gen 911 Drone with Starlink and Robotic Battery Swaps

BRINC launched Guardian, a next-generation Drone as First Responder platform featuring 24/7 operations, Starlink connectivity, autonomous 60 mph pursuit response, and built-in robotic battery swapping. Source | Interesting Engineering

Mar 27 — Microsoft Releases GroundedPlanBench: New AI Benchmark for Robot Planning

Microsoft and academic research partners have built GroundedPlanBench, a new benchmark designed to evaluate AI robots’ ability to determine both what to do and exactly where to act in complex environments.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 27 — VDA 5050 Version 3.0 Released to Help Mixed Mobile Robot Fleets Scale

German association VDMA has released Version 3.0 of the VDA 5050 communications framework, designed as a toolkit for coordinating heterogeneous fleets of autonomous mobile robots at scale.  | The Robot Report

Mar 27 — Snail-Inspired Miniature Robots Developed for Precise Cancer Drug Delivery

University of Manchester researchers are developing soft miniature robots inspired by snail locomotion to deliver anti-cancer drugs with high precision inside the human body.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 26 — DJI Launches Avata 360: First 360-Degree FPV Drone with 8K Capture

DJI launched the Avata 360, its first 360-degree FPV drone featuring dual 1-inch-equivalent sensors, 8K/60fps capture, O4+ transmission, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing — amid an escalating patent dispute with Insta360.  | DroneLife

Mar 26 — China's Humanoid Robot with Lifelike Facial Expressions Can Smile and Emote

China’s humanoid robotics sector is entering a new phase focused on expressive interaction, with a new robot capable of realistic facial expressions including smiling during live human interactions.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 26 — Korea Develops Rapid, Reversible Smart Actuators Without Motors for Next-Gen Robots

Korean researchers have unveiled a breakthrough in smart materials capable of rapid and fully reversible actuation without conventional motors, with potential applications in space, soft robotics, and wearables.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 26 — MIT AI System Learns to Keep Warehouse Robot Traffic Running Smoothly

A new MIT-developed AI system dynamically assigns right-of-way to warehouse robots at every moment, eliminating congestion and significantly increasing throughput in dense multi-robot environments.  | MIT News

Mar 26 — Soft Robots Gain New Capabilities with Embedded Physical Computing Framework

A new framework integrates physical computing directly into soft robot structures, enabling them to process information through their bodies and dramatically enhancing autonomy and adaptability.  | AZoRobotics

Mar 26 — Honda P2 Robot Honoured as IEEE Milestone — 30 Years After it First Walked

IEEE has designated Honda’s P2 robot — the first autonomous bipedal humanoid capable of stable walking, unveiled in 1996 — as an official IEEE Milestone, with a dedication ceremony at the Honda Collection Hall in Japan. | IEEE Spectrum

Mar 26 — Uber Launches Europe's First Robotaxi Service with Pony.ai and Verne

Uber has partnered with Chinese autonomous-driving firm Pony.ai and Croatia’s Verne to launch what it claims is Europe’s first commercially available robotaxi service, starting in Zagreb. | The Verge

Mar 25 — MIT's Smart Wristband Lets Users Control Robotic Hands with Natural Motion

MIT engineers have developed a wearable ultrasound wristband that tracks complex hand and finger movements, allowing users to directly control a robotic hand or manipulate virtual objects in real time. | MIT News

Mar 25 — Ericsson Features Realbotix Robot in World-First 6G Trial Demonstration

Ericsson selected a Realbotix humanoid robot as the centrepiece of a world-first live 6G network trial demonstration, showcasing ultra-low-latency remote robot control enabled by next-generation connectivity. | Robotics Tomorrow

Mar 25 — Wing Drone Delivery Expands to San Francisco Bay Area

Alphabet’s Wing has announced plans to launch its ultra-fast residential drone delivery service across the San Francisco Bay Area in the coming months. | DroneDJ

Mar 25 — China's First Approved Vascular Robot Achieves 100% Success Rate in Clinical Trial

China’s YDHB-NS01 domestically produced vascular surgical robot achieved a perfect success rate in clinical trials, marking a significant advance in domestic medical robotics and regulatory approval.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 24 — China's Titan 01 Humanoid Robot Mimics Human Actions Instantly with AI

Chinese startup Westlake Robotics has introduced Titan 01, a humanoid robot powered by its proprietary AI that enables real-time mirroring of human actions with low latency.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 23 — All-in-One Agricultural Robot Handles Cutting, Crushing, and Seeding with Modular Design

A new study presents a 4WD modular robot capable of precision cutting, crushing, and seeding in a single platform, offering a versatile solution for modern precision agriculture challenges.  | AZoRobotics

Mar 23 — Parallel-Legged 1.2g Micro-Robot Achieves Multi-Terrain Locomotion with Origami Design

The PLioBot, weighing just 1.2 grams, achieves high-speed locomotion across multiple terrain types using an innovative origami design and integrated actuators, with an assembly-free fabrication process.  | AZoRobotics

Mar 23 — McDonald's in China Deploys Humanoid Robot to Greet and Serve Customers

A McDonald’s outlet in China has put a humanoid robot into live customer-facing service, signalling early commercial entry of humanoids into the global fast food industry.  | Interesting Engineering

Mar 22 — Humanoid Learns Tennis Skills by Training Against Human Players

Researchers have proposed LATENT, a system enabling humanoid robots to learn athletic tennis skills from imperfect human motion data, successfully reproducing dynamic rally behaviors on humanoid hardware. | IEEE Spectrum

For ongoing coverage and real-time global robotics developments, the Industry Briefing channel provides continuous updates throughout the week.