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RobotToday Weekly

ROBOTTODAY Weekly July 20 – 24, 2026

Your weekly robotics briefing: AGIBOT unveils four new robots at WAIC 2026, the NDAA bars Chinese humanoids from the U.S. military, SoftBank eyes Gravis Robotics for its Roze vehicle, and Anduril reveals its Thunder autonomous attack tiltrotor at Farnborough.

RobotToday Reporter Jul 25, 2026 2 Mins read

Summary

AGIBOT launched four new products at WAIC 2026—led by the A3 Ultra humanoid with 51 DoF and 8-hour runtime—as China confirmed it now produces over 400 humanoid robot products, more than half the global total. The U.S. House passed the NDAA barring the military from procuring Chinese-made humanoid robots. SoftBank is reportedly weighing an acquisition of Swiss startup Gravis Robotics to fold into its Roze AI vehicle, while Blackstone agreed to invest in South Korean actuator specialist Futronic. Anduril and Archer unveiled the Thunder autonomous tiltrotor at Farnborough as a helicopter loyal wingman, and NEURA Robotics launched its RWTH Aachen Physical AI training gym.

Market & Financials

Jul 24 — Perceptual Robotics Raises £4M+ to Expand Wind Turbine Inspection Drone Platform

The Bristol-based company secured investment from Innovate UK, Loggerhead Ventures, One Planet Capital, and new backer Investing for Purpose to accelerate offshore wind turbine inspection and AI services. | Dronelife

Jul 20 — Blackstone Agrees to Invest in South Korean Actuator Specialist Futronic

Blackstone private equity funds agreed a “significant investment” in Futronic, a Korean supplier of high-precision actuators for industrial robotics and automotive applications, with founder Jin-ho Ko remaining CEO. | Bloomberg

Jul 20 — Yimu Tech Closes RMB 1 Billion+ Series E for Tactile Sensing Hardware and Production Scale-Up

The Chinese developer of tactile sensing materials, chips, algorithms, and models for robotic applications raised over RMB 1B, lifting its valuation above RMB 10B to fund R&D and mass-production ramp. | TechNode

Jul 20 — China Confirms 400+ Humanoid Robot Products, Over Half Global Total; Quadrupeds Near 70% Global Sales

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology disclosed China has developed more than 400 humanoid robot products—over half the global count—while Chinese quadruped robots represent nearly 70% of global sales. | TechNode

Jul 20 — Renault Group Cuts Order Processing Time from 2 Hours to 15 Minutes with Exotec Skypod Robots

Renault consolidated over 80% of French spare-parts operations into a single Exotec-automated warehouse, achieving 99.7% customer satisfaction and plans to expand with 89 Skypod robots in Germany. | Logistics Business

Product Launches & Breakthroughs

Jul 24 — Attract Lab Deploys NVIDIA Isaac Sim Digital Twin Environment for AT-CART8 Field Robot Validation

The Japanese firm built a digital twin replicating logistics warehouses and medical facilities to validate its AT-SYNAPSE autonomous control system, cutting prototype iterations and compressing development timelines. | RobotStart.info

Jul 23 — University of Basel Develops MIR Miniature Robot for Single-Visit Dental Crown Preparation

The 43×26×28 mm device plans tooth material removal digitally and executes it with under 0.2 mm positional error, enabling dentists to scan, prepare, and order a crown in one appointment. | University of Basel

Jul 22 — NEURA Robotics Partners with RWTH Aachen to Open Germany’s First Physical AI Training Gym

The 3,000 m² NEURA Gym at Hightech Campus Melaten will combine real-world robot training with high-fidelity simulation, feeding the Neuraverse platform; five of ten planned global gyms open by end of 2026. | The Robot Report

Jul 21 — Mimic Robotics Launches Hand M1: 55-Pound-Lifting Tendon-Driven Robotic Hand for Factory Automation

The Swiss startup’s M1 features 15 active DoF across 21 joints, pressure-sensitive fingertips, and forearm-housed actuators—enabling general-purpose dexterous manipulation by learning directly from human demonstration. | Interesting Engineering

Jul 21 — Humanoid Hack Tokyo 2 Crowns Disaster-Rescue Bot as Winner at 230-Participant Competition

Held at the GMO Humanoid Lab in Shibuya, the 230-participant event used Unitree G1 humanoids with VLA and Physical AI; the winning team built a system to locate and communicate with disaster victims. | RobotStart.info

Jul 20 — Generative Bionics Unveils Gene.01: Full-Body Smart-Skin Humanoid Built in Six Months

The Italian startup’s Gene.01 senses touch, proximity, force, and temperature across its full-body skin; the open-sourced model gives Physical AI developers a shared base for industrial applications. | Robotics Tomorrow

Jul 20 — KUKA AMP Deployed at Ohio Automotive Plant, Combining Industrial Automation with Physical AI

KUKA’s open AI orchestration platform went live at KTPO in Ohio, transforming dormant production data into actionable Physical AI insights and enabling autonomous mobile robot decision-making on the factory floor. | KUKA

Jul 20 — Youibot FabriVLA Tops Meta-World MT50 with 90% Tier-Average, Surpassing Pi-Zero

FabriVLA’s 1B-parameter model ranked first on Meta-World MT50 and second on RoboTwin 2.0, marking a shift from parameter-scale competition toward architectural innovation; Youibot also previewed its Fengxi humanoid (4,000 orders). | PanDaily

Jul 19 — BrainCo Launches Brain-to-Robot Platform Enabling Thought Control of Humanoids at WAIC

The non-invasive BCI platform interprets EEG signals to command humanoid robots and robotic arms, while also generating high-quality motion training data for embodied AI systems—compatible with major third-party hardware. | Interesting Engineering

Drone

Jul 24 — ideaForge Deploys Eight Q6 V2 Drones with Megaphones for 3-Million-Pilgrim Monitoring in India

For the second consecutive year, Solapur Police used ideaForge drones along the 250-km Pandharpur Wari route to provide continuous aerial surveillance and real-time crowd announcements for the Wari pilgrimage. | Dronelife

Jul 21 — Odys Aviation and ST Engineering Partner on Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for DrN-600 Cargo UAS

The collaboration seeks to extend the DrN-600’s range beyond 300 km through a hybrid-electric powertrain; the companies plan to validate technical and commercial feasibility before advancing to a full development agreement. | Interesting Engineering

Jul 20 — Counter-Drone Solutions for Ukraine and Gulf States Showcased at Farnborough Airshow

Multiple vendors at Farnborough presented next-generation C-UAS technologies tailored for Ukraine’s conflict environment and Gulf state aerial threat management, reflecting accelerating demand for affordable drone interception. | Airforce Technology

Jul 19 — FCC Proposes $25,000 Fines Against Eight Drone Companies for Non-Response to Security Inquiries

The FCC issued proposed fines against companies including Cogito Tech and Fikaxo Technology for failing to respond to Letters of Inquiry regarding products added to the national security Covered List in December 2025. | Dronelife

Defense & Autonomy

Jul 23 — BLADE/HDT Selected for U.S. Army Project Sustainment with Six-Wheeled Dire WOLF UGV

One of five firms chosen by the NAMC, BLADE’s diesel-electric hybrid Dire WOLF UGV is designed to autonomously deliver ammunition, fuel, and supplies in contested front-line environments using Michelin non-pneumatic Tweels. | PR Newswire

Jul 21 — Marine Corps Selects Bullfrog M240 Autonomous Weapon System for L-MADIS Counter-Drone Integration

Allen Control Systems’ Bullfrog transforms a 7.62mm machine gun into an autonomous 850-rpm weapon; the $6.2M prototype contract integrates it into the L-MADIS system on Polaris MRZR vehicles for drone defense. | Breaking Defense

Jul 20 — U.S. Upgrades UAE to A:5 Export Group, Easing Access to Drones, AI Chips, and Dual-Use Technologies

The Commerce Department’s reclassification shortens procurement timelines for Emirati defense firms like EDGE Group, opening new pathways for drone component co-development with American companies. | Breaking Defense

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

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Written by

RobotToday Reporter - Editor

RobotToday Reporter is the editorial desk byline used for short news updates, event announcements, and industry briefings produced by the RobotToday editorial team. These articles are compiled and reviewed internally by the newsroom.