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Kelly Stone is an Associate Editor focused on industrial technology, covering robotics, automation systems, and AI applications. Her reporting emphasizes company funding, market structure, and emerging industry trends. She has three years of experience in technology media.

50 Articles
Events Market and Business News

2026H2 Robotics Events Briefing: Tailored Recommendations for Robotics Readers

Discover the ultimate directory of global robotics events in 2026. Tailored briefings for engineers, investors, and founders on humanoid robots, AI, and industrial automation by RobotToday.

RobotToday Weekly

ROBOTTODAY Weekly June 30 – July 4, 2026

Unitree wins CSRC approval for China’s first humanoid IPO, Korea unveils ₩312T AI investment, RoboCup 2026 opens in Incheon, and Paris launches Europe’s inaugural Physical AI summit.

Standards and Regulations

From ASE to RSF: What the Automotive Certification Model Teaches Robotics

ASE solved automotive service in 1972. Fifty years later, RSF does the same for robotics. Learn how the certification blueprint was adapted — and what had to be built from scratch.

Standards and Regulations

Why RSF Exists: Five Gaps No ISO Standard Has Filled (Until Now)

ISO standards define what a safe robot looks like. RSF defines who should service it. Discover the 5 capability gaps no standard has addressed — until now.

Standards and Regulations

Robotics Service Framework (RSF) Officially Launches

RobotToday.com launches RSF — the robotics industry's first capability certification framework. 6 domains, 4-tier certification.

Market and Business News

Vietnam Robotics Industry Report 2026

Comprehensive analysis of Vietnam's robotics industry: market size, industrial policy, key companies (Vingroup, Apicoo, Phenikaa-X), geopolitical dynamics, and 2030 growth opportunities.

Market and Business News Humanoids

Unitree's IPO Review: What It Means for China's Humanoid Robot IPO Landscape

On 1 April 2026, China's Securities Association (CSAC) randomly selected Unitree Robotics for a mandatory on-site IPO inspection — just 12 days after its STAR Market application was accepted. The event has generated significant market commentary. This analysis examines the regulatory context, what the inspection actually means, the four core controversies in Unitree's prospectus, and the implications for competing humanoid robot companies pursuing public listings.

Artificial Intelligence Humanoids

TARS AI Closes $455M Pre-A Round, Setting China Embodied-AI Financing Record

TARS AI closes a record $455M Pre-A round led by Hillhouse, Sequoia China and Meituan, setting China’s largest single embodied-AI funding round. Full briefing.

Consumer and Service Robots

Serve Robotics FY2025: Scaling Sidewalk Delivery Robots Toward <$1 Last-Mile Cost

Serve Robotics (NASDAQ: SERV) scaled its sidewalk delivery fleet 20× to 2,000+ robots in FY2025, posting $2.7M revenue (+50%) and guiding $26M for 2026. An in-depth look at the autonomy stack, unit economics, competitive landscape, and what Level 4 delivery actually means in dense urban environments.

Research and Academia

RAI Institute Study: Driving Boston Dynamics' Spot Changes How People See Robots

A 10-week study of 753 mall visitors found that driving Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot for just minutes significantly boosted comfort and acceptance — even in homes and hospitals.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Space Data Centers: Power the Next Generation of Robotics

From Starcloud's $170M Series A to Google's Project Suncatcher and China's operational LEO constellations, AI space data centers are moving from concept to infrastructure. Here's what the robotics industry needs to know.

Market and Business News Consumer and Service Robots

One Robot, Any Load: Inside FlexQube's AMR Platform

lexQube AB (FLEXQ) secured a record USD 13M order and saw its stock rally over 150% from its 2025 low. Explore 12 months of order flow, AMR technology, and market cap growth in this in-depth RobotToday analysis.

Market and Business News

Rokae Clears Beijing Hurdle, Advances to Hong Kong IPO

Rokae Robotics receives CSRC approval for its Hong Kong Stock Exchange IPO under Chapter 18C, marking a pivotal milestone for China's only mass-producer of both industrial and collaborative robots. Read RobotToday's full briefing on technology, market position, and financials.

Market and Business News

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with DFRobot Founder Ricky Ye

Exclusive interview with DFRobot Founder & CEO Ricky Ye on lowering barriers in AI and robotics, the evolution of HUSKYLENS, open-source hardware, and the future of embodied AI.

Artificial Intelligence

Spirit AI × JD.com: Embodied AI Robots Enter Retail Operations at Scale

Spirit AI partners with JD.com to deploy embodied AI robots in retail, combining VLA models, real-world data loops, and scalable automation.

Market and Business News

Flexiv Launches “Enlight” Platform to Expand General-Purpose Robotics Capabilities

Flexiv unveils the Enlight robotics platform, Orion controller, and MICO system—advancing force-centric, general-purpose robots for real-world applications.

Humanoids Market and Business News

Boston Dynamics IPO and $100B Valuation: How It Compares to Tesla Optimus, Figure AI and Humanoid Rivals

Boston Dynamics' valuation has surged from $1.1B to a potential IPO target of $85B+. We verify the numbers, benchmark against Tesla Optimus, Figure AI and Apptronik, and explain what a listing would mean for the humanoid robotics industry.

Standards and Regulations

Humanoid Robotics Standards HEIS 2026 vs. the International Landscape

HEIS 2026 vs. global robot standards: how China's humanoid AI framework compares to ISO 10218, ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025, and the EU AI Act across safety, cybersecurity, and certification.

Standards and Regulations

China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030): Embodied Intelligence as National Industrial Strategy

China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) elevates embodied intelligence to a national industrial priority for the first time. This RobotToday briefing analyses the plan's robotics directives, new standards framework, and competitive implications for European and North American industry.

Medical and Healthcare Robots

World-First: China Approves Neuracle’s Invasive BCI for Commercial Use

Neuracle advances implantable brain–computer interface technology in China, enabling neural control of devices and accelerating clinical applications in neurorehabilitation.

Standards and Regulations

China's Humanoid Robot & Embodied Intelligence Standard System (HEIS 2026)

China's HEIS 2026 framework — the world's first comprehensive national standard for humanoid robots and embodied AI — sets technical specs across six pillars covering AI models, components, safety, and ethics. Here's what every EU and North American robotics manufacturer, integrator, and policy maker needs to know, and why the international standards race is already underway.

Standards and Regulations

EU Industrial Accelerator Act Signals Supply Chain Shift for Robotics Industry

The EU's Industrial Accelerator Act introduces "Made in EU" procurement rules and stricter foreign investment conditions, creating indirect pressure on robotics supply chains that rely heavily on Chinese components.

Market and Business News

Global Robotics Market 2026: Forecast Analysis & Key Trends

Comprehensive 2026 global robotics market forecast compilation from IFR, Markets and Markets & more. Market size, growth rates & regional analysis by segment.

Market and Business News RobotToday Weekly

RobotToday Weekly Industry Briefing: January 19 – January 23, 2026

iRobot emerges from Chapter 11, Tesla sets a 2027 Optimus release, and Hyundai faces labor pushback. Explore the top robotics industry news for Jan 18-23, 2026.

Research and Academia

Shubham Tulsiani Receives NSF CAREER Award: Teaching Robots to Learn from Videos

CMU's Shubham Tulsiani receives NSF CAREER Award for pioneering work teaching robots to learn manipulation skills from internet videos. Zero-shot learning breakthrough.

Market and Business News RobotToday Weekly

RobotToday Weekly Industry Briefing: January 12 – January 16, 2026

NVIDIA advances physical AI with Cosmos and GR00T, humanoid robots move into real factories, China leads global deployments, and robotics stocks gain momentum.

Events Research and Academia

ACIRS 2026

ACIRS 2026 is an international robotics conference in Hong Kong, bringing together research on intelligent robotic systems, AI, control, and real-world applications.

Autonomous Vehicles and Drones

Sunny t2000 china s first 2 ton turboprop cargo uav signals a new era for heavy unmanned logistics

The SUNNY-T2000 signals a shift in heavy cargo UAVs, showing how two-ton unmanned aircraft are reshaping regional and industrial air logistics.

Market and Business News RobotToday Weekly

RobotToday Weekly Industry Briefing: January 4 - january 9, 2026

Global robotics shifts from CES 2026: humanoid commercialization accelerates, industrial AI deepens, labor tensions rise, and robotics markets recalibrate.

Market and Business News RobotToday Weekly

RobotToday Weekly December 29, 2025 - January 2, 2026

RobotToday Weekly Industry Briefing covering robotics, AI, humanoids, automation, funding, and policy developments from December 29, 2025 to January 2, 2026.

Market and Business News

What 67 Listed Robotics Companies Reveal About the Global Robotics Industry

An analysis of 67 listed robotics companies reveals how capital concentrates at the top, why most firms remain small-cap, and what valuations signal about robotics’ future.

Market and Business News RobotToday Weekly

RobotToday Weekly December 22 - 26, 2025

A concise weekly briefing on global robotics: drone regulation, robotaxi resilience, Tesla’s autonomy strategy, and CES 2026 signals shaping the industry.

Events

CES 2026 Robotics: From Physical AI to Real Deployment

CES 2026 marks a turning point for robotics as Physical AI moves from demos to real deployment. RobotToday analyzes humanoids, home robots, industrial automation, and world models shaping the next robotics era.

Market and Business News

Schaeffler & NTU Launch Corporate Lab to Drive AI-Enabled Humanoid

Schaeffler and NTU launch a new corporate lab in Singapore to accelerate R&D in AI-enabled humanoid, collaborative, and assistive robotics technologies.

Market and Business News

Can China’s Humanoid Startups Lose ¥1B Like Yunji and Still IPO?

China’s humanoid robotics boom has over 300 startups—but with high costs and uncertain markets, only a few may survive, absorb huge losses, and reach IPO-ready scale.

Consumer and Service Robots

Primech AI's HYTRON: Inside the Architecture of the World's Most Advanced Restroom Cleaning Robot

Primech AI's HYTRON is a fully autonomous restroom cleaning robot powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Super, featuring a 6-DoF cleaning arm, electrolyzed water sanitation, and automated fluid management — delivering independently verified >99% bacterial reduction for airports, hospitals, and high-traffic commercial facilities.

Miscellaneous

Skana Robotics: A Software-Defined Maritime Autonomy Stack for Distributed Naval Operations

Skana Robotics is building a unified, software-defined autonomy stack for naval surface, subsea, and amphibious fleets, enabling coordinated ISR, ASW, and littoral operations.

Market and Business News Artificial Intelligence

MIT Debuts Speech-to-Reality AI Robotics System

MIT unveils a Speech-to-Reality system that turns voice commands into physical objects using generative AI and robotic assembly, enabling rapid on-demand fabrication.

Events Market and Business News

iRex 2025: Asia Leads Industrial Robotics as Japan and China Reinvent Automantion

iREX 2025 revealed Asia’s dominance in industrial robotics, with Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan shaping the global automation supply chain far beyond humanoid hype.

Market and Business News

iREX 2025: Asia’s Industrial Robotics Engine Shows Its Real Strength—Far Beyond the Humanoid Hype

iREX 2025 revealed Asia’s dominance in industrial robotics, with Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan shaping the global automation supply chain far beyond humanoid hype.

Events

iREX 2025 Opens Tomorrow in Tokyo

IREX 2025 opens in Tokyo as the world’s largest robotics exhibition, showcasing new humanoids, industrial automation systems, Physical AI technologies, and the latest global robotics innovations.

Consumer and Service Robots

Hypershell Launches Next Gen Exoskeleton for Everyday Mobility

Hypershell unveils its next-gen X series exoskeleton for everyday mobility, boosting human endurance and reducing effort for walking, hiking, and cycling.

Market and Business News

How Much Do Robots Earn? Global Daily Rental Prices for Humanoid and Quadruped Robots

Explore global daily rental prices for humanoid and quadruped robots in 2025—from premium event rates in Europe to budget-friendly rentals in Asia and the U.S.

Humanoids

The Battle Between Optimus and K2: Hybrid Humanoids Enter Mass Production

Tesla’s Optimus and Korea’s K2 humanoid robots are entering mass production, setting the stage for a competitive era in hybrid robot deployment and scale-up.

Innovations

SEER Redefines Industrial Robotics with Embodied Intelligence at CeMAT Asia 2025

SEER Robotics showcases embodied intelligence at CeMAT Asia 2025, unveiling humanoid and quadruped robots powered by Nebula 2.0 and AI-driven industrial control.

Market and Business News

Robotics Innovator Lens Unveils Ambitious Production Goals Amid AI Surge

LENS sets bold production targets as AI-augmented robotics demand soars, promising high-volume manufacturing and next-gen automation tech.

Market and Business News

Agile Robots Acquires thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering (tkAE)

Agile Robots expands its automation footprint by acquiring thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering (TK-AE), boosting capabilities in intelligent robotics and industrial systems.

Humanoids

The Coming Clash of Titans in Humanoid Robotics: Huawei vs. Tesla

Huawei and Tesla are locked in a humanoid robotics race, blending EV tech, AI ecosystems, and global strategy as they push toward 2025 mass deployment.

Humanoids

Hoson Tech Enters Humanoid Robotics with Hoson Robot

Hoson Tech expands into humanoid robotics with the Hoson Robot, bringing semiconductor-grade precision and embodied intelligence to real-world automation.