A single destination for timely, editor-curated robotics news from around the world.
Recent advancements in monocular Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) and perception-aware planning have been reported in the Journal of Field Robotics. These innovations are set to significantly improve the performance of autonomous drone racing by enabling more accurate navigation and obstacle avoidance...
On October 21, 2026, Team UAV announced the completion of a drone inspection program for National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), capturing high-resolution imagery of 500 pole-mounted transformers. This initiative aims to support an innovation project that tests the use of AI and computer visi...
A pilot from the US Air Force successfully directed an uncrewed YFQ-44A Fury drone during a flight, marking a significant advancement in military aviation. This demonstration, which took place in October 2026, showcased the potential for crewed fighters to command autonomous drones, enhancing combat...
The U.S. Department of Defense is significantly increasing its investment in autonomous systems, with recent contracts awarded to various companies for drone production and AI-piloted aircraft. Notably, Orqa U.S. secured a $38 million contract for the Drone Dominance Gauntlet II program, while Shiel...
Rownd, a defense autonomy startup, has obtained a $10 million contract from the Department of War to advance its development of low-cost, autonomous drones for military use. This initiative is part of Rownd's strategy to create attritable mass, allowing military forces to deploy affordable drones th...
Powerus has launched the Guardian-3, a fully autonomous drone interceptor, marking a significant advancement in counter-drone technology. This third-generation system aims to minimize human operator involvement, building on the semi-autonomous capabilities of its predecessor, the Guardian-2. While t...
Powerus Corporation has introduced the Guardian-3, a counter-drone interceptor capable of transitioning from vertical hovering to forward flight autonomously. This third-generation aircraft was showcased at the Association of the United States Army’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., highligh...
Ukrainian defense technology firm Buntar Aerospace has successfully raised $16 million in a recent funding round aimed at expanding its production capabilities and developing autonomous systems. This investment increases the company's total capital to $30 million, allowing it to leverage its experie...
Recent developments highlight the importance of drones in autonomous warfare, particularly in executing one-way attacks. These systems are designed to operate independently while maintaining connectivity with their units, which is essential for effective multi-domain operations. The integration of...
Saab UK and Kraken have announced the development of an experimental autonomous 'drone seeker' vessel aimed at enhancing maritime security against aerial threats. This prototype integrates Saab's Giraffe 1X radar with Kraken's K3 Scout platform, creating a counter-UAS system that can operate indepen...
Digital Force Technologies (DFT) has been awarded a $500 million contract by Joint Interagency Task Force 401 to supply advanced counter-drone systems. This contract, announced on September 29, supports the Domestic Shield program, which aims to enhance drone defenses for military installations and...
Cyberhawk has entered into a multi-year agreement to deliver drone inspection and surveying services for SSE’s electricity networks in Britain. This contract spans an initial three years with an option for an additional two years, reinforcing a partnership that has lasted over a decade. Cyberhawk wi...
Ouster, Inc. has partnered with Seneca to integrate its REV8 OS1 Max native color digital lidar into Seneca's autonomous drone platform. This collaboration aims to improve 3D perception capabilities in drones, enabling safer and faster operations in complex wildfire environments. The integration of...
Boston Dynamics has introduced Spot 5.2, a significant software update aimed at integrating its Spot quadruped robots with enterprise systems. This update allows AI agents to initiate autonomous inspections and other actions on factory floors, enhancing the robot's capabilities alongside the Orbit f...
ANYbotics has unveiled Shift, a software platform aimed at managing fleets of autonomous inspection robots and integrating their data with industrial maintenance systems. This platform combines plant mapping, robot fleet management, inspection data, and maintenance workflows, allowing companies in p...
Cyberhawk, a subsidiary of Ondas, has secured a multi-year agreement with SSE’s regulated electricity network businesses, SSEN Transmission and Distribution. This three-year deal, with a potential two-year extension, allows Cyberhawk to provide drone inspection and surveying services across SSE’s el...
On September 28, 2026, Matternet introduced its M3 autonomous drone delivery platform, designed to facilitate package delivery from rooftops without on-site staff. The system includes an aircraft capable of carrying up to 11 pounds within a 10-mile radius, a dock for charging, and a drop-box portal...
SkyfireAI and Lithuania-based DBOX have entered a collaboration to advance integrated autonomous drone operations in the United States. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed at the Lithuania–U.S. Business Forum in Miami, attended by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. The partnership ai...
Skydio has unveiled its first fixed-wing drone, the F10 Lightrunner, at the Ascend conference in Nevada. This aircraft is designed for long-distance missions, capable of reaching speeds of 100 mph and operating within a 30-mile radius for up to two hours. Alongside the F10, Skydio introduced the Meg...
Elroy Air, a US drone startup, has successfully conducted its first autonomous, uncrewed flights of the Chaparral hybrid-electric aircraft under the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program in Louisiana. These flights focused on transporting various cargo types, including medical supplies and industrial equi...
SiMa.ai and ARK Electronics have formed a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation autonomous drones. They are introducing the ARK-SiMa.ai Modalix MLSoC Bundles, which are production-ready solutions designed to facilitate the development of intelligent drones for...
Infinit Drones has unveiled the Dock M400, an autonomous docking platform designed for the DJI Matrice 400 drone. This innovation allows for remote launching, recovery, and battery management without the need for on-site personnel, addressing a significant gap in the enterprise drone market. The Do...
L3Harris and ARX UK have tested the CORVUS-RAVEN sensors mounted on unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to enhance battlefield awareness. These sensors are designed to track approaching threats, allowing operators to maintain a safe distance from potential dangers. The implementation of the CORVUS-RAVE...
The U.S. Air Force's Warner Robins Air Logistics Center has awarded Asylon a Phase III SBIR contract to advance the MARIA system, integrating the Guardian drone and DroneDog robot dog for automated aircraft inspections. This system allows for rapid digital mapping of aircraft, significantly reducing...
Arizona-based Iveda has unveiled the IvedaAir line, featuring the GX10-F100, a gas-powered autonomous helicopter drone. This unmanned aircraft boasts an impressive flight endurance of over 150 minutes, significantly surpassing traditional battery-powered quadcopters. With a cargo capacity of 19 poun...
Saildrone successfully executed two Joint Air-to-Ground Missile launches from its Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle (USV) during the US Navy's Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. This marks a significant milestone as it is the first-ever missile launch from a Saildrone USV, showcasing the integrat...
DefendEye has announced plans to scale up production of the Overwatch Drone, the world's first autonomous AI drone designed for first responders, following a significant investment round led by NovaCapital. This funding will enable the company to enhance its operations and manufacturing capabilities...
FlybyOps, a Finland-based company, has introduced an enterprise drone operations platform aimed at addressing the complexities of scaling autonomous drone fleets. As commercial drone operations expand, managing pilots, equipment, approvals, and compliance becomes increasingly challenging, especially...
Greensea IQ has unveiled Bayonet Sweep, an autonomous underwater robot designed for inspecting ship hulls and underwater structures. This innovative solution aims to enhance maritime force protection by allowing navies, security teams, and port authorities to conduct inspections without the need for...
FlybyOps has unveiled an enterprise drone operations platform tailored for large-scale Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and autonomous drone initiatives. This Finland-based company aims to tackle the complexities faced by commercial drone operators as they expand their fleets, requiring effective...
AeroVironment is enhancing its Mayhem 10 launched effects system by integrating autonomous swarm capabilities through a partnership with Applied Intuition. This new software allows multiple Mayhem 10 drones to coordinate missions under a single operator's supervision, addressing future U.S. Army req...
The Royal Navy is conducting trials of a robotic boat designed to autonomously launch and recover drones at sea, enhancing uncrewed maritime surveillance capabilities. This initiative, in collaboration with ACUA Ocean and Teledyne FLIR Defense, aims to improve persistent aerial reconnaissance while...
Perceptual Robotics, a Bristol-based drone company, has successfully raised over £4 million (approximately $5.3 million) as of July 28, 2026. This funding, which includes investment from Innovate UK, Loggerhead Ventures, One Planet Capital, and new investor Investing for Purpose, will be used to enh...
BAE Systems has launched the UK's first autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), named Brontanax, at the Farnborough International Airshow. This aircraft is designed to operate alongside crewed fighter jets like the Eurofighter Typhoon, enhancing combat capabilities through missions such as e...
Elistair has partnered with Exail to integrate its Khronos DroneBox with Exail's DriX unmanned surface vessel, enabling tethered drone maritime surveillance. This collaboration allows operators to maintain a persistent aerial view from shore, enhancing capabilities for naval, coast guard, and port s...
Anduril has introduced Thunder, a hybrid-electric tiltrotor combat drone developed in collaboration with Archer Aviation. Designed as a highly autonomous pilotless wingman, Thunder aims to operate alongside crewed helicopters like the AH-64 Apache, enhancing target acquisition and defense capabiliti...
L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI have successfully completed the inaugural live flight trial of their Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations (DiSCO) system. This achievement marks a significant step in the development of autonomous electronic warfare capabilities. The successful fligh...
SYNDÉO, a Verona, Wisconsin-based infrastructure company, is advocating for underground drone bases, specifically its SmartVault Drone Base, designed for critical missions like infrastructure inspection and border security. This innovative subsurface station features a load-bearing hatch for drone c...
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an autonomous measurement system that utilizes drones and lasers to map volcanic gas concentrations with a low measurement error of approximately 5%. This innovative system aims to enhance volcanic eruption forecasting by trackin...
ParaZero Technologies has introduced its DefendAir platform, designed to intercept first-person view (FPV) drones autonomously before they can strike military vehicles. This system utilizes a non-explosive net-based interception method, creating a 360-degree defensive envelope around assets. The pla...
Asylon has secured a Phase Three contract with the U.S. Air Force's Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex to deploy its Multi-modal Autonomous Robotics for Inspection of Aircraft (MARIA) system. This initiative aims to streamline aircraft inspections by integrating air and ground robotic platforms, si...
Fortem Technologies and MBDA are expanding their collaboration to integrate autonomous counter-drone systems into military air defense networks across Europe and allied markets. This partnership builds on a technical collaboration initiated in 2024, which saw the integration of Fortem's DroneHunter...
WingXpand, a Missouri-based company, has launched xPAIR, a patent-pending autonomous control system designed for uncrewed aerial vehicles, ground robots, and watercraft. This innovative system aims to tackle the complexities faced by modern military forces by integrating various autonomous platforms...
Ghost Robotics has deployed quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicles (Q-UGVs) to improve safety and efficiency on large construction sites. These environments are often hazardous, featuring uneven terrain, debris, blind spots, and moving machinery, making inspections challenging. The integration of adv...
Ørsted has successfully completed a trial of a large cargo delivery drone at its Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The trial aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using drones to replace traditional sea vessel trips for maintenance operations, demonstrating the capability to deliver payl...
Bali has launched a pilot project to test drone delivery of food orders between Café del Mar Bali and Nuanu Creative City. This initiative, operated by SKYY Network and utilizing Grab's platform, aims to integrate drone delivery into existing logistics, marking Indonesia's first BVLOS food delivery...
Beam Global has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ScoutDI, a Norwegian industrial drone company, for approximately $24 million. This acquisition aims to enhance Beam's capabilities in manufacturing inspection drones in the United States, leveraging ScoutDI's advanced drone systems and A...
XAG is enhancing agricultural automation by developing a new X Series robot system that integrates drones and automated liquid-handling equipment. This system aims to streamline the processes of charging, refilling, and cleaning drones, reducing the need for human intervention. The recent demonstrat...
In a recent address, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined a vision for establishing a new Autonomous Warfare Command. This initiative aims to expedite the integration of drones and robotic systems into the hands of servicemembers, enhancing operational capabilities. The significance of this prop...
ANYbotics has launched Shift, a new platform designed to streamline autonomous inspections using its ANYmal quadruped robots. This initiative aims to address the significant costs associated with undetected failures, which amount to approximately $1.4 trillion annually for the world's largest compan...
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