A single destination for timely, editor-curated robotics news from around the world.
Tencent has announced the open-source release of three embodied foundation models during the WAIC 2026 event. These models include a Visual Language Model (VLM) designed for scene understanding, the RxBrain cognitive model that facilitates planning with visual states, and the VLA model, which suppor...
Helm.ai announced it has signed $70 million in commercial contracts for its foundation models focused on physical AI over the past year. These contracts involve global automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and industrial automation companies, with a primary focus on the automotive sector. The signific...
Xiaomi has announced the open-source release of its embodied-AI foundation model, Xiaomi-Robotics-1, on August 5. This release encompasses the entire process from real-robot post-training to model deployment, along with code for benchmark evaluations. The model was pretrained on over 100,000 hours o...
China's leading tech companies are intensifying their efforts in embodied AI as they prepare for the WAIC 2026 event in Shanghai, scheduled for July 17. This year's competition is marked by the launch of several advanced models, including Xiaomi's X0, a multimodal generative model with 38 billion pa...
AGIBOT presented its newest embodied AI robotics innovations at IFA 2026, including the AGIBOT A3 humanoid and AGIBOT X2 Ultra. These robots are designed for various applications, such as retail, industrial operations, and commercial cleaning. The significance of this showcase lies in AGIBOT's comm...
A comprehensive survey on vision-language-action models for embodied artificial intelligence has been published in the Journal of Field Robotics. This survey explores the integration of visual perception, language understanding, and action execution in AI systems, highlighting the advancements and c...
Xiaomi has introduced the Xiaomi-Robotics-U0, a multimodal autoregressive foundation model featuring 38 billion parameters for embodied AI. This innovative model integrates four essential capabilities: embodied scene generation, embodied transfer, robot interaction video generation, and general-purp...
In June 2026, the landscape of embodied AI saw the introduction of 13 new models, including significant contributions from BAAI and Alibaba's Qwen-Robot. This rapid development indicates a shift from traditional hardware benchmarks to a focus on software intelligence, highlighting the competitive na...
Zhejiang-based manufacturer Transfar is initiating over 300 real industrial scenarios, including chemical plants, logistics parks, and farms, to serve as testing grounds for robots. This initiative aims to enhance the training and deployment of embodied AI technologies in various sectors. The signi...
Telecom operators are increasingly adopting open models to shape their AI strategies, driven by the need for trust, control, and customization across critical workloads. According to NVIDIA’s State of AI in Telecommunications report, 89% of respondents view open source models as vital to their AI in...
A recent study by marketing firm Graphite has uncovered that advanced AI models still exhibit unique writing characteristics, identifying 13,000 phrases that occur at least twice as frequently in AI-generated text compared to human writing. Researchers analyzed 10,000 articles published prior to the...
The recent developments in embodied intelligence have seen a significant resolution in the route dispute, culminating in the unveiling of five models within eight days. This rapid progression highlights the advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence, showcasing the potential for enhanced h...
Satlyt, a startup based in Sunnyvale, California, and Nairobi, has announced an $8 million seed funding round led by Non Sibi Ventures. The funding will support the development of software that allows AI models to operate on satellites, facilitating the sharing of substantial computing workloads in...
At the Humanoid Robots Summit 2026 in Stuttgart, FMC³ Robotics, Vector Informatik, and PEM Motion signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a standardized data infrastructure for industrial embodied AI. This collaboration aims to enhance the collection, processing, training, validation, deploy...
AGIBOT has formed a partnership with the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC) to promote the embodied AI industry and talent ecosystem in Vietnam. This collaboration was showcased at the inaugural Vietnam Embodied AI Conference, emphasizing the importance of advancing this technology in the regi...
Agibot and Chimelong Group have initiated the first phase of a significant embodied AI deployment at Chimelong Spaceship Park, incorporating over 300 robots into various sectors such as entertainment, education, visitor services, and hotel operations. This deployment represents a shift from standalo...
On September 23, SenseTime introduced SenseMart OS at its Shanghai headquarters, designed as a physical operating system for the retail sector. This innovative system integrates various robots, retail equipment, and commercial operations, providing a deployable and replicable solution for operators,...
On September 18, 2026, independent testing organization Robocurve released a benchmark report titled RoboHarm. The report addresses a critical question regarding AI: can large language models effectively recognize and reject dangerous commands when controlling real robotic arms? The study tested thr...
Chinese AI models have seen a remarkable increase in global usage in 2026, particularly on platforms like OpenRouter and Vercel, where their token usage surged significantly. This rise is attributed to lower costs and improved performance, especially for coding tasks, although U.S. models still domi...
AGIBOT and Chimelong Group have launched the first phase of a large-scale embodied AI deployment at Chimelong Spaceship Park, featuring over 300 robots. This initiative marks the delivery of AGIBOT's 20,000th humanoid robot, showcasing advancements in robotics across various sectors including entert...
On September 22, CRRC unveiled the world's first subway train equipped with embodied intelligence technology at the 15th Berlin International Rail Transport Technology Expo. This train, developed on the VELLINK urban rail vehicle platform, incorporates multiple sensors to create an autonomous percep...
SAP recently hosted its inaugural Embodied AI Jam at the Swiss Smart Factory in Biel, where clients experienced firsthand the collaboration between robots and SAP software to tackle real business challenges. Embodied AI refers to AI agents that interact with the world through a physical body, enabli...
China Mobile has announced the open-source release of its Open-RAIL middleware, designed to facilitate the integration of VLA/WAM models with robotic hardware. This middleware introduces asynchronous inference, hardware abstraction, and approximately 50 to 100 lines of code for model hooks, enabling...
Embodied AI, a start-up based in Lausanne, has launched to tackle the pressing automation challenges facing European manufacturing. As high-volume production shifts to Asia, Europe risks losing its competitive edge in manufacturing, leading to a decline in industrial capacity. Embodied AI aims to de...
ZDTaichu 5.0-9B, a 9 billion parameter multimodal model, has achieved remarkable results in spatial embodied intelligence, securing first place in 8 out of 9 international benchmarks. It outperforms competitors like Qwen 3.5-9B and STEP 3-VL-10B in spatial perception and three-dimensional reasoning...
The Huizhou Zhongkai District has approved the Embodied Intelligence Industrial Park project, which will feature a digital infrastructure platform. The project, with a total investment of 1.031 billion yuan, spans 135,600 square meters and is set to commence on December 1, 2026. It aims to deploy 80...
China Mobile has announced the open-source release of Open-RAIL, an engineering base designed to integrate vision-language-action and world-action-model systems with robotic platforms. This innovative framework allows for seamless model inference, real-robot execution, data feedback, and model itera...
Unitree Robotics has unveiled its AI models, UniFoLM, WLA, and X2, aimed at improving robot interaction with their environment. These models address the challenge of enabling machines to operate autonomously rather than relying on human direction. The significance of these developments lies in thei...
Skild AI has launched the S1, a groundbreaking robotics foundation model that allows robots to learn manipulation tasks from just one video demonstration. This innovative model eliminates the need for task-specific fine-tuning or post-training, streamlining the learning process for robotic systems....
Microsoft has unveiled a provisional code of conduct that establishes restrictions for its future artificial intelligence models. This decision follows a growing consensus among AI leaders, including those from Anthropic and OpenAI, advocating for a deceleration in AI development due to rising safet...
By 2026, the embodied intelligence sector is witnessing a significant shift in focus from 'body' to 'brain'. Data indicates that over half of the funding in the first half of this year has gone to companies emphasizing cognitive systems. Investors are prioritizing the ability of agents to perform in...
Wang Xingxing has advanced the timeline for the development of embodied AI, suggesting that the ChatGPT moment could arrive as early as next year. This marks a significant shift from his previous estimate of two to three years, indicating rapid progress in the field. The importance of this developm...
Following the release of GPT-6, videos showcasing its ability to control robotic arms and dexterous hands have emerged on social media. The technology can manipulate small objects like chopsticks, demonstrating advanced grasping and positioning capabilities. However, Xu Huazhe, founder of Breakthrou...
On September 14, Digua Robotics and Giga Vision announced a strategic collaboration focused on integrating their respective technologies. Giga Vision will provide world models, embodied foundational models, and real-world application experience, while Digua Robotics will contribute an edge AI comput...
Xieyue Intelligence has announced the completion of a substantial angel round funding, amounting to hundreds of millions, with investments from Linear Capital, Junshan Capital, Hongyi Capital, and Yingshan Capital. This funding will be utilized to further advance the training of embodied foundationa...
Joyx and Hitch Interactive have established a strategic partnership aimed at developing and deploying embodied AI systems for commercial applications. Joyx will focus on capturing, reconstructing, and verifying human and robot demonstration data, while Hitch Interactive will provide its Hitch Open r...
PHYMI, an embodied AI startup established by Liu Nianqiu, has successfully raised nearly $100 million in seed funding. The funding round was led by IDG Capital, with contributions from several investors including Yunqi Capital, DiDi, Fosun RZ Capital, Glory Ventures, and Hesai Technology. This fund...
On September 2, JAKA Robotics issued an official statement regarding overseas patent litigation, asserting that it does not infringe on the opposing party's patents based on comprehensive technical tracing and patent comparison analysis. This confidence stems from over a decade of the company's full...
Chinese startup Direct Drive claims that the primary challenge for embodied robots is not the intelligence of their systems but rather their ability to physically access various environments. By integrating direct-drive actuators with innovative wheel-legged designs, these robots are engineered to n...
TARS has successfully raised $455 million in a Pre-A funding round, marking a significant milestone as it sets a record for the largest single-round financing in China's embodied AI sector. This funding, which is approximately RMB 3.3 billion, highlights the growing interest and investment in advanc...
Skild AI has introduced S1, its flagship robot foundation model designed to enable in-context learning for robotics. The model allows robots to learn complex tasks by observing a single video, a significant advancement since the company's founding in 2023, during which it raised nearly $1.7 billion...
Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have highlighted a critical issue known as the 'edge AI wall' in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). This phenomenon arises from computational overload, where decision-making quality deteriorates due to an excessive number of alternatives that the planner...
The surge in embodied intelligence has led to a focus on large models, seen as the 'brain' of robots, expected to understand and plan tasks. However, many projects shortcut by combining purchased chassis with self-developed models, resulting in impressive demos that struggle in real-world scenarios....
Florent Delgrange received the Best Blue Sky Paper Award at AAMAS 2026 for his research on Foundation World Models for agents that adapt in dynamic environments. His work addresses the challenge of ensuring that autonomous agents continue to learn effectively while maintaining reliable behavior in c...
By the end of June 2023, China had established more than 70 operational embodied-AI training grounds, as reported by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. These facilities are crucial for collecting real-world data, training AI models, and testing robotic systems, with indu...
Xiaomi reported a revenue of 108.92 billion yuan in Q2 2026, marking a significant stabilization amidst fierce competition. The company's attributable net profit has doubled, reflecting its successful diversification beyond traditional markets like phones and cars. This growth is attributed to seve...
At the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing, Xinghaitu presented over ten technology demonstrations under the theme of 'Awakening Productivity.' Unlike many exhibitors focusing on motion displays, Xinghaitu's demonstrations centered on 'real work,' showcasing the company's foundational technologic...
X Square Robot is showcasing its complete portfolio of embodied AI technologies at the World Robot Conference 2026 in Beijing. The Shenzhen-based company is presenting applications that include logistics automation, dexterous manipulation, and household robotics, with a focus on its WALL-B embodied...
On August 14, INFIFORCE announced the completion of its Series A and A+ funding rounds, raising nearly 1 billion yuan. The funding was led by Dunhong Asset and major state-owned platforms, with participation from various industrial capital investors. The capital will primarily support the developmen...
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai has launched a global initiative for the 2026 International Embodied Intelligence Skills Competition. This initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State-owned Assets Supervision and...
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
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