44 articles found
As manufacturers grapple with labor shortages and supply chain volatility, a subtle but significant linguistic shift is underway. The industry isn't just talking about 'automation' anymore—it's embracing 'physical AI,' a reframing that signals a fundamental change in how factories will operate in the coming decade.
While the AI industry races toward ever-more-powerful models and flashier applications, a quiet materials revolution is unfolding in chip manufacturing. Glass substrates—the same material that's held our windows for centuries—may be the unglamorous solution to AI's most pressing physical constraint: heat.
For decades, manufacturers have pursued automation to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and stabilize operations. That approach delivered meaningful gains, but it is no longer enough. Today's manufactur...
There could be even more 3D-printed Apple products coming in the future. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is exploring ways to 3D print aluminum to make the manufacturing processes for iPho...
Intrinsic, an AI robotics company started by Alphabet, is being folded into Google as a distinct group to advance physical AI in manufacturing. The company develops software tools and adaptive intelligence platforms to make robots more affordable and easier to use, positioning itself as 'the Android of robotics' for developers building applications across different robotic hardware and sensors.
MIT political scientist Suzanne Berger, an advocate for US manufacturing revitalization, is now co-director of MIT's Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), launched in May 2025. The initiative aims to help small and midsize manufacturers adopt new technologies and innovation practices to boost productivity and create quality jobs, with Berger noting that only about one-tenth of US manufacturers currently use robots despite their potential to advance the sector.
Starting later this year, Apple will start manufacturing Mac minis meant for sale in the US within the country. The company took The Wall Street Journal on a tour of its Houston facility, where Foxco...
OpenAI is developing AI-powered devices including a smart speaker with camera and facial recognition capabilities expected to launch in early 2027, followed by smart glasses in 2028, with a team of over 200 employees led by design leader Jony Ive. The smart speaker is projected to retail for $200-$300 and would feature object recognition and conversation monitoring capabilities, though the company faces technical, privacy, and manufacturing challenges.
Robot Talk Episode 145 features a discussion with Agata Suwala from the Manufacturing Technology Centre about leveraging robotics and automation to make manufacturing systems more sustainable. The episode explores advanced manufacturing automation, particularly in the aerospace sector, and how automation and robotics can enable the transition to a circular economy.
Tesla has stopped using the term "Autopilot" to sell its cars in California, thereby avoiding a 30-day sales and manufacturing ban in the state. If you'll recall, a California administrative law judge...
MIT's natural language robotic assembly system represents more than an engineering feat—it signals a fundamental shift in how humans will interact with manufacturing. As AI bridges the gap between verbal description and physical construction, we're witnessing the emergence of conversational fabrication that could democratize making itself.
RobCo GmbH has raised $100 million in Series C funding to scale its physical AI-powered autonomous manufacturing platform across the U.S. and Europe. The Munich-based startup combines modular hardware with self-learning software to enable industrial robots to acquire task-specific skills through demonstration rather than manual programming, with deployments across manufacturers including BMW and various mid-size enterprises.
ABB Robotics announced a standardization initiative to develop a global ISO technical specification for measuring energy consumption and efficiency of industrial robots, addressing the lack of uniform measurement standards that currently makes it difficult for customers to compare robot energy efficiency. Working with the Swedish Institute for Standards and experts from 11 countries, ABB aims to complete the technical specification by August 2026 to help reduce the industry's carbon footprint and support sustainable manufacturing practices.
Tesla is discontinuing production of its Model S and X vehicles next quarter to convert the Fremont factory production space into manufacturing for Optimus humanoid robots, with CEO Elon Musk announcing a long-term goal of producing 1 million Optimus units. The company plans to begin selling Optimus to the public by the end of next year as part of its strategic shift toward autonomous robotics.
Gartner predicts that fewer than 20 companies will deploy humanoid robots in production for supply chain and manufacturing by 2028, despite nearly 200 humanoid companies existing today. The research firm cites technological limitations, high costs, integration challenges, and energy constraints as major barriers, and suggests that polyfunctional robots with wheels and alternative designs may be better suited for warehouse and logistics operations than humanoid form factors.
Two former Google researchers founded Ricursive Intelligence in December to use AI systems to optimize the manufacturing process of AI chips. The startup has already reached a $4 billion valuation, indicating significant investor confidence in its approach to improving chip production efficiency.
Multiply Labs announced a partnership with AstraZeneca to evaluate GMP-ready robotic systems for automating commercial-scale cell therapy manufacturing. The collaboration will leverage Multiply Labs' multi-arm robotic biomanufacturing platform to automate industry-standard instruments, aiming to increase manufacturing efficiency and scalability while maintaining regulatory standards.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Liverpool developed an adaptive jerk control method to improve low-damping impedance control in collaborative robots, addressing force-tracking errors and system instability in industrial applications. The novel control framework expands the stable parameter range for cobots and demonstrates improved force-tracking accuracy and contact stability, with potential applications in high-end manufacturing tasks like impact riveting and precision assembly.
Vention has raised $110 million in Series D funding to advance its physical AI platform for manufacturing automation, which combines hardware, software, and AI to accelerate robotic workcell deployment. The Montreal-based company plans to use the funding to serve enterprise clients, commercialize physical AI applications, expand its end-to-end industrial tech stack, and grow into Europe, with a focus on defense, data center, and end-of-line automation sectors.
Hadrian, an AI-powered manufacturing automation company, raised funding that values it at $1.6 billion, with plans to accelerate factory expansion and advance its automated manufacturing platform for aerospace and defense. The company uses its proprietary Opus software stack to build production-ready factories in under six months and is launching a new division focused on scalable additive manufacturing for the U.S. defense industrial base.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang described AI as the foundation of the largest infrastructure buildout in human history at the World Economic Forum in Davos, framing it as a five-layer platform spanning energy, chips, data centers, AI models, and applications. Huang argued that AI will create jobs across the economy rather than eliminate them, as productivity gains in fields like radiology and nursing enable workers to focus on higher-value tasks while demand for skilled labor increases across manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries.
Bucket Robotics, a YC-backed startup founded by former autonomous vehicle engineer Matt Puchalski, made its debut at CES 2026 with an AI-powered vision inspection system for manufacturing quality control. The company uses advanced computer vision and synthetic data generation from CAD files to automate surface defect detection on industrial parts like car door handles, addressing a gap in manufacturing automation that currently relies on manual inspection.
Humanoid and Siemens have completed a proof of concept for a logistics robot, demonstrating the application of autonomous mobile robots in industrial settings. The collaboration showcases the integration of robotics with manufacturing and logistics automation solutions.
Windracers has announced that its ULTRA heavy-lift drone can now achieve a 2,000km range while carrying a 200kg payload, positioning it among the world's most advanced long-endurance unmanned aerial systems. The drone is already operational in demanding environments including Ukraine, Alaska, and Central Africa, with manufacturing capacity expanding to build hundreds of units over the next two years for defense, humanitarian, research, and civil cargo missions.
OpenAI has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify and support U.S.-based manufacturing capacity for AI infrastructure, including data center components, consumer electronics, and robotics parts like gearboxes and motors. The initiative aims to strengthen domestic supply chains, create manufacturing jobs, and reduce timeline/resilience risks as AI infrastructure scales, with proposals due by June 2026.
Caterpillar and NVIDIA announced an expanded partnership to develop AI-enhanced construction, mining, and manufacturing equipment using NVIDIA's Jetson Thor platform for real-time AI inference. The collaboration aims to enable autonomous operations, intelligent in-cab AI assistants, fleet intelligence, and advanced manufacturing systems including digital twins built on NVIDIA Omniverse.
Universal Robots VP shares four predictions for physical AI and robotics in 2026 and beyond: advanced predictive mathematics enabling robots to anticipate outcomes, collaborative multi-robot systems with peer-to-peer learning, purpose-built AI tailored to specific manufacturing tasks, and the emergence of a data economy around robotics. The article emphasizes how mathematical innovations, imitation learning, and task-specific AI will drive the next generation of industrial automation and autonomous cooperation between robots and humans.
Multiply Labs is advancing robotics-driven biomanufacturing for cell therapy by scaling AI-powered lab automation. The company is leveraging open-source robotics frameworks and AI models, including NVIDIA's physical AI initiatives, to enable autonomous systems that accelerate cell therapy production and research.
Humanoid, a robotics startup founded in 2024, has announced a strategic partnership with Schaeffler Technologies to deploy hundreds of humanoid robots across Schaeffler's global manufacturing facilities over the next five years. Under the agreement, Schaeffler will serve as the preferred supplier of actuators for Humanoid's robotic platforms, with initial beta deployments scheduled for 2026-2027, followed by large-scale production integration to drive industrial automation.
PepsiCo is partnering with Siemens and NVIDIA to implement digital twin technology and AI systems to optimize its supply chain operations. The initiative aims to improve efficiency and decision-making across PepsiCo's logistics and manufacturing processes using advanced simulation and AI-driven insights.
The product releases come amid a tight partnership with AI giant Nvidia and increasing interest in using new AI technology in manufacturing.
CES 2026 was dominated by physical AI and robotics innovations, marking a significant shift from screen-based AI applications to real-world robotic systems. The event showcased major developments including Boston Dynamics' redesigned Atlas humanoid robot alongside various AI-powered physical systems capable of manufacturing tasks, autonomous flight, and interactive demonstrations.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan have created the smallest fully autonomous programmable robots ever made, measuring smaller than a grain of salt (200 by 300 by 50 micrometers). These light-powered microrobots are equipped with tiny computers that enable them to sense, decide, and move independently, potentially opening applications in medical monitoring and advanced manufacturing. The breakthrough solves a 40-year challenge in creating autonomous robots at sub-millimeter scales by developing movement methods that work with microscopic physics rather than conventional robotic designs.
Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics publicly demonstrated its humanoid robot Atlas for the first time at CES 2026, showcasing a robot capable of walking, moving autonomously, and performing various physical tasks. The company announced a production version will be deployed by 2028 at Hyundai's electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Georgia, and revealed a new partnership with Google DeepMind to supply AI technology for its robots.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan have developed the world's smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots, measuring just 200 by 300 by 50 micrometers—smaller than a grain of salt. The microscopic robots are powered by light, carry onboard computers, can sense temperature and adjust their paths independently, and operate without external control, opening new possibilities for medical monitoring and microscale manufacturing applications.
Robotics startup 1X announced a strategic partnership with Swedish investor EQT to deploy up to 10,000 of its Neo humanoid robots to EQT's portfolio companies between 2026 and 2030, targeting industrial applications including manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics. This represents a significant pivot for the Neo, which was previously marketed as a consumer home robot priced at $20,000, toward commercial industrial use cases where adoption barriers are lower.
The Humanoids Summit in Silicon Valley brought together robotics companies and investors to showcase humanoid robots capable of tasks like laundry folding and companion interactions. Venture capital investments in U.S. humanoid robotics companies reached $2.8 billion in 2025, up dramatically from $42.6 million in 2020, with companies like Figure raising over $1 billion and major tech firms positioning robots for manufacturing, household, and enterprise applications.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan have developed sub-millimeter autonomous robots (210-270 micrometers) that integrate sensing, processing, and actuation directly onto their bodies using CMOS semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Each robot contains onboard photovoltaic cells, processors, temperature sensors, and actuators, enabling them to autonomously sense their environment and make decisions without external control systems, as demonstrated in thermal gradient navigation trials.
OpenAI released a comprehensive report on enterprise AI adoption showing rapid acceleration in how organizations are integrating AI into workflows, with ChatGPT Enterprise weekly messages up 8x year-over-year and workers reporting 40-60 minutes of daily time savings. The analysis reveals that 75% of surveyed workers report improved output speed or quality, with particularly strong adoption in technology, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors globally, and a shift from casual AI use to structured, repeatable processes.
OpenAI and Foxconn have announced a partnership to design and manufacture next-generation AI infrastructure hardware in the United States, focusing on developing multiple generations of data-center systems. This collaboration aims to strengthen the domestic AI supply chain and reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing for critical AI hardware components.
When I traveled to Ellabell, Ga., in May to report on Hyundai Motor Group's hyperefficient Metaplant-a US $12.6 billion boost to U.S.-based manufacturing of EVs and batteries-the company's timing appe...
By deploying ChatGPT Enterprise, ENEOS Materials transformed operations with faster research, safer plant design, and streamlined HR processes. Over 80% of employees report major workflow improvements...
Promega's top-down adoption of ChatGPT accelerates manufacturing, sales, and marketing
Congratulations to Changliu Liu for receiving the 2023 ARM Champion Award! The ARM Champion Award Program is an effort to recognize members of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute who go...
