Ukraine says robots seized enemy territory for the first time. The company behind them is now worth a billion dollars.
Ukraine says robots seized enemy territory for the first time. The company behind them is now worth a billion dollars.

In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his forces had, for the first time in the history of warfare, seized an enemy position using only unmanned systems. No infantry. No human soldiers entering the contested ground. Drones and…

China’s humanoid robot boom faces reality check as 150 companies chase a market where only 23% of buyers are satisfied
China’s humanoid robot boom faces reality check as 150 companies chase a market where only 23% of buyers are satisfied

China has more than 150 humanoid robot companies. It shipped roughly 90 per cent of the world’s humanoid robots in 2025. Its two largest makers, Unitree and AgiBot, are preparing initial public offerings that would value them at a combined 13 billion d…

The recycling industry loses 40 per cent of its workers every year. A humanoid robot trained by VR headsets is the replacement plan.
The recycling industry loses 40 per cent of its workers every year. A humanoid robot trained by VR headsets is the replacement plan.

The recycling industry has a labour problem that no amount of recruitment can solve. Staff turnover at waste sorting facilities runs at 40 per cent annually. The fatality rate is eight times the national average across all industries. Work-related inju…

China’s robot-hand unicorn Linkerbot is hunting a $6bn valuation
China’s robot-hand unicorn Linkerbot is hunting a $6bn valuation

Two years after a Beijing engineer started building dexterous hands inspired by a Japanese cartoon, his company holds 80% of the global market and is doubling its valuation in months. Robotic hands are not, conventionally, the part of a humanoid robot …

The factory that built your iPhone is now building the robot that will assemble the next one
The factory that built your iPhone is now building the robot that will assemble the next one

In April, a humanoid robot called the Honor D1 completed the Beijing half-marathon in 48 minutes and 19 seconds under remote control and 50 minutes and 26 seconds in fully autonomous mode, beating every other robot in the 112-team field. The machine th…

OpenAI-backed 1X opens California factory targeting 10,000 home humanoid robots in year one
OpenAI-backed 1X opens California factory targeting 10,000 home humanoid robots in year one

The Norway-founded company’s vertically integrated NEO factory in Hayward marks the first US-scale push to put a general-purpose humanoid robot into private homes, with shipments planned this year and a competitive field that is already crowded 1X Tech…

SoftBank is creating a robotics company that builds data centers — and already eyeing a $100B IPO

You need infrastructure to build AI a and robots, but apparently you also need AI and robots to build infrastructure.

All3 raises $25m to automate construction with legged robots and AI design software
All3 raises $25m to automate construction with legged robots and AI design software

The London-founded startup wants to replace the entire construction value chain, from architect’s brief to move-in-ready building, using AI and a purpose-built on-site robot called the Mantis. Construction is the world’s largest industry by value and o…

Sereact raises $110 million Series B to build robots that simulate the consequences of their actions before they act
Sereact raises $110 million Series B to build robots that simulate the consequences of their actions before they act

The round is led by Headline, with new investors Bullhound Capital, Felix Capital, and Daphni. Valuation is undisclosed. Sereact’s vision language action models already run in BMW, Daimler Truck, and logistics customers. The $110M is more than four tim…

A startup with a bankrupt fintech CEO and a president’s son wants to build America’s robot army
A startup with a bankrupt fintech CEO and a president’s son wants to build America’s robot army

Foundation Future Industries, a San Francisco startup founded in April 2024, has secured $24 million in research contracts with the US Army, Navy, and Air Force to test humanoid robots designed to breach enemy positions. The company’s Phantom MK-1 is a…