Robot Weekly

People

People

• Physical AI is more than robots, says the Nvidia veteran now investing in it. Amulya Vishwanath, who spent seven years leading product marketing for NVIDIA’s robotics platforms, says robotics is currently in its “Lego era,” with the basic building blocks like actuators, robotic hands, software, and safety standards still being rebuilt. This view runs counter to those who believe that robotics,… (TechCrunch Robotics) Reported

Analysis in the Brief → The Robotics Brief (without PPPP) — 2026-10-19

• Humanoids Summit Founder Modar Alaoui Releases The Humanoid Economy. Published by Wiley, Alaoui’s new book examines the capital, manufacturing, policy and public acceptance needed to scale humanoid robotics. (Humanoids Daily) Reported
• The tech backlash is now in theaters. Though movies about disruptive tech founders are nothing new, 2026 has been unusually stacked with features that take a much more critical look at how Silicon Valley is reshaping our reality. Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning frames Mark Zuckerberg as a robotic villain whose ambitions are destabilizing society. Nath… (The Verge Tech) Reported

Products

Product

• Neura Robotics launches multimodal AI model that gives robots perception and memory. Neura Robotics has launched Neuron AI, its multimodal foundation model for physical AI. Combining 3D vision, touch, audio, robot state and language with memory, Neuron AI enables robots to act on information beyond what cameras alone can capture, as well as retain relevant context when objects disappear from view. Its… (Robotics & Automation News) Reported
• Physical Intelligence Opens API Beta for Robot Model Training and Inference. PI is accepting applications for a managed robot-model API, with early examples spanning manufacturing and heavy machinery. (Humanoids Daily) Reported

Analysis in the Brief → The Robotics Brief (without PPPP) — 2026-10-19

• Dynamic Creatures Introduces Hugo, a Furry Character Robot With 43 Actuators. The startup shows Hugo in a new video and outlines work on a Vision-Language-Expression model, navigation and safety for guest interaction. (Humanoids Daily) Reported

Projects

Projects

• Scan Computers partners with OLO Robotics to make advanced robots easier to implement. Scan Computers has entered into a partnership with Sheffield-based OLO Robotics, combining Scan’s robotics hardware, AI infrastructure and technical expertise with OLO’s browser-based platform and specialist robotics engineering, to make advanced robotics easier to access and deploy. OLO’s platform brings teleoperatio… (Robotics & Automation News) Reported
• South Korea Approves 20-Robot Robros Trial Across Industrial Sites. A regulatory-sandbox approval opens industrial testing for 20 Robros humanoids as the company targets a manufacturing-focused AI model in the first half of 2027. (Humanoids Daily) Reported
• Shanghai Wants 8,000 Humanoid Robots in Factories by 2028. The city has set a factory-deployment goal within a broader AI manufacturing initiative, though supplier allocations and procurement details remain unspecified. (Humanoids Daily) Reported

Plans

Plans

• Stryker invests $400M into CMR Surgical. Stryker plans to serve as the exclusive sales agent in the U.S. for the Versius robotics portfolio from CMR Surgical. The post Stryker invests $400M into CMR Surgical appeared first on The Robot Report. (The Robot Report) Reported
• US lab’s new tool targets rare-earths’ shortages, can help choose resilient motor technologies. A major laboratory in the United States has developed a new tool, which can guide... (Interesting Engineering) Reported

Analysis in the Brief → The Robotics Brief (without PPPP) — 2026-10-19

• Ubitium raises $14 million to build ‘first universal processor for physical AI’. Ubitium, a semiconductor startup building a “universal processor” for machines that perceive, think and act in the real world, has announced $14 million in new seed funding. The round was led by Ibex Investors, with participation from OpenOcean, existing investors including KBC Focus Fund, Runa Capital and Inflection,… (Robotics & Automation News) Reported