RealBotix’s Transition: From Adult Novelty to Embodied AI

Walking through the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center last month, one was surrounded by humanoids. The majority of this mechanical theater came from China, with some standouts from Europe and the United States. One CES booth that drew attention featured RealBotix, presenting human-like models distinguished by their attractive facial features and lifelike … Read more

Grubhub Partners with Avride: Future of Food Delivery

New York City has introduced a 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes due to rising bike fatalities. In response, delivery services like Grubhub are testing robots in Jersey City for safer delivery. Companies like Avride and Manna aim to enhance delivery efficiency and safety, while significant investments signal a growing market for autonomous delivery technology.

The Year Humanoids Woke Up

Eight years ago, not even a million dollars went into startups focused exclusively on humanoids. Today, the total amount of private capital for the industry has climbed over $1.4 billion. Just this month, Citi’s leading investment analysts published “The Rise of AI Robots: Physical AI is Coming for You.” In summarizing his report, contributing author … Read more

Will 2024 See Autotech Ventures Racing East?

As my colleague Steve Crowe reported last October, one of the biggest automation stories of the year was the stalling of Cruise after California’s Department of Motor Vehicles suspended its driverless testing license. While Cruise has had many mishaps since the launch of its robotaxi service on the streets of San Francisco in June 2022, … Read more