AI
LeRobot gets NVIDIA AI tools to help developers build smarter robots
LeRobot adds NVIDIA Isaac GR00T 1.7 and Isaac Teleop to streamline robot training, development, and deployment.
Mistral launches first robotics model in physical AI push
Paris-based Mistral AI on Wednesday unveiled its first robotics model as Europe's leading AI company pushes into factories, warehouses and industrial automation. The launch follows Mistral's acquisition of Austria's Emmi AI in May and comes months after Paris-based startup Genesis AI unveiled a broader robotics model with navigation and manipulation capabilities.
How AI could enable autonomous robot workers in workplaces—and maybe homes
In a world where self-driving robotaxis glide through major city streets without drivers behind the wheel and delivery drones autonomously fly through the skies to drop off orders at customers’ homes, the idea of general-purpose robots helping humans with various tasks in workplaces or even homes may not seem far-fetched.
Physical AI will see the fusion of robotics and AI transform the world
Historically, humans have solved their toughest tasks by creating tools capable of withstanding greater strain to undertake the job or augment their abilities. From levers to steam engines and beyond, the structural evolution of machines is almost as remarkable as their ability to improve operational cultures.
In recent times, we have seen machines attain their highest structural complexity, productivity, and best aesthetics yet. The most relevant new technologies today focus on creating high-throughput physical machines and software that ‘thinks’, and, more futuristically, a fusion of both.
Robots, AI and Agents are Vital for Supply Chains This Year
Research firm Gartner has published its top supply chain technology trends for 2026. The analysis centres on AI technologies and their role in supply chain operations.
According to Gartner, advances in AI technologies are enabling supply chain and procurement professionals to generate business value, strengthen resilience and reconsider operating models. The technologies span physical and agentic AI applications.
The firm identified eight top trends shaping supply chain technology in 2026. The trends span governance, intelligent systems and multiagent systems.
Innovation
Humanoid robot performs surgery in world first
A humanoid robot has performed surgery for the first time in a major milestone for robotics and critical healthcare. Working with surgeons from the University of California San Diego, a humanoid robot successfully carried out a gallbladder removal.
In a second operation, two humanoids working side by side performed a laparoscopic gallbladder removal. Both of the procedures for the proof-of-concept experiment were performed on non-primate mammals.
Surgeons Use Teleoperated Humanoid Robots to Perform Live Surgery – a World First
For the first time, two teleoperated humanoid robots have been used to complete two surgeries during a preclinical trial, researchers report in the July 8 issue of the journal Nature. The work is the result of a collaboration between a team of engineers and a team of surgeons at the University of California San Diego.
In one surgery, a human-robot team made up of a humanoid robot and a human surgeon acting as an assistant successfully performed a gallbladder removal. A second successful surgery was performed by two humanoid robots working side by side in a robot-robot team. Both procedures were performed on large non-primate mammals.
The proof-of-concept experiment is a first step toward introducing humanoid robots in the operating room, researchers said. These robots could first assist during procedures then later perform surgeries while teleoperated by surgeons.
Tiny robot boats build floating structures
MIT researchers developed FloatForm, a swarm of small aquatic robots that snap together like ants forming a raft, assembling into reconfigurable structures on the water.
Technology
NVIDIA and Hugging Face Bring New Models and Frameworks to LeRobot for the Open Robotics Community
New LeRobot integrations give developers open access to NVIDIA Isaac GR00T 1.7, Isaac Teleop, datasets and robotics workflows, with NVIDIA Cosmos 3 integration planned to bring frontier world models to open robotics development.
Mitsubishi joins robot race to make, deploy humanoid workers
Mitsubishi is partnering with Japanese robotics startup Highlanders Inc. to develop humanoid robots to work in its factories and to mass-produce them at the Japanese automaker’s engine plant as early as 2027, as it seeks growth outside its traditional automobile business.
10 Jobs That Are Safe Because Robots Cost Too Much
Maybe robots will cost more than people. And just maybe, human jobs will be safe for longer than we think. According to a new report by a construction software company, replacing a single nursing assistant with a humanoid robot runs about $375,100 a year, nearly nine times the $42,200 these workers actually earn. And robots that could replace construction laborers, who make just under $50,000 per year, would cost almost $300,000.
“For years, the assumption was that low-paid, low-skill jobs would be the first to go,” a spokesperson from Planera, the software company that did the report, told me via email. “But the data shows the opposite.”
Investment
SKF eyes role in humanoid robotics business
SKF is looking to work its way into the expanding Chinese robotics market with a recently announced agreement with Leaderdrive (LD), a global manufacturer specializing in precision robotic components.
The companies are working together on a venture in China focused on high-precision transmission components for robot joints. SKF officials said the investment is a step into the robotics industry, with a particular focus on the application of humanoids powered by Embodied AI technology in industrial settings. SKF will hold a 60% majority stake in the venture, which supports the group’s strategic focus on high-growth segments.
Research
From AI to ‘killer robots’: UN chief issues urgent governance call
UN chief António Guterres appealed on Monday for far-reaching, worldwide controls on Artificial Intelligence, as increasingly powerful AI chips that are designed for civilian use shift to the battlefield, where “killer robots” are already the norm.
Trends
On’s LightSpray robots will bring its production closer to consumers
On is exploring how to expand its automated LightSpray manufacturing system beyond Switzerland and South Korea, potentially establishing production in Europe and the U.S.
For On, faster production closer to demand is ultimately about selling with less guesswork. The company could launch smaller quantities, restock winners more quickly and avoid committing as much inventory months before it knows what customers want. Over time, that could mean fewer markdowns, more regionally localized product drops and a supply chain that reacts to demand rather than forecasting it from afar.