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Iván Hernández Dalas: Hadrian raises funding for automated manufacturing, bringing valuation to $1.6B

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A rendering of one of Hadrian’s announced facilities in Mesa, Ariz. | Source: Hadrian Hadrian, which uses AI-powered automation and modern software to build manufacturing facilities for aerospace, defense, and emerging industrial programs, recently announced expanded capital. With the latest investment, the company is valued at $1.6 billion. Hadrian said it plans to use the funding to accelerate factory expansion and advance its automated manufacturing roadmap. “For decades, the United States separated design from production and assumed global supply chains would carry the load,” stated Chris Power, the founder and CEO of Hadrian. “That assumption no longer holds,” he said. “This capital accelerates our ability to build the industrial capacity America needs by pairing advanced automation with workforce training designed for the scale of the opportunity in front of us.” Opus designed to propel reshoring of manufacturing Demand for domestic manufacturing capacity across aerospac...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: 1X launches world model enabling NEO robot to learn tasks by watching videos

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1X said its new world model puts it a step closer to a future where robots can teach themselves to do any task a human can do. | Source: 1X Technologies 1X Technologies AS last week announced its latest 1X World Model. The company said the AI update for NEO enables the humanoid robot to turn any request into an AI capability on demand, using a video model grounded in real-world physics. “After years of developing our World Model and making NEO’s design as close to human as possible, NEO can now learn from internet-scale video and apply that knowledge directly to the physical world,” said Bernt Børnich, founder and CEO of 1X. “With the ability to transform any prompt into new actions—even without prior examples—this marks the starting point of NEO’s ability to teach itself to master nearly anything you could think to ask.” With this update, 1X said NEO can use video data fine-tuned on robot data to perform AI tasks, even with objects and environments it has never encountered befor...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Registration opens for Robotics Summit & Expo 2026

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Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit & Expo , the world’s leading technical event for commercial robotics developers. The event takes place May 27-28 in Boston, Mass. at the Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center. The Robotics Summit & Expo is produced by The Robot Report and parent company WTWH Media. The Robotics Summit & Expo brings together the brightest minds in commercial robotics development. Our conference programming will provide engineers the information they need to develop and scale the next generation of commercial robots. Buy your full conference pass before March 2 to save and gain full access to all keynotes, technical sessions, networking receptions and special events. Discounts are also available for academia, associations, and corporate groups. Please email events[at]wtwhmedia.com for more details about our discount programs. MassRobotics , the world’s largest independent robotics hub dedicated to accelerating robotics innovati...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: iRobot emerges from Chapter 11 as restructured Picea U.S. subsidiary

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iRobot and Picea have set up a U.S. subsidiary to safeguard customer data. Source: iRobot iRobot Corp. is back from bankruptcy with the completion of Shenzhen Picea Robotics Co.’s acquisition of the consumer robotics pioneer. iRobot said it has emerged from a pre-packaged Chapter 11 process “with an improved financial foundation and additional capacity to invest in the next generation of smart home robotics.” Last month, iRobot announced that it had entered into a restructuring support agreement with its creditor Santrum Hong Kong Co. and contract manufacturer Picea. The company had faced falling revenue , diversification challenges , and antitrust concerns that doomed its proposed acquisition by Amazon. However, it remained committed to continuing to produce and support its fleet of millions of robotic vacuum cleaners. “It has been a privilege to lead iRobot through this pivotal period, and I’m incredibly proud of the team’s resilience, focus, and commitment to our customers,...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Robot Talk Episode 141 – Our relationship with robot swarms, with Razanne Abu-Aisheh

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Claire chatted to Razanne Abu-Aisheh from the University of Bristol about how people feel about interacting with robot swarms. Razanne Abu-Aisheh is a Senior Research Associate in the Centre for Sociodigital Futures at the University of Bristol. Her work explores how people interact with robot swarms, with a focus on how collective robot behaviours influence human perception. In her current research, she collaborates with communities to imagine more inclusive and meaningful futures with robotics, working towards community-centred design. Her broader interests include bringing robot swarms into real-world settings and designing them with people in mind. View Source
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Vine-inspired robotic gripper gently lifts heavy and fragile objects

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The researchers demonstrated that the vine robot can safely and stably lift a variety of heavy and fragile objects, like a watermelon. Image credit: Courtesy of the researchers By Jennifer Chu In the horticultural world, some vines are especially grabby. As they grow, the woody tendrils can wrap around obstacles with enough force to pull down entire fences and trees. Inspired by vines’ twisty tenacity, engineers at MIT and Stanford University have developed a robotic gripper that can snake around and lift a variety of objects, including a glass vase and a watermelon, offering a gentler approach compared to conventional gripper designs. A larger version of the robo-tendrils can also safely lift a human out of bed. The new bot consists of a pressurized box, positioned near the target object, from which long, vine-like tubes inflate and grow, like socks being turned inside out. As they extend, the vines twist and coil around the object before continuing back toward the box, where they...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: LivsMed completes Korean IPO to accelerate remote robotic surgery

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LivsMed has partnered with Sovato on telesurgery. Source: LivsMed LivsMed LLC last week said it has completed an initial public offering, or IPO, on Korea’s KOSDAQ market. It raised about ₩135.9 billion ($94 million U.S.) at ₩55,000 per share, bringing its market capitalization to ₩1.4 trillion, or approximately $1 billion, making it a medical technology “unicorn.” The company said it will use the proceeds to build an integrated production base, fund research and development, and strengthen related management systems to support global growth across its product portfolio. “As we scale globally, we remain focused on making advanced surgical capability more accessible,” said Jung Joo Lee, Ph.D., founder and CEO of LivsMed. “An innovation cannot be called an innovation unless it can reach the masses.” LivsMed develops systems for minimally invasive procedures, and collaborates with physicians worldwide to improve patient outcomes and expand access to advanced surgical capa...
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