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Iván Hernández Dalas: Saronic raises $1.75B to build autonomous ships at scale

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Saronic offers three autonomous vessels, the Corsair, shown above, Mirage, and Marauder. | Source: Saronic Saronic Technologies today said it has raised $1.75 billion in Series D funding. With the latest round, the company is now valued at $9.25 billion. Austin, Texas-based Saronic claimed that its ability to produce advanced autonomous ships at scale is critical to preserving the industrial strength required to project power, protect trade, and sustain long-term resilience at sea. The company said it uses an autonomy-first design approach, coupled with modern manufacturing infrastructure, to deliver net-new shipbuilding capacity. “Over the past decades, the U.S. has experienced a steady erosion of its ability to build ships and manufacture critical maritime infrastructure,” asserted Dino Mavrookas, co-founder and CEO of Saronic. “We are confronting this challenge with a fundamentally new model of American shipbuilding, one that integrates first-principles engineering, advanced...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: AGIBOT rolls out 10,000th humanoid robot

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AGIBOT says its humanoid systems are finding use cases beyond the service industry. Source: AGIBOT AGIBOT Innovation Technology Co. today claimed that it is one of the first companies to have rolled out 10,000 humanoid robots. The Shanghai-based company said this marks a transition from early-stage validation to scalable, real-world robot deployments. “Reaching 10,000  units is not simply about producing more robots; it reflects a fundamental shift in our ability to scale,” stated Peng Zhihui, chief technology officer of AGIBOT. “As our supply chain matures and manufacturing standardizes, we are seeing a pivot from small-scale, niche applications to robust, large-scale commercial demand. The widespread deployment of AGIBOT’s robots is no longer about seeking technical viability, but about delivering scalable value and driving the adoption of embodied AI.” Founded in 2023, AGIBOT said it is integrating AI and robotics for general-purpose products and an application ecosystem. T...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: PDW raises over $110M for its drone-based defense systems

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PDW’s portfolio includes drones, mission-planning software, its Range Extension Kit, and an anti-jam radio. | Source: PDW PDW Holdings Inc., or Performance Drone Works, a developer of drones for defense and public safety, last week brought in a Series B round of more than $110 million. The company said it plans to use the funding to ramp up production of its multi-mission drones, among other strategic programs. “PDW designs and manufactures at the scale and speed required to meet the demands of today’s rapidly evolving battlefield,” stated James Slider, CEO of Performance Drone Works. “Mission-ready small UAS technology is a national security imperative. Our adversaries have proven what’s possible when drone technology is engineered, manufactured, and deployed at scale.” “The United States cannot afford to fall behind or rely on foreign supply chains,” he added. “We are investing in expanded production capacity and a U.S.-anchored supply chain to ensure resilient, domestically bui...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Resource-sharing boosts robotic resilience

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The Mori3 modular origami robot. Image credit: EPFL. Reproduced under CC-BY-SA. By Celia Luterbacher If the goal of a robot is to perform a function, then minimizing the possibility of failure is a top priority when it comes to robotic design. But this minimization is at odds with the robotic raison d’être: systems with multiple units, or agents, can perform more diverse functions, but they also have more different parts that can potentially fail. Researchers led by Jamie Paik, head of the Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory ( RRL ) in EPFL’s School of Engineering, have not only circumvented this problem, but flipped it: they have designed a modular robot that actually lowers its odds of failure by sharing resources among its individual agents. “For the first time, we have found a way to reverse the trend of increasing odds of failure with increasing function,” Paik explains. “We introduce local resource sharing as a new paradigm in robotics, reducing the failure rate with a larger ...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Humanoid completes live HMND PoC with SAP and Martur Fompak

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The project tested the HMND 01 Alpha Wheeled robot in a working production facility and set clear benchmarks for future deployment. | Credit: Humanoid The line between digital intelligence and physical labor has blurred as Humanoid, or HMND, and SAP successfully tested a live integration of agentic AI into industrial robotics. By bridging HMND’s KinetIQ AI stack with the SAP Joule agent, the partners said they demonstrated embodied AI in action. A cloud-based agent autonomously directed the HMND 01 Alpha wheeled robot to navigate and execute complex logistics tasks in a real-world warehouse. “This milestone marks a fundamental shift in automation, proving that humanoid fleets can now function as a direct, physical extension of an enterprise’s digital brain,” stated SKL Robotics Ltd. , which does business as Humanoid. Software and AI enable more enterprise actions Enterprise AI has been developing in parallel to embodied AI . In the enterprise, software agents analyze data, mak...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Arthur Erickson explains how Hylio drones address agriculture, other markets

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 The Robot Report Podcast · Arthur Erickson on how Hylio drones are revolutionizing agriculture Episode 237 of The Robot Report Podcast features Arthur Erickson, co-founder and CEO of Hylio Drones. He discusses the evolution and strategic direction of Hylio, an American drone provider. Arthur Erickson, co-founder and CEO of Hylio Drones. | Credit: Hylio Erickson shares the company ‘s journey from its inception at UT Austin, where it initially aimed to create a general-purpose industrial drone , to its current focus on agricultural applications. Richmond, Texas-based Hylio has carved a niche in the agricultural drone market, competing against major Chinese brands by offering U.S.-made drones that prioritize data security and customer support. The discussion also touches on the impact of geopolitical trends, such as the U.S. ban on foreign drones, which has spurred interest in Western-sourced systems. In addition, Erickson talks about the technological advancements in Hylio’...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Icarus Robotics to test its free-flying robot in the ISS with Voyager

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Icarus Robotics’ Joy robot will be taking on its first mission, Joyride, in 2027. | Source: Icarus Robotics Icarus Robotics today said it plans to test its free-flying Joy robot on the International Space Station, or ISS, in 2027. The startup has entered into a mission management contract with Voyager Technologies Inc. Voyager operates the only commercial airlock onboard the ISS. Under the agreement, the company will oversee payload integration, safety certification, launch coordination, on-orbit operations planning, and real-time mission execution support. Icarus Robotics said this will allow it to focus on solving the challenges of operating a robot in zero gravity around people. “Voyager allows us to think about the fundamentals of the robotics problems that we’re solving,” Ethan Barajas, co-founder and CEO of Icarus, told The Robot Report . San Diego-based Voyager is the type of company that brings things from ideal to real systems in space , he said. Joy will have a re...
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