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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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Iván Hernández Dalas: Shield AI raises $2B for defense drone development, to acquire Aechelon

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Shield AI claims that X-BAT is the world’s first AI-piloted VTOL jet. Source: Shield AI Shield AI last week said it is raising $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation and $500 million in fixed-return preferred equity financing. The autonomy systems and defense drone provider plans to use a portion of the proceeds to acquire Aechelon Technology Inc., a simulation software company. “We’re thrilled to continue our work and serve our customers under Shield AI,” stated Ignacio (Nacho) Sanz-Pastor, co-founder and CEO of Aechelon. “Their vision of a future filled with autonomous systems protecting service members and civilians, and deterring conflict, is inspirational.”   Founded in 1998, Aechelon specializes in in geo-specific flight simulators and physics-based sensor AI training. The Sagewind Capital portfolio company said its Synthetic Reality (SR) platform realistically replicates real-world environments to enable both humans and machines to ...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Mind Robotics raises Series A to develop AI-driven industrial automation

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Mind Robotics spun out of rivian to develop physical AI based on real production data. Source: Rivian Mind Robotics Inc. this month raised $500 million in Series A funding. The startup is building physical AI systems using data from existing automotive production. “Mind Robotics is building the world’s leading industrial robotics platform, capable of performing dexterous, variable, and reasoning-intensive tasks,” it stated. “The company was founded to address a structural gap with current industrial automation solutions.” “Existing industrial robotics can perform repeatable, dimensionally stable tasks, but a large share of factory value-add work requires human-like dexterity, adaptation, and physical reasoning that classical robotics cannot address,” the company said. “Mind Robotics is building the AI foundation—models, hardware, and deployment infrastructure—to close that gap.” Rivian supports robotics ‘data flywheel’ for general intelligence In November 2025, Mind Robotics spu...
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