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Iván Hernández Dalas: Quarterhill discusses transport modernization as U.S. marks 70 years of federal highways

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The National Highway System. Source: Mark Sarmiento, U.S. Department of Transportation, ArcGIS Online On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act. It authorized the creation of a network that today carries nearly 25% of U.S. automotive traffic and moves trillions of dollars of freight annually. Quarterhill Inc. is among the companies now working to digitize that transport infrastructure. Seventy years after the 41,000-mi. (65,983.1 km) interstate network was launched, 72.2 million Americans will travel around Independence Day this week, according to AAA. Concerns include aging roads and bridges, securing and managing freight, and improving safety as fleets of autonomous vehicles ( AVs ) grow. Founded in 1992 as a wireless technology company, Quarterhill said it is a leader in the intelligent transportation system (ITS) industry, advancing mobility through smart infrastructure systems to reduce congestion, improve roadway safety, and create m...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Automate 2026 show recap

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The Robot Report Podcast · Automate 2026 Show Recap In Episode 251 of The Robot Report Podcast, hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman are joined by special guest Sarah Wynn , senior editor at sibling site Packaging OEM , to chat about their experiences on the show floor at Automate last month. They describe the robotics industry’s shift away from early-stage humanoid hype toward the practical, real-world deployment of physical AI and edge computing. The editors also discuss how software orchestration, digital twins, and advanced kinematics are solving labor shortages and preserving vital manufacturing knowledge. Featured companies and individuals from Automate 2026 The following innovators, executives, and organizations are highlighted or featured via interview vignettes from Automate 2026: Boston Dynamics and Agility : Discussed regarding the static floor displays of their respective industrial humanoids, Atlas and Digit. ABB Robotics : Craig McDonald, general manager ...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Luxonis closes Series A round to scale physical AI perception layer

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Luxonis has raised funding to provide AI perception for a range of industrial use cases. Source: Luxonis Increasing interest in physical AI is helping robotics component providers scale. Luxonis today said it has raised $14 million in Series A funding. The company said it plans to accelerate its commercial expansion, advance its product roadmap, and scale production of its OAK cameras to meet the growing demand. Founded in 2019, Luxonis said it brings artificial intelligence into the physical world by combining sensors, on-device computation, and open software into a single platform that simplifies robotic vision . Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Denver-based company has grown to serve thousands of customers, including FARM-ING , more than 60 Fortune 500 companies, and 17 of the Dow Jones 30. Luxonis said the investment will enable it to expand supply chain capacity and advance its OAK4 cloud perception ecosystem, which it launched in December 2025. Submit you...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Blattner awards Built Robotics $75M contract for physical AI to help meet energy demand

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Built Robotics and Blattner have already successfully deployed solar power projects. Source: Built Robotics Not only is artificial intelligence making robots more capable, but it is also driving demand for power and data center construction. Blattner Co. and Built Robotics Inc. today announced a $75 million contract to scale autonomous construction systems across Blattner projects nationwide. The companies said the agreement expands on their partnership announced last year and builds on seven successful deployments on utility-scale solar projects totaling more than 1 gigawatt of capacity. “To capture the immense opportunities in today’s market, we have to relentlessly innovate,” stated Brandon Bruski, senior vice president for solar at Blattner. “Deepening our technology partnership with Built Robotics cements our position as the leader in building solar infrastructure better, faster, and safer. This commitment helps us continue to prioritize the safety of our workforce and meet th...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: In Robotics, Ruggedization Is No Longer Optional

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By Isaiah Dominguez, Director of Marketing, WiBotic As autonomy moves beyond controlled environments, ruggedized design is becoming a prerequisite for reliable robotic operations. For years, many autonomous mobile robots were designed around a simple assumption: the operating environment would remain relatively predictable. Warehouse floors were flat. Lighting was consistent. Temperatures were controlled. Connectivity was reliable. In those conditions, autonomy could thrive. Today, that assumption is rapidly changing. Robots are increasingly being deployed in environments that are far less forgiving. Distribution yards, manufacturing campuses, healthcare facilities, retail operations, construction sites, agricultural applications, and outdoor logistics workflows all present conditions that challenge the traditional boundaries of robotic design. Dust, moisture, vibration, temperature swings, uneven terrain, and inconsistent infrastructure are no longer edge cases. They are becoming ...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Top 10 robotics developments of June 2026

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Humanoid robots made many headlines in June 2026, whether it be for companies going public, new deployments, or hitting production milestones. Large funding rounds also drew our readers’ attention this past month. Here are the 10 most popular articles on  The Robot Report from June 2026. Subscribe to The Robot Report  Newsletter  and listen to  The Robot Report  Podcast  to stay up to date on the latest robotics developments. 10. NVIDIA releases new and updated tools for physical AI developers At GTC Taipei and Computex, NVIDIA revealed several open-source skills and tools to help developers of robotics, autonomous vehicles, visual AI, and industrial digital twins. The company claimed that they can help reduce the costs, time, and complexity of building physical AI workflows at scale. Read more . 9. Why deterministic real-time systems are more critical than ever in robotics Winston Leung of QNX has more than a decade of experience innovating in both the public and private ...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Apptronik unveils Apollo 2 and a flagship data collection and training facility

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Apptronik offers a bipedal configuration for movement through spaces built for people, while a wheeled base offers stability and efficiency for high-throughput environments. | Source: Apptronik Apptronik yesterday made two major announcements. First, the company launched Apollo 2, its updated humanoid robot. Second, it opened its newly expanded Robot Park, its flagship data collection and training facility for humanoid robots in Austin, Texas. Apollo 2 comes in both bipedal and wheeled-base configurations. Apptronik said it designed the robot to learn real-world work through large-scale data collection. It enables the company to gather diverse data across a wide range of tasks and environments. As part of Apptronik’s research partnership with Google DeepMind , the data Apollo 2 collects helps to advance Gemini Robotics, Google DeepMind’s foundation models for robotics. The facility in Austin joins a growing number of Apptronik Robot Parks at customer and partner sites worldwide. ...
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