Ivan Hernandez Dalas - Mechatronics

Neros Archer is a FPV drone built for modular payloads and resilient communications. | Source: Neros Neros Inc. this week announced it raised $250 million in a Series C round. This brought the drone defense contractor to a $2.5 billion valuation. “This newest round of funding accelerates Neros into a multi-capability drone manufacturer,” stated Soren Monroe-Anderson, co-founder and CEO of Neros. “Our mission to produce 1 million drones per year hasn’t changed, but the span of drones and mission sets we can support are multiplying. Our core business has seen explosive growth since our last financing round in November, and this added capital gets our systems into war-fighter hands faster, and at the scale needed for decisive outcomes on the battlefield.” Founded in 2023, Neros has major contracts with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as contracts with every component of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and half a dozen allied countries. The ...

The Digit humanoid robot from Agility, which is an example of a SPAC acquisition. Source: Agility On June 24, Agility Robotics Inc., a leading humanoid robotics and physical AI company, announced it had entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Churchill Capital Corp XI, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company or SPAC. The deal values Agility at a $2.5 billion pre-money equity valuation. The Agility transaction comes at an inflection point for robotics companies seeking to scale their businesses during a time of technological disruption, increased visibility, and public acceptance, as well as labor shortages and onshoring pressures that are accelerating the need for deployment of robotics systems. While the traditional IPO path remains challenging, de-SPAC transactions and varieties of reverse-merger transactions may prove to be the optimal approach for many robotics companies seeking additional capital and access to public markets. Agility deal f...

By Umar Farooq That was one of the questions at the heart of my last week (20th-24th July) at the Imperial Robotics Summer School, hosted at Imperial College, London; a week that sharpened my thinking and pushed me to look at robotics problems from angles I don’t usually get to in my day-to-day work. The summer school brought together emerging researchers, academics, and industry professionals from across the robotics community for an intensive, hands-on programme. I came away having learned a huge amount, from expert-led lectures on robot kinematics, dynamics, sensing and control, and robot learning, through to specialised sessions on aerial robotics, robot intelligence, surgical robot vision, bio-inspired sensing and control, and personal assistive robotics. One of the standout parts of the week was getting into Imperial’s robotics labs themselves, seeing research up close across adaptive and intelligent robotics, aerial robotics, robotic surgery, manipulation and touc...

Humanoid robot developers are trying to replicate the human hand. Source: Adobe Stock Human hands are dexterous, versatile machines. Roboticists have tried to copy the biological structures of the hand for humanoid grippers. This, however, typically results in complex and difficult-to-control structures. Researchers proposed an alternative end-effector solution in a new study published by Wiley in Advanced Science . They created the BioflexBot, a novel robot that mimics and even exceeds core motions of the hand with a simple design. Instead of creating a robotic hand with the intricate anatomy of a human hand, the researchers aimed to capture fundamental hand motions with a coiled spring, constraining shell, and basic pneumatic system, using compressed air to control mechanical action. Optimized for precision and range of mobility, the BioflexBot can pinch, rotate, hook, and grasp with just two pneumatic inputs. “By harnessing structural and physical intelligence, we pursued a si...

Humanoid robotics and software startups have emerged weekly for the past year, capturing media attention and billions of dollars in investment. While some humanoids are in commercial trials, semi-humanoid and nonhumanoid mobile manipulators are already arriving in factories and warehouses. How are locomotion, manual dexterity, and flexible skills training proceeding? This free download looks at the current state of mobile manipulator and humanoid development. Technical concerns include power management, 360-degree but affordable perception, and data collection and processing for AI and world models.  The Robot Report  spoke with industry experts to get beyond the hype and learn where bimanual manipulation and legged robots are heading. We’ve compiled a list of more than 200 verified humanoid robot providers, noting where they are located around the world, what types of systems they are working on, and whether their products are in development or are available for sale. At the 2026 ...

Clockwise from top left: Agility’s Digit robot, Apptronik’s Apollo, PSYONIC’s robotic hand, and Persona AI’s humanoid. | Sources: Agility, Apptronik, PSYONIC, and Persona AI Humanoid robots have captured the world’s attention, attracting billions in investment and generating excitement about the future. But beyond the viral videos and ambitious promises, where does the technology really stand? At RoboBusiness , which will take place on Oct. 20 and 21 and in Santa Clara, Calif., humanoid robot experts will participate in the “State of Humanoids” panel. During the keynote, industry leaders will examine the current state of humanoids through the lens of real-world deployment. The panel will include experts from Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Persona AI, and PSYONIC. Mike Oitzman, senior editor at The Robot Report ,  will moderate. The discussion will explore the capabilities that humanoids are delivering today, the technical and operational chal...