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FundingFigure AI raises $675M Series B at $3.2B valuationHumanoidsTesla Optimus begins limited commercial deployment in 3 GigafactoriesM&AABB acquires Franka Emika for €280MProductBoston Dynamics Spot 3.0 ships with on-board AI integrationMarketsGlobal robotics market crosses $200B milestonePolicySouth Korea mandates service robots in hospitals by 2028ResearchDeepMind RoboAgent achieves state-of-the-art on 34 benchmarksIndustrialAmazon deploys 750,000th operational robotFundingFigure AI raises $675M Series B at $3.2B valuationHumanoidsTesla Optimus begins limited commercial deployment in 3 GigafactoriesM&AABB acquires Franka Emika for €280MProductBoston Dynamics Spot 3.0 ships with on-board AI integrationMarketsGlobal robotics market crosses $200B milestonePolicySouth Korea mandates service robots in hospitals by 2028ResearchDeepMind RoboAgent achieves state-of-the-art on 34 benchmarksIndustrialAmazon deploys 750,000th operational robot
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Lead Story
ROBOTICSINTL.COM · EXCLUSIVE REPORT

Humanoid robots are quietly entering the factory floor — and nobody is ready

With Tesla, Figure, and Agility all shipping commercial units in 2026, manufacturers are scrambling to retrain workers, redesign floors, and rethink safety protocols for a technology that arrived faster than expected.

By Casey Wren|May 7, 2026|8 min read
Also Today
HumanoidsMore →
Humanoids

Humanoid robots are quietly entering the factory floor — and nobody is ready

With Tesla, Figure, and Agility all shipping commercial units in 2026, manufacturers are scrambling to retrain workers, redesign floors, and rethink safety protocols for a technology that arrived faster than expected.

By Casey Wren·May 7, 2026·8 min read
IndustrialMore →
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Industrial

Amazon deploys its 750,000th robot — a look inside the Shreveport fulfillment center

The milestone deployment at a new Louisiana facility showcases Amazon's latest generation of autonomous mobile robots operating alongside a significantly reduced human workforce.

By Casey Wren·May 5, 2026·6 min read
AI & AutonomyMore →
AI & Autonomy

How foundation models are replacing thousands of hand-coded robot behaviors

Physical Intelligence's π0 model is powering 11 commercial deployments. We examine why learned policies are outperforming traditional robot programming — and what it means for the industry.

By Casey Wren·May 5, 2026·10 min read
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Market Intelligence

The global robotics industry by the numbers — 2026

Our annual data report covers investment flows, geographic adoption, and the companies to watch in 2026.

Read the full report →
$214B
Global robotics market size, 2026
34%
YoY growth in humanoid investment
4.2M
Industrial robots operating worldwide
127
VC-backed robotics startups funded in Q1
Companies to WatchFull Directory →
1
Figure AI
San Jose, CA · $915M raised, $3.2B valuation
Humanoids
2
Physical Intelligence
San Francisco, CA · $400M raised
AI & Autonomy
3
Boston Dynamics
Waltham, MA · Hyundai subsidiary
Humanoids
4
Agility Robotics
Salem, OR · Amazon subsidiary
Humanoids
5
ABB Robotics
Zurich, Switzerland · Public (ABBN)
Industrial
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Latest Stories
Policy

South Korea announces $4B national robotics fund ahead of aging-population crisis

The Korean government's largest-ever robotics investment targets service robots for healthcare and elder care as the country faces one of the world's most acute demographic challenges.

By Casey Wren·May 6, 2026·5 min read
Funding

Figure AI closes $675M Series B at $3.2B valuation — here's what the money buys

The round, led by BlackRock and Microsoft, funds a 40,000 sq ft manufacturing expansion and a new software team focused on whole-body control models.

By Casey Wren·May 6, 2026·6 min read
AI & Autonomy

How foundation models are replacing thousands of hand-coded robot behaviors

Physical Intelligence's π0 model is powering 11 commercial deployments. We examine why learned policies are outperforming traditional robot programming — and what it means for the industry.

By Casey Wren·May 5, 2026·10 min read
Industrial

Amazon deploys its 750,000th robot — a look inside the Shreveport fulfillment center

The milestone deployment at a new Louisiana facility showcases Amazon's latest generation of autonomous mobile robots operating alongside a significantly reduced human workforce.

By Casey Wren·May 5, 2026·6 min read
Research

MIT's liquid-cooled actuator could double the runtime of walking robots

A new thermal management approach from MIT's Biomimetic Robotics Lab addresses one of the most persistent limitations of legged locomotion systems.

By Casey Wren·May 4, 2026·5 min read
Funding

The quiet consolidation: 14 robotics M&A deals closed in April 2026

A roundup of last month's acquisitions reveals a clear pattern: large industrial automation players systematically acquiring AI and software capabilities they cannot build fast enough internally.

By Casey Wren·May 3, 2026·7 min read
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