Humanoids continue to dominate the conversation in robotics. Half of our top stories this month were about humanoids. Additionally, our readers were drawn to stories about surgical robotics, advances in AI, and industry trends.
Here are the 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in the past month. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter and listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay updated on the latest robotics developments.
10. ISO 10218 industrial robot safety standard receives major overhaul
Safety is the most important topic when it comes to industrial robotics. ISO 10218 is an international standard that outlines safety requirements for industrial robots. It was developed in 2011. In the United States, ISO 10218-1 has been adopted as the ANSI/RIA R15 standard. After nearly eight years of work, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced the publication of the revised ISO 10218. Read More
9. Robotics & AI Institute, Boston Dynamics to make humanoids more useful with reinforcement learning
Two of the hottest technologies — humanoids and artificial intelligence — are converging. Boston Dynamics and the Robotics & AI Institute announced a partnership to advance humanoids through reinforcement learning. The partners said they will establish a shared reinforcement-learning training pipeline for Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot to build dynamic and generalizable mobile manipulation behavior. Read More
8. SS Innovations: robotic telesurgery can change surgeon training and access to care
Around the world, people living in rural areas struggle to access adequate healthcare. According to the Centers for Disease Control, rural residents in the U.S. face higher risks of death due, in part, to limited access to specialized medical care and emergency services. SS Innovations International Inc. hopes to change that with robotic telesurgery. Read More
7. Physical Intelligence open-sources Pi0 robotics foundation model
Physical Intelligence, the San Francisco-based startup that has raised more than $400 million, has open-sourced its Pi0 robotic foundation model. Pi0 was introduced a few months ago and can be tuned to a range of tasks, including folding laundry, cleaning a table, scooping coffee beans, and more. Read More
6. FANUC’s industrial robot sales drop 16%
FANUC is one of the leaders in industrial robotics. But, like many other companies at the moment, it also appears to be experiencing a slowdown. The company reported financials for the first 9 months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 (April 1 to December 31, 2024), showing mixed results amidst a recovering but uncertain global economy. Read More
5. Apptronik raises $350 million to build humanoids
Apptronik raised $350 million in Series A funding to scale its Apollo humanoid robot. The funding was co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with participation from Google. Apptronik has raised $378 million since it was founded in 2016 at the University of Texas at Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab. Apptronik co-founder and CEO Jeff Cardenas said the new funding will allow the company to accelerate the development of its next-generation Apollo humanoid. Read More
4. Humanoid robots promise a multi-trillion-dollar market, but pose challenges
As an early investor in Agility Robotics, now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of humanoid robots, watched as humanoids have evolved from a fascinating concept to reality over the past five years. That’s why he wasn’t surprised when NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang made headlines to kick off this year, saying, “Robotics will be a multi-trillion-dollar market.” Read More
3. Odense Robotics identifies 4 trends shaping robotics in 2025
Odense Robotics and the Danish Technological Institute have identified key technological trends that they said will shape robotics and automation in 2025. In a time characterized by high uncertainty and rapid technological development, more companies will turn to automation as the path to greater resilience, the organizations said. Read More
2. 1X built its latest humanoid NEO Gamma to better fit into the home
For humanoid robots to become accepted parts of people’s daily lives, they’ll need to act in a human-like manner. At least, that’s what 1X Technologies AS is betting on with the release of NEO Gamma, the successor to its NEO Beta humanoid. Read More
1. Humanoid shows off HMND 01 robot to work alongside people
London-based Humanoid offered a first look at its HMND 01 robot in action. The startup said its newest video demonstrates the humanoid’s mechanical design, motion control, and artificial intelligence integration. Read More
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