Robotics

Today's Stories

1. 1

   TDK begins mass production of 100V, 10μF MLCC for AI servers and humanoid robots

   TDK said it has started mass production of multilayer ceramic capacitors rated at 100V and 10μF, targeting AI servers and humanoid robots. High-voltage, high-capacitance MLCCs are a component class whose ratings previously limited circuit design; this widens what suppliers can offer builders of power-hungry AI servers and humanoid robots, according to the report.

   The test is whether AI server and humanoid robot makers design the part into production hardware, which hinges on volume supply rather than the announcement itself. Watch for TDK's stated capacity and pricing details, which the report does not give.

2. 2

   TDK adds 10μF part to resin-electrode MLCC line

   TDK has introduced a 10μF version of its MLCC that uses the company's own resin electrodes, with the design aimed at humanoid applications as well as existing uses. The part is presented as halving component count and mounting area, so designers replacing conventional parts may need fewer components and less board space per circuit.

   Whether the resin-electrode approach gets adopted in humanoid robots is the test, since TDK frames that as an expected use rather than a confirmed one.

3. 3

   Denso, Nagoya University deploy AI robots at Kariya's Karikoko

   Two AI-equipped robots are appearing on a limited-time basis at Karikoko, a community exchange facility near Kariya Station's north exit, as part of a joint research project by Denso and Nagoya University. This is the third installment of the city's field-provision demonstration project. One robot, the arm-type "Kobotta," sits by the library's book return box and asks about or recommends books, while "Comyu" discusses Kariya topics.

   The project is framed as research into human-robot relationships, so what matters is how visitors respond to the two robots' attempts at conversation during the limited-time run.

4. 4

   PepsiCo lifts plant throughput 20% with Siemens digital twins

   PepsiCo used Siemens' Digital Twin Composer, built on Nvidia Omniverse, to model a U.S. Gatorade plant virtually; throughput rose 20% in three months and up to 90% of design flaws were flagged before construction. PepsiCo estimates capital expenditure reductions of 10% to 15% by extracting latent capacity from existing assets rather than funding new ones, shifting physical AI from new-build projects to retrofitting factories already standing.

   Harmoni raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners on Sept. 9 to target roughly 280,000 U.S. factories still running traditional machinery, a test of whether retrofit demand matches that installed base.

5. 5

   Drones now sit inside geospatial workflows at INTERGEO 2026

   At INTERGEO 2026, drones no longer occupy their own category on the show floor. They now sit alongside crewed aircraft, satellites and ground systems as another way to collect data. The question has moved from whether drones can collect useful geospatial data to whether a drone is the right tool for the job. Blue Marble combined with Avenza Systems earlier this year to offer desktop analysis and mobile field tools under one brand.

   Whether mapping platforms can actually absorb data from multiple sources, since that integration is what customers are responding to. Watch how Blue Marble's combined brands perform as they are presented together for the first time.

6. 6

   InOrbit.AI ships OpenRobOps, first ISO 21423 reference implementation

   InOrbit.AI released OpenRobOps, an Apache 2.0 open-source robot fleet operations foundation it calls the industry's first ISO 21423 reference implementation. OEMs previously spent years building custom back ends and user interfaces; InOrbit says OpenRobOps lets teams bypass years of back-end development.

   The test is whether OEMs adopt ORO instead of building their own fleet managers, since InOrbit's paid Space Intelligence remains separate.