Robotics

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Lockheed Martin expands venture investments in AI and quantum tech

   Lockheed Martin is increasing venture investments in AI, autonomous systems, quantum technology, advanced manufacturing, and next-generation propulsion. It added a new group of portfolio companies during 2026 and hosted its ninth annual Ventures Demo Day. The company says the effort is designed to speed the integration of new defense capabilities and strengthen the industrial base. By supplementing internal research with startup technologies, Lockheed Martin aims to bring advances into operational systems more quickly and improve resilience.

   Demo Day connected 18 portfolio businesses and startups with Lockheed Martin executives, technical specialists, and customers. The two-day event showcased technologies from software-defined foundry systems to detonation-engine propulsion, with sessions aimed at identifying routes into defense applications.

2. 2

   Renesas Opens Robotics AI Lab in Beijing

   Renesas announced on August 27, 2026, that it has opened a "Physical AI Robotics Laboratory" in Beijing, China, to develop and evaluate physical AI systems. Physical AI, which enables machines to perceive and act in the real world, differs from digital AI. The lab aims to advance Renesas' physical AI strategy and support the development of humanoid robots and other complex physical tasks.

   Renesas currently supplies products covering about 30% of a humanoid robot's bill of materials (BOM). With the new lab, it aims to expand coverage to 70% by integrating sensors, edge AI, and software.

3. 3

   NVIDIA announces entry-level AI robotics computer

   NVIDIA announced the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 2 on August 25, an entry-level robotics computer designed for AI processing. The new product delivers twice the inference performance (the step where an AI produces an answer) of the previous Jetson Orin Nano Super, while remaining small, cost-effective, and power-efficient.

   The device is positioned as an entry-level option, suggesting NVIDIA is targeting broader adoption of AI robotics among developers and smaller companies.

4. 4

   Lawson store starts AI bin recycling for lithium batteries

   AI-powered sorting recycling bin 'Bin-e' has begun collecting products containing lithium-ion batteries near the Lawson Takanawa Gateway City store. This marks a practical use of AI-driven recycling for potentially hazardous items, addressing safe disposal concerns for businesses and communities.

   Whether Bin-e's sorting accuracy and safety features gain adoption in more retail locations, possibly influencing future recycling convenience.

5. 5

   Fei-Fei Li's World Labs unveils Atlas 3D world model

   World Labs, founded by Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li, unveiled Atlas, a multimodal world model that can generate, reconstruct, and simulate 3D environments from text, images, and video. This moves AI beyond 2D content into full 3D simulation, which could be important for robotics and immersive applications. The model is designed to help machines understand and interact with physical spaces, not just generate media.

   Fei-Fei Li presented Atlas at the HumanX Conference 2026 in San Francisco, highlighting its role in advancing spatial intelligence for AI and robotics.

6. 6

   Solomon showcases AI inspection at Semicon Taiwan 2026

   Solomon Technology, a Taiwanese AI 3D vision company, is showcasing two key inspection applications at Semicon Taiwan 2026, integrating its core AI vision and optical technologies. This marks Solomon's push into the semiconductor inspection market, leveraging its expertise in AI and optics to address high-precision needs of chip manufacturing.

   The company's ability to convert these showcased applications into commercial adoption within the semiconductor industry remains a key indicator of its success in this new sector.