Robotics

Today's Stories

1. 1

   AI moves from screen to surgical robot

   The Medical Device and Diagnostic industry is navigating regulatory changes as AI moves from screen to surgical robot. When AI shifts from advising on images to physically guiding surgical tools, the rules that apply to it are likely to change.

   The test is whether regulators can adapt existing device rules to AI that acts inside the operating room, rather than only on a display.

2. 2

   Daifuku targets 2030 humanoid demo, says CEO Terai

   Daifuku CEO Tomoaki Terai said at the International Logistics Exhibition 2026 that the company is developing a dual-arm humanoid to automate the remaining 15% of warehouse work, aiming for a 2030 demonstration. Daifuku says about 85% of warehouse processes — receiving, transport, storage, picking, packing, sorting and shipping — are already automated, so the humanoid is meant for the hard remainder, such as picking flexible items like clothing.

   Terai says current humanoids use many motors, which lowers durability; the goal is fewer motors, once-a-year maintenance and lower power use, so the real test is whether that hardware promise holds.

3. 3

   NXHD opens 2nd round of startup co-creation program for logistics

   NXHD has begun accepting applications for the second round of its startup co-creation program, targeting AI and robotics solutions for logistics challenges. The program gives startups a route to work with a major logistics group on real operational problems, which could turn into commercial partnerships.

4. 4

   Matternet unveils M3 drone delivery platform, commercial service targeted for 2027

   Matternet unveiled M3 on September 28, 2026 — a three-part system of aircraft, dock and drop-box portal, with packages up to 11 pounds within a 10-mile radius. A restaurant, retailer or hospital can run a rooftop micro-hub with no operator on site, which Matternet frames as making drone delivery a utility-like service.

   Commercial service is targeted for the second half of 2027, so the plan hinges on whether launch partners like Dave’s Hot Chicken and Apian scale into high-volume use.

5. 5

   Skydio unveils F10 Lightrunner, its first fixed-wing drone

   Skydio announced the F10 Lightrunner on September 24, 2026 at its Ascend conference. It is the company's first fixed-wing drone, flies up to 100 mph across a 30-mile radius, and launches from MegaDock, a dock holding five aircraft. Deployments begin in 2027. The F10 is the first time this drone maker has extended its lineup beyond the quadcopter, and its combination of speed and wide area coverage from a single dock location suggests automated inspection and emergency response could reach far more sites with far fewer launch points.

   The 30-mile radius and 100 mph are aircraft performance figures, not a proven record at customer sites, so the plan hinges on whether deployments actually begin in 2027 and how regulators treat flights beyond the pilot's line of sight.

6. 6

   DevDay opens to protests over OpenAI's ICE contracts

   On Tuesday, more than a dozen organizations — including Bay Resistance, Tech Workers Coalition and the Service Employees International Union — rallied outside OpenAI's DevDay at San Francisco's Fort Mason, chanting "Sam Altman, get off it, put people over profit." The protest reflects a bipartisan movement against power concentration in the AI industry and the lack of government regulation, and comes as trust in AI appears low.

   Organizers said they would stay until Altman arrived for the opening keynote, a test of whether the rally follows the event inside. Watch whether QuitGPT's boycott push gains traction.