Opinion & Briefings

Industry briefings, distilled for engineers

Daily industry briefings distilled from robotics research and industrial automation news — each links back to its original source.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 19, 2026

Icarus Robotics Tests ISS-Bound Free-Flying Robot in True Microgravity

Icarus Robotics flew its JOY free-flying robot on four parabolic flights to validate dynamics and manipulation before a 2027 ISS deployment.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 18, 2026

Universal Robots Unveils Gen 7 Platform for Industrial Automation and Physical AI

Universal Robots launches Gen 7 at IMTS, pairing new g-Series arms, the CB7 Core controller and PolyScope X software to move AI-based robotics from development into production.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 17, 2026

Berg Insight: Humanoid Robot Shipments to Reach 26 Million Units a Year by 2040

Annual humanoid robot shipments are forecast to grow from 16,000 units in 2026 to 26 million by 2040 at a 63.7% CAGR, with market value rising from $890 million to $554 billion.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 16, 2026

WaiV Robotics Demonstrates Autonomous Night Drone Recovery on Moving Offshore Decks

WaiV Robotics completed open-sea trials off Galveston, Texas, including what it calls the first autonomous maritime takeoff and landing after dark, using radar and lidar to recover drones on moving decks.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 15, 2026

Kinetic Blocks Opens Beta Marketplace for Humanoid Robot Training Data

Oslo-based Kinetic Blocks has launched a restricted beta marketplace where vetted suppliers list licensed humanoid training datasets and buyers purchase them under commercial terms.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 14, 2026

Meltio Launches US-Assembled Robot Cell for Wire-Laser Metal 3D Printing

Meltio has introduced a US-assembled version of its Robot Cell, a robotic wire-laser directed energy deposition system combining a metal print head, industrial arm and laser-safe enclosure.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 13, 2026

Skyports and Oita Prefecture Sign MoU to Build Advanced Air Mobility Network

Skyports Infrastructure will advise Oita Prefecture on vertiport siting, route feasibility and eVTOL readiness, targeting commercial AAM operations around 2028.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 12, 2026

PlusAI to Go Public in $800M SPAC Deal, Targets 2027 Autonomous Truck Launch

Autonomous trucking software developer PlusAI will list via Texas Ventures Acquisition III in a deal valuing it near $800 million and providing up to roughly $300 million for commercialization.

BriefingOpinion · Sep 11, 2026

General Robotics' GRID Automates Robot Onboarding, Skill Deployment

General Robotics says its GRID agentic platform now auto-engineers the robot lifecycle, cutting onboarding from one month to two hours and model ingestion from three days to 20 minutes.