XPeng Robotics Raises $900M+ at $6.3B Valuation in Record China Embodied AI Round
XPeng's robotics business has raised more than $900 million in its first external funding round at a post-money valuation exceeding $6.3 billion, the company announced on August 24, 2026. XPeng described the transaction a…
Galbot Humanoid Robots Complete 100+ Autonomous Tennis Rallies Against Former Pro Zheng Jie
Beijing-based Galbot's humanoid robots completed more than 100 consecutive autonomous tennis rallies against former world number 15 Zheng Jie at the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on August 22–23, 2026, in what the company des…
Humanoid Robots Break Human Sprint Records at Beijing World Robot Games
Two humanoid robots ran the 100-meter dash faster than Usain Bolt's 9.58-second world record on August 22–23 at the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. The result marks a dramatic leap from the inaugural games i…
China's Humanoid Robot Sector Stages a Coming-Out Moment in Beijing
The World Robot Conference in Beijing featured more than 300 mostly domestic companies, over 2,000 exhibits, and more than 150 product launches. The World Humanoid Robot Games 2026 opened at the National Speed Skating Oval, with 2…
Hyundai's Robot Strike Sets Labor-Automation Precedent for Auto Industry
Hyundai Motor's first full-scale strike in a decade, triggered in part by plans to deploy Boston Dynamics' Atlas robots at its plants, marks the moment factory automation shifted from a boardroom efficiency play to a live labor-relations cr…
Waymo Opens Houston Robotaxi Service to All Users
Waymo fully launched its robotaxi service in Houston on August 20, opening rides to anyone who downloads the app and eliminating the waitlist and invitation requirements that had governed access since the service began its phased rollout in…
Waymo Scales Houston as NHTSA Probe and London Resistance Close In
Waymo is expanding its robotaxi footprint at the same moment it faces intensifying regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and organized resistance from incumbent drivers abroad — a collision of growth ambition and institutional friction that will…
NHTSA Publishes Sealed Waymo Documents From Robotaxi-Child Collision Probe
Waymo has completed its submission of documents to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in connection with a January collision between one of its robotaxis and a nine-year-old girl near a school in Santa Monica, C…
DJI Announces Winners of Enterprise Drone Onboard AI Challenge 2026
DJI announced the winners of its DJI Enterprise Drone Onboard AI Challenge 2026, a global competition focused on advancing onboard artificial intelligence for enterprise drones. The challenge was designed to push AI capab…
Saildrone Fires First Missiles from Unmanned Vessel at RIMPAC 2026
Saildrone and Lockheed Martin launched two Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles from a Surveyor-class unmanned surface vessel during the U.S. Navy's RIMPAC 2026 exercise off Hawaii — the first missile launch ever conducted from a Saildrone platform…
Uber Launches Baidu Apollo Go Driverless Robotaxis in Dubai
Baidu's fully driverless Apollo Go robotaxis are now live on the Uber platform in Dubai, marking the first real-world deployment of Uber's multi-partner autonomous vehicle network on public roads. The service la…
Unitree IPO Surges 460% as 2026 World Robot Conference Opens in Beijing
Unitree debuted on Shanghai's STAR Market on August 19, the same day the 2026 World Robot Conference opened in Beijing, with shares surging 629.44% to 1,100 yuan ($163) at their peak before closing at 845 yuan — a 460.3% gain that valued th…
Uber-Zipline Drone Deal Draws Contrast With Amazon Prime Air Stumbles
Uber and Zipline announced a strategic partnership on August 17 to integrate Zipline's autonomous drones into the Uber Eats platform across the United States, with a stated target of one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029 […