Google DeepMind Pushes Robots Toward Real-World Autonomy With Embodied Reasoning Upgrade

Google DeepMind has released Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6, an upgrade to its embodied reasoning model for robotics.

Waymo Begins Autonomous Driving Tests in London With Safety Drivers

Waymo has entered the next phase of its London expansion, beginning autonomous driving with a trained specialist behind the wheel. The move is part of its plan to bring a fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the UK later this year.

Pony.ai Introduces Self-Improving World Model for Autonomous Driving

Pony.ai announced PonyWorld 2.0, a new version of its world model that serves as the core training system behind its autonomous driving stack. The company describes the update as a step toward a “self-improving approach” to development, where the system contributes to how it is trained.

MOIA and Uber Begin Autonomous ID. Buzz Testing in Los Angeles

MOIA America and Uber have begun on-road testing of autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles in Los Angeles, advancing their partnership into its next stage. The collaboration, first introduced in April 2025

AGIBOT Pushes World Models Into Interactive Simulation With Genie Envisioner 2.0

AGIBOT has debuted a major update to Genie Envisioner, its world models platform. The update moves the system from describing the world to running it as a simulation. It builds on the World Action Model, linking state, action, and outcome so changes unfold step by step.

Snap Bets on Qualcomm to Power the Next Wave of Specs Glasses

Snap subsidiary Specs Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies announced a long-term strategic agreement centered on future versions of Specs, Snap’s standalone see-through smartglasses.

Foundry Robotics Raises $19 Million to Build AI-First Robotics for Manufacturing

Foundry Robotics announced that it has secured $19 million in seed funding from investors including Khosla Ventures, Hanabi Capital, Red Glass Ventures, Zero Shot Fund, and other backers.

Chef Robotics Robots Can Now Assemble Meat Trays for Packaging Lines

Chef Robotics has announced that its robots can now automate tray assembly for meatpacking, a task it says has remained difficult to mechanize because meat pieces vary in shape, size, and texture.

Niantic Advances Its Geospatial Platform for Real-World Mapping and Positioning

Niantic Spatial is expanding its geospatial platform with a set of updates focused on capturing, mapping, and locating in the physical world. The release centers on building a unified system for creating and using spatial data with precise geometry and positioning.

Faraday Future’s FX Aegis Robot Gets U.S. Green Light for Sales

Faraday Future said its FX Aegis quadruped robot has completed required U.S. certification through the Federal Communications Commission’s Authorization and Certification Division, confirming compliance with safety, security, and spectrum standards.

Sanctuary AI Runs Zero-Shot Cube Rotation on Real Hydraulic Hand

Sanctuary AI shared a new demo focused on zero-shot in-hand manipulation with its hydraulic robotic hand. The system applies dexterous manipulation policies trained entirely in simulation directly to the real system

GEN-1 Foundation Model Boosts Robot Reliability and Speed

Generalist introduced GEN-1, a multimodal robot learning model that controls robot actions in real time. It is trained on over 500,000 hours of physical interaction data,