This Week's Good ReadsFinancial Times - Homegrown robots help drive China's global export surgeFT spotlights how "homegrown" Chinese robotics are becoming a lever in the country's latest export push-and what that means for global competition and supply chains. [Read the analysis here.](https://www.ft.com/content/cf427f83-89b2-4912-8f79-0f367ab6e553TechCrunch - We are entering a golden age of robotics startups - and not just because of AI

VCs say robotics has matured beyond hype: falling hardware costs, richer talent, and clearer use-cases are driving a funding rebound (about $6B in Jan–Jul 2025), while investors remain cautious on consumer humanoids. Read the analysis here.

OpenAI is hiring humanoid-focused roboticists and advertising roles in teleoperation and Nvidia Isaac-based simulation-signaling a renewed push into embodied AI after pausing robotics in 2021. Read the story.

Parametric Architecture - On's LightSpray™ Uses Robotic Nozzles to Spray Shoes Directly Onto Foot-Shaped Molds

At On Labs Tokyo, robots spray lightweight material onto a foot last to build uppers with fewer seams and adhesives-enabling rapid prototyping and potential waste reduction; demos ran Sept 13–21. See the project.

Robotics Companies Funding

• Figure – $1 B+, Series C round (16 Sep 2025), led by Parkway Venture Capital with NVIDIA, Intel Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Salesforce, T-Mobile Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures; plus Brookfield Asset Management, Macquarie Capital, Align Ventures, Tamarack Global (PitchBook). San Jose–based builder of general-purpose humanoid robots and the Helix AI platform.
• ANYbotics – Undisclosed, Strategic investment (22 Sep 2025), new investor Climate Investment; total funding now >€127 M (PitchBook). Zurich robotics company behind the ANYmal quadruped for autonomous industrial inspection.
• Icarus Robotics – $6.1 M, Seed round (17 Sep 2025), led by Soma Capital and Xtal with Nebular and Massive Tech Ventures (PitchBook). Building embodied-AI robots to handle "warehouse work" in microgravity and on the ISS.
• Sonair – $6 M, round (undisclosed stage) (17 Sep 2025), led by Scale Capital with Investinor; continued support from RunwayFBU, SINTEF and ProVenture (PitchBook). Oslo-based developer of safety-certified 3D ultrasonic (ADAR) sensors for robots.
• Agility Robotics – Undisclosed (Humanoid Global ticket: $145,000), Series C (indirect via SPV) (17 Sep 2025), investor Humanoid Global; Series C participants include NVentures (NVIDIA) (PitchBook). Oregon company behind Digit, a bipedal humanoid for logistics.
• Landing AI – Undisclosed, Strategic investment (17 Sep 2025), investor ABB Robotics Ventures (PitchBook). Andrew Ng–founded visual-AI company (LandingLens) for rapid, no-code computer-vision deployment in robotics.

Robotics News

• KUKA Robotics Showcases Advanced Automation at Advanced Design & Manufacturing Expo 2025 - KUKA previews live demos with partners DGT Solutions and OptiMach, including a high-speed KR SCARA capping cell, AI-assisted smart welding, and an AMR display ahead of ADM 2025. Automation.com
• Vingroup establishes 3rd robotics company - Vietnam's Vingroup launches VinDynamics to develop humanoid robotics, adding to its existing VinRobotics and VinMotion units. VnExpress International
• Monash engineers improve construction with robotics - Researchers trial a human–robot collaboration planning system using UR10e and MiR100, showing efficiency gains and reduced worker strain, with AR guidance and a new facility on the way. Build Australia
• The UK's 'Goldilocks Moment for AI': NVIDIA, UK and US Leaders Highlight AI Infrastructure Investments - Among broader AI moves, NVIDIA says it will help launch a robotics R&D hub in the UK to train and upskill talent. NVIDIA Blog
• Nvidia and Abu Dhabi institute launch joint AI and robotics lab in the UAE - The Technology Innovation Institute and NVIDIA open a lab (the first NVIDIA AI Technology Center in the Middle East) to advance AI models and robotics platforms, with plans to use the Thor chip. Reuters
• How We Touch - Harvard SEAS study captures how people explore unfamiliar objects by touch, offering insights for designing better human-robot interactions. Harvard SEAS
• Robotics grasps new possibilities - McKinsey's Week in Charts highlights a pivot toward general-purpose robots and how multimodal foundation models could boost dexterity and voice/vision-prompted actions. McKinsey & Company
• Rethink Robotics shuts down - again - The cobot pioneer has closed for a second time, marking another setback for the company behind Baxter and Sawyer. The Robot Report
• Introducing SGS-1 - Spectral Labs unveils a generative model for structured CAD that produces editable, manufacturable parametric STEP parts from images or meshes. Spectral Labs
• OpenMind | Open Source AI Robot Operating System | OM1 + FABRIC - OpenMind launches OM1 Beta, an open-source, hardware-agnostic OS intended to let any robot perceive, reason, and act across real and simulated platforms. OpenMind
• Leading the Future of AI Mobility: XPENG Showcases Its Latest Technology Breakthroughs at IAA Mobility 2025 - XPENG details global NGP rollout, an EU R&D center, plans for L4 autonomy by 2026, and updates on its humanoid robot and modular flying car program. XPENG

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