This Week's Good ReadsBloomberg Opinion — How China Trains Your Robot Dog
Why China is pulling ahead in quadruped robotics: a vast supply chain, state-backed “embodied AI” push, and Unitree’s new student training program that crowdsources data—turning robot dogs into the proving ground for humanoid skills. Read the analysis here.
The New York Times — Amazon’s Next Automation Wave
Leaked internal documents (which Amazon disputes) sketch a plan to automate about 75% of operations by the early 2030s—avoiding more than 600,000 future U.S. hires and saving roughly $0.30 per item shipped—raising big questions about timelines, costs and workforce impacts. Read the analysis here.
A battery cuff and motorized heel assist aim to help everyday runners (think 10–12-minute milers) and walkers go farther with less effort; developed with Dephy, detachable from the shoe, and targeting a consumer launch around 2028. Check it out.
Robotics Companies Funding
- Carbon Robotics – $20 M, Series D-2 round (23 Oct 2025), led by Giant Ventures (PitchBook). Seattle-based ag-robotics company behind the chemical-free LaserWeeder and a new, unannounced farm robot.
- Leju Robotics – $200 M+, pre-IPO round (22 Oct 2025), lead undisclosed; participants included CITIC Goldstone and Shenzhen Investment Holdings (PitchBook). Shenzhen maker of KUAVO humanoids for factory and service scenarios.
- Formic – $99,997, Strategic investment (pending close) (21 Oct 2025), led by Humanoid Global (PitchBook). Chicago RaaS provider offering guaranteed-uptime automation on a pay-per-use model.
- .lumen – €11 M, EU grant (non-dilutive) (20 Oct 2025), lead investors: N/A (PitchBook). Romanian team extending its Pedestrian Autonomous Driving tech from “Glasses for the Blind” to autonomous sidewalk delivery robots.
Robotics News
- Record-breaking robots: machines that do the impossible! — A roundup of recent Guinness-verified feats, from a 0.103-second puzzle-cube solver to the fastest 100-m quadruped and the tiniest walking humanoid. Guinness World Records (Kids)
- Kepler Robotics unveils K2 “Bumblebee” at IROS 2025 — The humanoid showcases hybrid linear/rotary actuation and sim-to-real training as part of an open developer ecosystem push. PR Newswire
- AgiBot introduces LinkCraft zero-code platform — Upload a human-motion video and generate precise humanoid robot performances; includes voice/expressive controls and multi-robot orchestration. PR Newswire
- Samsung Heavy readies shipbuilding robots — SHI signs an MoU with Rainbow Robotics to develop AI-equipped welding, mobile dual-arm, and quadruped robots for yards already running 24/7 automated systems. Splash 247
- INSAIT unveils SPEAR-1 robotic foundation model — Europe’s first open robotic FM trained with 3D data, matching or beating peers while using up to 20× less robot-demo data; open-weight and language-controlled. INSAIT
- MOVA debuts an autonomous hovering robotic pool cleaner — The Rover X10 adds underwater-drone-like agility, 3D mapping with LDS, and up to 6-hour runtime; availability slated for spring 2026. PR Newswire
- GrayMatter Robotics opens 100k-sq-ft AI robotics innovation center — New Carson HQ features 25+ active “physical AI” cells and plans to expand high-skilled manufacturing jobs. PR Newswire
- Grubhub, Avride & Wonder pilot delivery robots in Jersey City — Autonomous delivery service test launches with partners in select neighborhoods. Restaurant Dive
- FORT Robotics adds Long-Range Bluetooth to Safe Remote Control Pro — BLE-based option boosts site coverage and reliability for remote machine control in industrial settings. FORT Robotics
- Amazon debuts ‘Blue Jay’ robot to perform multiple tasks at once — A multi-arm workstation that can pick, stow, and consolidate in a single cell, designed to handle the majority of stored items. CNBC
- Advantech unveils Jetson Thor-accelerated edge-AI solutions — New controllers for humanoids/AMRs and medical/data-AI platforms with JetPack 7, Isaac ROS/Sim, Holoscan, and containerized toolchains. PR Newswire
- Locus Robotics reports record growth, hitting 6B picks — The last billion in just 24 weeks; throughput now ~200–300 units/sec across one of the world’s largest AMR fleets. Business Wire
