Launch Tau Robotics Tau Robotics has begun offering humanoid robots for residential cleaning service in San Francisco, marking an early commercial deployment of physical AI in home maintenance. You can hire these humanoid robots from Tau Robotics to clean your home in San Francisco · ABC7 Bay Area
Launch BYD BYD will debut its humanoid robot in August, signaling the Chinese automaker's push into physical AI manufacturing. BYD's Humanoid Robot to Debut in August · Gasgoo
Launch Google DeepMind Google DeepMind released Gemini Robotics 2, a model series designed to power humanoid robots with multimodal reasoning capabilities. Google DeepMind debuts Gemini Robotics 2 model series for humanoid robots · SiliconANGLE
Launch Waymo Waymo is expanding its driverless ride-hailing service to six new cities, though Sacramento—where it has faced regulatory pushback—remains excluded from the rollout. Waymo adds 6 new cities for driverless rides, but Sacramento still waiting · The Business Journals
Launch Amazon · Zoox Amazon's Zoox has received the first U.S. regulatory approval to operate a driverless robotaxi service, clearing a major hurdle for commercial autonomous vehicle deployment. Amazon (AMZN) Wins First US Approval For Zoox Driverless Robotaxi Service · simplywall.st
Launch Waymo Waymo expands its driverless taxi service into Napa Valley, broadening its footprint beyond the Bay Area. Waymo Clears Bigger Path Toward Napa Valley · Patch
Launch Atlas · Kodiak Atlas has expanded Kodiak's autonomous trucking fleet to 100 vehicles, marking a significant scaling of driverless freight operations. Atlas grows Kodiak driverless truck fleet to 100 rigs · Yahoo Finance
Launch DoorDash DoorDash has won FAA approval to operate its own autonomous drone delivery service, moving beyond third-party logistics partners. DoorDash Wins FAA Approval to Launch In-House Autonomous Drone Delivery Program · AI Insider
Launch Israel Aerospace Industries · Technion · Israel Innovation Authority · Fire and Rescue Authority — Yaron Shein, Eyal Caspi Israel Aerospace Industries and four government partners launched an AI-powered drone that spots wildfires within minutes, autonomously scanning for hours. Autonomous AI-powered drone tech detects and reports fires, test launched by five-way partnership · The Jerusalem Post
Launch Icarus · US Army Icarus is pitching the Army a solar-powered drone that can loiter above 60,000 feet and watch an area the size of Delaware with minimal latency. New UAV Pushes Battlefield Sensing Into the Stratosphere · The Defense Post
Launch Alatau Advance Air Group — Daniyar Uteulin Alatau Advance Air Group launched Central Asia's first autonomous drone delivery system at Astana's Games of the Future, ferrying snacks and souvenirs to smart lockers. Central Asia’s first autonomous delivery system debuts in Astana · Qazinform
Launch HoverAir HoverAir has released Versa, a foldable pocket camera drone that unfolds into a flying rig. HoverAir Unveils Versa, a Pocket Camera That Transforms Into a Drone · Imaging Resource
Launch Dexterity · FedEx FedEx and Dexterity are expanding their robotic trailer-loading operation from a pilot site to full production scale at the Hagerstown Hub, deploying Dexterity's Foresight world model to handle a task that has resisted automation. FedEx and Dexterity Expand Physical AI Deployment for Autonomous Trailer Loading at Hagerstown Hub · Dexterity
Funding Hidden Level Inc. — Mike Tran Hidden Level Inc. won a $100 million Pentagon contract for passive radar that detects radio-silent drones by sensing their physical reflection of ambient signals. Passive Radar That Catches RF-Silent Drones Earns $100M Pentagon Contract · Tech Times
Research Researchers demonstrate a vehicle-mounted drone hangar system for rapid assessment of landslides, combining autonomous vehicles with aerial monitoring. Autonomous Vehicle-Mounted Drone Hangar Supports Rapid Landslide Assessment · Unmanned Systems Technology
Opinion Unitree · Pickle Robot · Miru · Red Glass Ventures — AJ Meyer, Vedant Nair, Bilal Zuberi The Trump administration banned advanced foreign-made robots to counter China, but American startups worry they'll lose access to affordable hardware that Chinese competitors dominate. Trump's robot ban aims to counter China. US startups fear it could leave them behind. · Business Insider
Opinion A Bloomberg profile observes how London taxi operators face the prospect of driverless vehicles reshaping their century-old trade. A London Taxi Family Confronts the Driverless Future · Bloomberg.com
Opinion Waymo — Tamara Gane Waymo's driverless robotaxis in San Francisco deliver the unremarkable thrill of a smooth ride without human conversation or tipping anxiety. I took a ride in a driverless taxi in San Francisco. Here's what it was like · Yahoo Creators
Opinion Flytrex · Nash — Amit Regev, Mahmoud Ghulman Flytrex and Nash team up to route delivery orders to drones first, then instantly hand off to ground couriers when weather or weight makes flying impossible. Why the future of drone delivery might involve cars after all · The Drone Girl
Other Driverless taxis are triggering emergency calls when passengers fall asleep at their destinations, raising questions about passenger safety protocols in autonomous vehicles. Driverless Taxis Are Calling 911 On Sleeping Passengers · Autoblog