VERTEBRATE.ai

Launch

A rural New York school district is deploying a humanoid robot in the classroom, betting that students will learn better from a machine that looks back at them.

Rural NY School District Will Be One of First to Bring Humanoid Robot Into Classroom - New York Focus · New York Focus

Launch

Japanese manufacturers are adopting NVIDIA's Cosmos foundation model to train robots that can perceive and manipulate the physical world.

Japan’s Robotics and Manufacturing Leaders Build on NVIDIA Cosmos to Advance Physical AI Frontier - NVIDIA Newsroom · NVIDIA Newsroom

Launch

XPeng is aiming to bring its humanoid robot to global markets by 2027, betting that Chinese robotics can compete with Tesla and Boston Dynamics.

XPeng eyes 2027 global debut for humanoid robot (XPEV:NYSE) - Seeking Alpha · Seeking Alpha

Launch

A startup has released what it claims is the first humanoid robot that can reconfigure its body for different tasks, a promising if not yet proven design philosophy.

World's First Transformable Personal Humanoid Robot Officially Launched! - Gasgoo · Gasgoo

Launch

LG Display is building transparent displays that let humanoid robots see and act through their own faces, à la RoboCop.

LG Display Creates RoboCop-Style Interface for Humanoid Robots - Thomasnet · Thomasnet

Launch

China's latest humanoid robot claims a 98% success rate assembling EVs and performing factory tasks, though the specifics remain characteristically vague.

China’s new humanoid robot offers 98% success rate, handles EV assembly, factory operations - Interesting Engineering · Interesting Engineering

Launch

XPeng is ramping production of its humanoid robot toward a thousand units monthly and preparing to ship internationally.

XPeng Aims to Produce Over 1,000 Robots a Month as It Plans Global Rollout - WSJ · WSJ

Launch

Tesla promises a wheelchair-accessible robotaxi, expanding its autonomous vehicle ambitions beyond the standard passenger.

Tesla Says It’s Building a Wheelchair-Accessible Robotaxi - WIRED · WIRED

Launch

Carnegie Mellon and a coalition of drone makers are pooling resources to accelerate American manufacturing in a sector where overseas competitors have long held the upper hand.

Carnegie Foundry, Carnegie Mellon and American Drone Manufacturers Launch Initiative to Supercharge America's Drone Manufacturing Base - Carnegie Mellon University · Carnegie Mellon University

Launch

Two drone-delivery startups expand their footprints across America, betting that regulators' patience with airspace experiments will hold long enough to build real routes.

Autonomous drone delivery companies Manna, Matternet expand US operations - Unmanned airspace · Unmanned airspace

Launch

The Navy tested an autonomous drone that launches from a submarine's torpedo tube, collapsing the boundary between underwater and aerial warfare.

Autonomous drone fired from submarine torpedo tube completes first sea trials - Interesting Engineering · Interesting Engineering

Launch

Anduril's autonomous drone successfully fired a live air-to-air missile in a military test, marking the first combat-capable unmanned system to independently engage airborne targets.

Anduril YFQ-44 Fires Live Air-to-Air Missile in Landmark CCA Test - Air & Space Forces Magazine · Air & Space Forces Magazine

Launch

A Tampa hospital network is using autonomous drones to ferry medications and lab samples across its campuses, trading traffic for airspace.

BayCare turns to autonomous drones for medical deliveries - Tampa Bay Business & Wealth · Tampa Bay Business & Wealth

Launch

A defense contractor's autonomous delivery drone system moves from concept to prototype under Pentagon oversight.

Tesseract Ventures Selected by Defense Innovation Unit for Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System (CADDS) Prototype Project - PR Newswire · PR Newswire

Funding

Chinese humanoid robot makers are stampeding toward public markets, treating an IPO as a rite of passage rather than an option.

'Listing is a must': Chinese humanoid startups are rushing to launch IPOs - CNBC · CNBC

Funding

A Kansas startup called Tesseract is pitching the Pentagon on a unified command system for managing the country's sprawling, incompatible drone fleet.

Tesseract advances in Department of War’s hunt for tech-in-a-box to control US drone fleets - Startland News · Startland News

Research

USC researchers will present work on humanoid robots and three-dimensional object manipulation at a major robotics conference.

USC Advances Humanoid Robotics, Robot Learning and 3D Manipulation at RSS 2026 - USC Viterbi School of Engineering · USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Research

Humanoid robots assisted in live surgery, marking a threshold moment when machines moved from simulation to the operating room.

Humanoid robots perform live surgery in world first - Fox News · Fox News

Research

The Air Force successfully launched a long-range missile from an unmanned combat jet, marking a milestone in autonomous weapons capability.

Air Force Test Fires Long-Range Missile From Combat Jet Drone for the First Time - WSJ · WSJ

Research

A market research firm projects the delivery drone industry will reach nearly nineteen billion dollars by 2035, assuming regulatory and infrastructure obstacles don't keep the sector perpetually grounded.

Delivery Drone Market Size to Hit USD 18.93 Billion by 2035 - Precedence Research · Precedence Research