September 2025 noticed robotics corporations shut their doorways, distinguished builders launch new AI fashions, and robotics consultants present perception into their applied sciences. Humanoids stay an necessary matter for the trade, with one developer elevating over $1 billion this month.
Listed below are the ten hottest articles on The Robotic Report previously month. Subscribe to The Robotic Report Publication and hearken to The Robotic Report Podcast to remain updated on the newest robotics developments.
10. Google DeepMind, Intrinsic construct AI for multi-robot planning
Programming industrial robots is a labor-intensive course of that usually is dependent upon train pendants, offline instruments, and trial and error. Coordinating a number of robots in shared areas provides additional complexity, making collisions and inefficiencies possible. With greater than 4.3 million industrial robots in use worldwide, the time required for programming stays a significant barrier to scaling automation. Learn extra.
9. UBTECH secures $1B in financing for Center East humanoid manufacturing
Humanoid robotics developer UBTECH Robotics Corp. has reportedly secured a credit score line of as much as $1 billion from Infini Capital to broaden manufacturing and advertising and marketing. The businesses plan to determine a three way partnership to construct a “superfactory,” a analysis and growth middle, and a regional headquarters within the Center East. Learn extra.
8. U.Ok.-based startup Humanoid unveils HMND 01 Alpha cell manipulator
Humanoid introduced the launch of HMND 01 Alpha, a dual-armed cell manipulator for industrial use. The London-based robotics and AI developer stated it developed the robotic in simply seven months. Within the U.Ok. alone, producers reported greater than 58,000 unfilled vacancies, whereas throughout Europe, 26% of producers cited labor shortages as a vital barrier to progress and one of many sector’s largest challenges. Learn extra.
7. Agility Robotics explains the best way to prepare a whole-body management basis mannequin
A humanoid robotic’s most important benefit is the flexibility to carry out all kinds of duties in extremely constrained environments, in line with a latest Agility Robotics weblog submit. The constructed world was designed with folks in thoughts, and machines that may match our normal functionality would be the most respected. Learn extra.
6. Why humanoid robots aren’t advancing as quick as AI chatbots
Chatbots have quickly superior in recent times, and so have the big language fashions, or LLMs, powering them. LLMs use machine studying algorithms educated on huge quantities of textual content knowledge. Many expertise leaders, together with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, imagine an analogous strategy will make humanoid robots able to performing surgical procedure, changing manufacturing facility staff, or serving as in-home butlers inside a couple of quick years. Different robotics consultants disagree, in line with UC Berkeley roboticist Ken Goldberg. Learn extra.
5. AWS RoboMaker shuts down in September after failing to realize traction
Amazon Net Companies, or AWS, has formally discontinued RoboMaker, its cloud-based robotics simulation platform. This marks the top of a service that appeared to be misaligned from the beginning. RoboMaker supplied cloud simulation at scale via the open-source Gazebo physics engine. The system made it potential to spin up hundreds of randomized environments and generate move/fail metrics throughout them. Learn extra.
4. Determine AI passes $1B with Collection C funding towards humanoid robotic growth
Funding retains flowing to humanoid robotics corporations. Determine AI Inc. introduced that, with its September Collection C spherical, it has surpassed $1 billion in dedicated capital, bringing its post-money valuation to $39 billion. “The funding will speed up our efforts to deliver general-purpose humanoid robots into real-world environments at scale,” stated the San Jose, Calif.-based firm. Learn extra.
3. OpenMind launches OM1 Beta open-source, robot-agnostic working system
Robotics has lengthy been fragmented, with builders pressured to decide on between closed ecosystems, hardware-specific software program, or steep studying curves, in line with OpenMind AGI. The corporate introduced the beta launch of OM1, which it claimed is “the world’s first open-source working system for clever robots, a common platform that permits any robotic to understand, motive, and act in the true world.” Learn extra.
2. Rethink Robotics shuts down — once more
Rethink Robotics Inc., which rose as a force- and power-limited arm pioneer, has shut down for a second time. “Sadly, Rethink Robotics died a second time,” Julia Astrid Riemenschneider, former CEO of Rethink, informed The Robotic Report. “After the primary chapter in 2018, the corporate was acquired by Hahn Automation Group and later turned a part of United Robotics Group.” Learn extra.
1. Drone startup Guardian Agriculture shuts down in September 2025
Guardian Agriculture, a Woburn, Mass.-based startup growing massive drones for aerial spraying, lately shut down after failing to safe extra funding. The corporate ceased operations in late August 2025 following a spherical of layoffs earlier in the summertime. Learn extra.