Anthropic opens biology lab, Cognex buys RealSense, Lucid and Bolt plan 25,000 AVs, and more - Robotics Brief #87

September 24, 2026 - Robotics Brief
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This week, Cognex plans to acquire RealSense for about $500 million, adding depth sensing cameras and robotic perception technology to its portfolio. SIMSY will offer Atombeam's Neurpac software for LiDAR data compression, while Light Origins launches the Light O1 robot foundation model and Xynova details new dexterous hands for humanoid robots.

Robotics deployments also expand across retail, transport and delivery. Simbe Robotics reports more than 3,000 contracted autonomous inventory units, Robot.com and Grubhub will bring autonomous delivery to 10 US campuses, and CRRC presented an AI enabled metro train. Other developments include an AI tennis robot from TENNIIX, a construction sprayer from Legend Robot, and $4.55 million in XPRIZE awards for wildfire detection and autonomous response.
SIMSY deploys Atombeam Neurpac for LiDAR compression
SIMSY will offer Atombeam Neurpac software to customers transmitting large datasets from autonomous devices and tracking systems. Tests found the machine learning software reduced streamed LiDAR data by 75% over cellular networks. Read more
Xi urges expansion of China's advanced manufacturing
Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for smarter, greener and more secure manufacturing, alongside more resilient industrial supply chains. The push follows growth in industrial output and robotics production, including plans for 500 zero carbon factories from 2026 to 2030. Read more
YYForce outlines 2030 vision for human, AI and robotic workforces
YYForce outlines a 2030 strategy combining human workers, AI, humanoid robots and service robots across staffing, robotics services and facility management. The company plans to serve hospitality, healthcare, logistics, retail and property operations. Read more
Cognex to acquire RealSense for about $500 million
Cognex plans to acquire RealSense, a provider of depth sensing cameras and robotic perception technology, for about $500 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, after RealSense spins out its Facial Authentication product line. Read more
Simbe Robotics surpasses 3,000 contracted autonomous units
Simbe Robotics reports more than 3,000 autonomous inventory units under contract across over 75 retail banners in nearly a dozen countries. Its platform combines robots, computer vision, RFID and sensors to monitor inventory and store conditions. Read more
Legend Robot presents AI guided construction sprayer at BATIMAT 2026
Legend Robot and ROBOSWISS AG presented an autonomous, AI guided sprayer for latex paint and filler at BATIMAT 2026 in Paris. The companies report that the robot covered up to 237 square metres per hour during a hotel renovation in Athens and reduced material waste by up to 15 percent. Read more
Monzo EU chief leaves to launch AI and robotics startup
Monzo EU chief Michael Carney is leaving to found a startup that will use AI and robotics to support people with disabilities. He will remain in his role during the search for a successor. Read more
Roborock leads global robot vacuum shipments and sales in H1 2026
IDC data places Roborock first among robot vacuum brands worldwide by shipment volume and sales value in the first half of 2026. The company reports RMB 10.084 billion in revenue and RMB 986 million in net profit attributable to shareholders, up 27.6% and 45.6% year over year, respectively. Read more
TENNIIX unveils ULTRA MAX AI tennis robot with LimX Dynamics
TENNIIX unveiled its ULTRA MAX embodied AI tennis robot in Shenzhen, developed with LimX Dynamics. The mobile training robot tracks players and balls, responds to voice commands and adapts its shots, with deployments planned for tennis clubs and facilities. Read more
Xynova details Flex 2 and Prima 1 humanoid robot hands
Xynova details the Flex 2 and Prima 1 dexterous robotic hands, designed for humanoid robots and applications including industrial work, research and AI training data collection. The Chinese company says it has raised RMB 1.5 billion and opened a 5,400 square metre manufacturing facility in Hangzhou. Read more
Healthcare Triangle signs LOI to acquire Roboticom assets for up to $30 million
Healthcare Triangle signs a non-binding letter of intent to acquire selected assets from Italian industrial robotics company Roboticom for up to $30 million in cash and equity. The proposed transaction includes intellectual property, trademarks, customer contracts and other business assets. Read more
CRRC unveils AI enabled metro train at InnoTrans 2026
CRRC presented an AI enabled metro train at InnoTrans 2026, using multiple sensors to monitor tracks and identify potential faults. The company also displayed hydrogen and freight rail vehicles, alongside its VELLINK rail platform and AIZOR AI model. Read more
XPRIZE awards $4.55 million in wildfire competition
XPRIZE awards $4.55 million to teams developing space based wildfire detection and autonomous response technologies. Anduril Industries wins the response track and receives a further $1 million bonus from Lockheed Martin, before a 12 to 15 month deployment phase. Read more
Light Origins launches Light O1 embodied foundation model for robots
Light Origins launches Light O1, an embodied foundation model trained on internet videos to adapt human action patterns for robots and tasks. The Singapore based company also releases preview model weights, code and a public playground. Read more
Robot.com and Grubhub expand autonomous delivery to 10 US campuses
Robot.com and Grubhub will introduce autonomous food delivery at 10 additional US campuses during the 2026 to 2027 school year. The three year agreement also includes robot advertising through Robot.com's R ads platform. Read more
Lucid and Bolt plan 25,000 autonomous vehicles in Europe
Lucid and Bolt plan to develop and deploy at least 25,000 Level 4 autonomous vehicles in European cities. The vehicles will use Lucid's upcoming Midsize platform and NVIDIA Hyperion, while Bolt will manage fleet operations. Read more
XPENG launches G9L SUV in China, plans Paris debut
XPENG launches the G9L SUV in China and plans a global debut at the Paris Motor Show on October 12. The electric and range extended versions will be produced in China and Austria for sale in 64 markets. Read more
Viabot raises $24 million for outdoor property care robots
Viabot raises $24 million in a Series A round led by Walden International to expand its outdoor property care robotics business. The company will use the funding for hiring, product development and its robotics as a service offering. Read more
Geekplus Opens AI Robotics Lab in Düsseldorf
Geekplus opens its first European Innovation Lab in Düsseldorf, Germany, allowing businesses to test AI powered warehouse robotics and logistics automation. The site features mobile and humanoid robots, robotic picking systems and logistics software. Read more
Viam to Demonstrate BoxBot Robot at IROS 2026
Viam will demonstrate BoxBot, a research robot designed to open taped cardboard boxes, at IROS 2026 in Pittsburgh. The system combines image based visual servoing with a fine tuned SmolVLA model running locally on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano, with its code and training dataset available through Hugging Face. Read more
Chery Auto says AiMOGA delivered 3,000 humanoid robots
Chery Auto says its AiMOGA unit has delivered more than 3,000 embodied AI humanoid robots in over 60 countries and regions, supporting more than 100 use cases. The company plans to display the robots and other AI applications at its Wuhu summit from October 18 to 24, 2026. Read more
CyboPal ONE desktop robot launches on Kickstarter Sept. 22
CyboPal will launch its CyboPal ONE desktop robotic terminal on Kickstarter on Sept. 22, 2026. The device combines a moving display, voice and gesture controls, and access to AI agents, with worldwide backing planned. Read more
SAIC ROEWE launches JIAYUE 07 SUV with ByteDance AI
SAIC ROEWE launches the mass produced JIAYUE 07 SUV, which uses ByteDance Volcano Engine's Doubao AI model for voice based travel services and cabin controls. The vehicle also includes driving assistance and automatic parking functions supported by Momenta's R7 world model. Read more
Anthropic opens Bay Area biology lab for physical experiments
Anthropic has opened a wet lab in the San Francisco Bay Area to conduct physical biology research. The company is exploring how Claude could operate laboratory robots with human oversight, focusing on fundamental biology rather than clinical drug development. Read more

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