Kawasaki opens Silicon Valley Physical AI center focused on healthcare robotics

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has launched a Physical AI development center in San Jose, partnering with Nvidia, Microsoft, Analog Devices, and Fujitsu to build autonomous healthcare systems. The facility will integrate AI with Kawasaki's existing surgical and service robots, starting with a "hospital one-stop solution" targeting labor shortages in aging markets.

Unitree robots vulnerable to firmware poisoning via hard-coded encryption keys

Security researchers have disclosed CVE-2026-1442, a critical vulnerability in Unitree's firmware update system that uses hard-coded encryption keys. The flaw allows anyone with physical or remote access to create and deploy malicious firmware packages that Unitree robots — including models deployed by police and military units in the US and Europe — will trust and execute. Public exploit tooling (UniTEABag) is now available, and Unitree has not responded to disclosure attempts.

Galbot raises $300M at $3B valuation, deploys humanoid robots at scale

Galbot closed a $300M funding round in December 2024, reaching a $3B valuation and $800M in total capital raised. The company has deployed humanoid robots in live operations with CATL, Bosch, Toyota, and Hyundai, secured orders for thousands of units, and launched autonomous retail stores in over 30 Chinese cities. This marks one of the largest commercial-scale humanoid deployments to date, signaling a shift from pilot to production-level adoption in industrial and service environments.

Cyngn wins repeat tugger order from Fortune 100 manufacturer

Cyngn secured a repeat order for its DriveMod Tugger from a Fortune 100 heavy equipment manufacturer, expanding autonomous material handling to a new assembly line application. The follow-on order demonstrates a familiar adoption pattern: manufacturers start with a single use case, validate the technology, then scale to additional workflows using existing infrastructure and operational knowledge.

Hello Robot awarded $3M to develop Stretch for elder care

Hello Robot has secured a $3M Phase IIB SBIR grant from the National Institute on Aging to develop its Stretch mobile manipulator for supporting older adults with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's dementia. The three-year project, in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will focus on commercializing Stretch for in-home and professional care environments as the US faces a caregiver workforce crisis with 9.7M direct care job openings projected by 2034.

Agility Robotics formalizes FORT partnership for Digit 5 safety architecture

Agility Robotics has formalized a strategic partnership with FORT Robotics to integrate a multi-layer safety architecture into Digit 5, its next-generation humanoid robot designed for cooperative work alongside humans. The system combines onboard safe human detection with FORT's pendant controls and an offboard safety bridge that connects the robot to external facility systems, extending safety coverage beyond the robot itself.

MIT robot swims using living muscle cells controlled by light

MIT researchers built a chewing gum-sized robot powered by a single layer of living muscle cells that contracts when exposed to light. The thin construction uses fewer cells than competing biohybrid designs and demonstrates basic navigation through a water maze, though it remains lab-bound and requires external steering.

Boston Dynamics ships four-finger hand for Atlas humanoid

Boston Dynamics has released a new four-finger hand for its Atlas humanoid robot, featuring 13 degrees of freedom and dense tactile sensing across fingertips and palm. The design deliberately omits the fifth finger to reduce cost, actuator count, and failure points while retaining manipulation capability for industrial tool use including drills, welders, and grinders.

sentence case