Visual Science announced the completion of its angel and angel+ funding rounds, with a cumulative amount of tens of millions of yuan. Investors include Shanghai Future Industry Fund, Houxue Capital, and Pudong Venture Capital, with Yundao Capital serving as long-term exclusive financial advisor.
Tesla has announced that the Roadster event will be livestreamed at 8:55 a.m. Beijing time on October 16 at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas facility, and Musk commented that timing is crucial. The author argues that what is more worth watching at the event is not the sports car but possible Optimus information, including progress on the Texas Optimus factory, finalization of V3 hardware, and the mass-production schedule, and notes the risk that the event may not mention Optimus at all.
In Cologne, Germany, a 1.2-meter-tall humanoid robot was remotely controlled outside a fast-food restaurant to touch a 16-year-old girl's buttocks and make indecent gestures; the incident was livestreamed, and police have seized the robot and are investigating its 16-year-old owner and a 19-year-old companion. The key point is that the robot was not operating autonomously but was controlled by a person, so the law needs to determine whether the actions were preprogrammed or remotely controlled in real time. The incident coincided with the release of China's "Embodied AI Ethics Governance Research Report" the same day, highlighting the legal gap in embodied AI ethics and the definition of responsibility.
Tesla released a Halloween teaser short film on October 3 showing the Optimus V3 dexterous hand, which has 22 degrees of freedom, is tendon-driven, and has all actuators moved to the forearm. The article cites The Information as saying that the hand and forearm contain more than 100 screws and more than 100 small components, and that they still require manual assembly by workers. Weekly output has risen from a few dozen units in the second quarter to several hundred units, putting pressure on the year-end target of 1,000 units. Under high-frequency operation, the fingers have a service life of about six weeks, and the material cost of one hand is about $6,000.
MIRAVA, a water-surface smart consumer hardware brand under Ouka Zhichuan, has completed an angel funding round of nearly RMB 50 million, led by Jiuhe Venture Capital with co-investment from Chuxin Capital and Eversnow. The funds will go toward R&D and iteration of core technologies, production line and mass-production buildout, and the establishment of localized channels and service systems in Europe.
Tianyancha shows that Shenzhen RoboSense Technology Co., Ltd. recently completed a business registration change, with its registered capital increasing from about 620 million RMB to about 700 million RMB, an increase of about 13%. The company was founded in August 2014, its legal representative is Qiu Chunxin, and it is wholly owned by RoboSense HongKong Limited. Its business scope covers the R&D, design, sales, and leasing of electronic products, IoT, and intelligent-related products.
Hefei Banyi Tong (MiMA) presented its full suite of narrow-aisle high-bay storage solutions at booth D136 in Hall 7.1 during the China International Industry Fair held in Shanghai from October 12 to 16, 2026. On display were the MCC16 man-up turret truck, MQC30 wide-body sit-down omnidirectional forklift, MJ20 articulated forklift, MFE14 pantograph reach truck, and two AGV forklift bodies, the MKV40 and MBV14 (slim14). The company also offered live product demonstrations and one-on-one technical consultations.
The 26th China International Industry Fair Robotics Show (RS2026) opened on October 12 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The mobile robot section features 56 exhibitors presenting AGV/AMR, forklift robots, and smart warehousing solutions, with the focus shifting from demonstrations to production-line processes such as palletizing and sorting.
Shenzhen Leishen Intelligent System Co., Ltd. invites industry professionals to attend the 2026 4th China Marine Equipment Expo. Founded in 2015, the company is the world's only lidar company that simultaneously masters four measurement principles: TOF time-of-flight, phase method, triangulation, and frequency-modulated continuous wave. It has mass-production capability for 1550nm and 905nm automotive-grade lidar, and its products are applied across ten major industrial ecosystems including autonomous driving, robotics, and smart logistics. The company also received the 2020 National Science and Technology Progress Award, Second Class.
Langyu Robotics is presenting multiple unmanned heavy-load transport vehicles and a full-scenario intelligent handling solution at the Industrial Fair at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), Booth C201 in Hall 8.1H, from October 12 to 16. Its exhibits include multi-vehicle coordinated heavy-load transport and all-weather indoor/outdoor heavy-load mobile robots. Backed by self-developed control systems, multi-sensor fusion navigation, and AI-based intelligent scheduling, the solution can handle heavy-load transport of up to 1,000-ton class, covering industry scenarios such as wind power, energy storage, and ports.
On October 12 at the Shanghai Industrial Fair, HKUST, Estun, and Freedo Technology reached a long-term strategic cooperation to jointly carry out "industrial physical AI foundation technology research." The cooperation focuses on industrial-scenario data generation, physical-law modeling, dynamic-environment simulation, and robot task decision-making, connecting the technology chain of spatial-scene generation, industrial-environment semantic understanding, high-fidelity physical simulation, model training, and standardized evaluation. The three parties will build a closed technology loop integrating 3D spatial perception, factory digital twins, virtual simulation training, and physical robot execution to help flexible manufacturing land.
Jisu Yueqian CEO Huo Jianghao will deliver a keynote speech, "Breaking Through Warehousing: Cost-Reduction and Efficiency-Boosting Practices of Embodied Intelligence in Picking, Induct, and Sorting," on November 04 at the 2026 Embodied Picking and Loading/Unloading Robotics Industry Forum. The forum is hosted by the Mobile Robot Industry Alliance and the Humanoid Robot Scenario Application Alliance, features two tracks for picking and loading/unloading, and will hold the global premiere of the 2026 Embodied Loading/Unloading Robot Market Insight and Industry Trends Report.
Robotics company NEXFORM announced the completion of a seed round in the tens of millions of yuan, with investors including Gobi Partners and Zheda Youchuang. The company positions itself in the Physical AGI space, building around a "general-purpose hardware platform + developer ecosystem + physical agents" layout, with Physical RSI as its technical approach and Auto Research conducted through AI Agentic. It offers general-purpose robot products and development tools, enabling developers to build physical agents for different scenarios and deliver operational capabilities.
Amazon's warehouse robot count has exceeded 1 million, and its 2025 annual report shows more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time employees. A study published in ILR Review in April 2025 found that serious injuries at robot warehouses were 40% lower than at traditional warehouses, but minor injuries related to repetitive motions increased by 77%; a report by the Strategic Organizing Center, a union coalition, based on injury data from 2017 to 2020, stated that injury rates at Amazon's robot warehouses were higher than at non-robot warehouses.
At the 26th China International Industry Fair Robotics Show (RS2026), FA Robotics presented its embodied intelligence deployment results and reached strategic cooperation agreements with five partners: Boyin Hechuang, Aitu Technology, Yingshen Intelligence, Xingyuanzhi, and Lingqiao Intelligence. The industrial-grade embodied intelligence robot BW10-Lite, equipped with FA Robotics' ART series force-controlled humanoid robotic arms and Boyin Hechuang's "Bozhi-Bolt" industrial vertical large model, autonomously completes cycles of material grasping, transport, and placement; the AIRLab welding agent uses 3D vision to automatically generate welding trajectories without teaching.
At the 26th China International Industry Fair, Shanghai proposed bringing 8,000 humanoid robots into factory workshops by 2028 as part of an action plan to accelerate next-generation smart manufacturing. Supporting goals include raising industrial robot density to 600 units per 10,000 workers, cultivating 500 advanced-level smart factories, and expanding the scale of the AI-enabled new smart manufacturing equipment industry beyond 200 billion yuan.
XSTO's embodied mobile robot won the 2026 Good Design Award (G-MARK) Gold Award, the only Gold Award in its judging category. The entry stood out from 5,111 entries worldwide. It uses AI intelligent control to switch intelligently between wheeled quadruped and tracked modes, helping users independently go up and down stairs and travel on slopes and rough terrain, while its 360° dynamic self-balancing seat actively keeps the seat level.
XSTO opened dual booths at the 140th Canton Fair, which began on October 15: F44 in Hall 20.2 and B44 in Hall 20.1, presenting its full-stack embodied technology matrix and solutions for complex scenarios. The X13 embodied mobile robot won the 2026 G-MARK Design Gold Award and is the only product in the annual mobility category to receive the award; it is showcased with AI intelligent control and all-terrain integrated design. The light off-road electric wheelchair, motion-sensing logistics vehicle, Qiaokeli electric portable stair climber, tracked stair climber, and Mokuai Jingang are also on display. On the first day, domestic and overseas buyers stopped to experience the products, and negotiations continued.
Tether Capital announced a strategic investment in AIsa, which lets AI agents access and pay for data, software, APIs, and computing services through a single interface, billed per call, with support for fiat or stablecoins and company-set spending limits.
Tang Duyu, former chief AI expert at Huawei and former head of the Xiaoyi large model, has founded Guanxing Shuzhi to build proactive AI systems for the physical world, enabling robots to decide on their own whether and how to intervene when there are no human instructions.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in California passed a robot permit ordinance on September 29, expected to take effect on October 29, requiring commercial establishments to apply for an annual permit before using robots and to submit an economic impact assessment and a workforce placement plan. Companies must choose one of three options: equal-pay reassignment, 60 days' advance notice with severance pay, or payment of an automation impact fee into a workforce retraining fund.
At the Zigong Low-Altitude Economy Industry Development Conference on October 14, Sichuan's air transport force reached an agreement with Volant Aerotech through its low-altitude economy investment platform to purchase 50 VE25-100 "Tianxing" passenger eVTOLs, of which 30 are intended orders.
Beijing StarNeto Technology Co., Ltd. has been suspended from participating in military materials, engineering, and services procurement across the entire military, effective October 12, 2026, over alleged violations of "bribery or helping others profit"; the violation case number is ZT2026139602.
Hangzhou Shenhao Technology Co., Ltd. won the low-altitude airspace protection project (Procurement Package 1) for the Sanming Public Security Bureau, with a winning bid of 2.69 million yuan. The procurement covers five types of radio countermeasure equipment: fixed drone detection and positioning equipment, omnidirectional drone jamming equipment, drone navigation spoofing equipment, portable detect-and-strike integrated counter-drone equipment (the core product), and portable drone jamming guns, intended to improve monitoring and handling of "low, slow, small" targets. Founded in 2002, Shenhao Technology has long focused on industrial intelligent operations and maintenance; its tunnel-mounted rail inspection robots have completed pilot deployments on multiple Hangzhou Metro lines.
Andrea Bajcsy, an assistant professor at CMU's Robotics Institute, has been named a 2026 AI2050 Early Career Fellow, receiving this honor from Schmidt Sciences. She was recognized alongside Akari Asai and Daniel Fried of the Language Technologies Institute.
Speakers come from companies including 1X, Dyna Robotics, Skild AI, Google DeepMind, and Physical Intelligence. On-site demonstrations will feature humanoid robots, dexterous hands, and other robots. The robotics community gathers together, with four NVIDIA Jetson units to be given away free. Agenda:
Dyna Robotics' robot Taku became the first AI robot to ring the Nasdaq opening bell. The Taku team is deeply proud of this and thanks @RoboStrategy for bringing them to Nasdaq.
Richtech Robotics' robot Adam served Golden Hour drinks from Foley Family Wines to fans at the VGK Paramount+ Plaza during the Vegas Golden Knights' 10th season opening game, including on-site pouring and interaction. This was a fan-facing brand and experience showcase; the original text provides no technical specifications, performance metrics, or commercial deployment data.
Richtech Robotics' robot Adam poured drinks for fans at the VGK Paramount+ Plaza during the Vegas Golden Knights' 10th season opening game, serving Golden Hour from Foley Family Wines and interacting with attendees. The event was a robotic service demonstration during the game; the original text did not provide metrics such as payload or success rate.
At the 140th Canton Fair, Orbbec launched the 24-line 3D LiDAR Pulsar MH24, aimed at mobile platforms such as robotic mowers, AMRs, and delivery robots. The unit measures 66.6×62.1×66 mm, with a 21 mm high light emission window, and provides 360° (HFOV) 3D perception; in typical outdoor scenarios, a single unit can cover an operating range of about 15,000 m², and it supports operation under ≥100,000 Lux strong light, IP6K6 protection, and an operating temperature of -20°C to 60°C.
RoboBusiness 2026 will be held October 20-21 in Santa Clara, California, where a roundtable will discuss how to use policies such as tariffs and FCC import restrictions to encourage manufacturers and robot suppliers to reshore or expand in the US.
GreyOrange acquired AI digital twin company Site Bionics last week; the transaction amount was not disclosed. Site Bionics was founded in 2023 by Adam Blair, former founding CTO of RADAR, and Don Gillett, former chief architect at Amazon Go.
After Rhoda AI's robot learned in the lab to fold containers with intact latches, it encountered containers damaged from repeated use and rusty rotating platforms in the factory, and its approach changed accordingly. CEO Jagdeep Singh said the team used about three hours of additional data collected at the factory to adapt the robot to the real environment.
Maxvision Technology issued an announcement on abnormal stock trading fluctuations, responding that its humanoid robot business is progressing in an orderly manner, with revenue from this business accounting for no more than 2% of the company's revenue in the first half of 2026 and not constituting a material impact on operating performance. The company also stated that its intelligent computing business is newly launched and that uncertainty exists as to whether it can sustain rapid growth.
At the 12th China Robot Summit Forum at the 2026 China International Industry Fair, Chen Tongqing, co-founder and chief architect of Tashi Intelligence, explained the company's embodied intelligence industrialization path from foundation models to large-scale deployment.
Astribot recently completed a new funding round of RMB 1 billion at a valuation of RMB 15 billion, led by Toushe Donghai (Shenzhen Investment Holdings), with participation from Hongtai Fund, Ninghai Xingtaihe Fund, and Shanheng Capital, and follow-on investment from existing shareholder Xianmu. This is its fourth funding round in the past six months; since March 2026 it has completed a Series A+, Series A++, Series B, and this round, with its valuation rising from RMB 10 billion to RMB 15 billion within three months.
Why it matters: It lays out the pace of Astribot's four funding rounds in six months and details of its full-stack architecture, helping readers understand the commercial and technical basis behind its rapid valuation rise.
On the afternoon of October 14, the Keywords Studios board and shareholder delegation visited the Shenzhen Robotics Association to exchange views on the development of embodied intelligence and humanoid robots in Shenzhen, as well as investment and internationalization topics. Delegation members included shareholder representatives from EQT, CPP Investments, and Temasek. Four Shenzhen companies—Grid Field Intelligent Computing (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (GridAI), Juewu Technology, Lingtai Technology, and Jiutian Chuangzhi—shared their technology directions and commercialization progress.
Aitu Technology announced that its sewing robot manufacturing base in Taizhou, Zhejiang, has officially begun production, with planned annual capacity of up to 10,000 units; it is described as the world's first specialized manufacturing plant for sewing robots. Its AI sewing robot carries a self-developed sewing VLA vertical-domain large model and can complete the full process of cut-piece separation, grasping, placement, and alignment; in some scenarios the pass rate reaches the level of 100% of human workers, and efficiency reaches more than 50% of human workers. Aitu's garment manufacturing workstations have already been deployed at leading garment enterprises in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, and other countries, and a global launch event for the Aini sewing robot will also be held at the end of October.
Di'er Boge, a heavy-industry embodied intelligence robot company, has completed a hundred-million-yuan Pre-A+ funding round, with investment from institutions including Fosun Ruizheng, Qingshi Asset Management, Zhengxi Capital, Xigaotou, Bozhong Precision, and Suchuangtou. The funds will be used for R&D of core general embodied technologies for heavy industry, product iteration, and market expansion.
According to Jiazi Guangnian, Astribot has completed a new funding round, its 4th in the past half year. Since March this year, Astribot has successively completed a Series A+, Series A++, Series B, and this round; the Series B funding completed in June totaled over 1 billion yuan, with its valuation exceeding 10 billion yuan for the first time, and three months later the valuation reached 15 billion yuan.