Automation is the engine of Industry 4.0, using machines, robotics, and software to perform tasks with speed and precision. It reduces errors, boosts productivity, and frees people to focus on higher-value work.
BMW’s announcement about expanding its partnership with Figure AI confirms the substance of a 2025 Fortune article that Figure founder Brett Adcock threatened to sue over.
The Chinese startup MindOn says it’s training robots across form factors to do logistics work with a shared AI brain.
Sanctuary AI says it trained an industrial robot to crush one of the hardest tasks to automate in automotive manufacturing.
The Matrix-3 is covered in 3D woven biomimetic skin with embedded tactile sensors that’s sensitive to pressures as light as a gentle fingertip touch.
In the race to automate everything, an eclectic array of end effectors is hitting the market. They’re coming close to matching the capabilities of human hands and, at times, even exceeding them.
The New York startup Kyber Labs has trained its highly dexterous robotic hand to do the job of a trained lab technician.
Amazon just acquired a Swiss startup called RIVR to automate the last few meters of deliveries.
The Chinese company Changingtek Robotics just introduced what it calls the first robotic hand that can switch between left and right mid-task.
NEO the humanoid robot can now see into the future and manifest it.
The vibe shift surrounding AI and robotics heading into 2026 is palpable. There’s one near certainty for the coming year: Things will get really nasty.
Amazon says it’s testing smart glasses for its delivery drivers to make them more efficient, but industry observers suspect a deeper motivation.