Robots news and trends

Shopify, Amazon and Google Heat Up AI Retail Race

November 08, 2024
AI Retail Heats Up as Shopify, Amazon, Google Launch New Tools
AI Startup Lands $400 Million to Make Robots Handle Objects More Like Humans
artificial intelligence // November 06, 2024

With a fresh infusion of $400 million from Jeff Bezos and other investors, startup Physical Intelligence aims to give robots a human’s delicate touch, promising to reshape how businesses handle objects in warehouses and stores. The technology addresses a barrier that has long prevented widespread...

OpenAI Names Meta Augmented Reality Vet Caitlin Kalinowski to Head Robotics Project
Personnel // November 05, 2024

The one-time head of Meta’s augmented reality glasses project is headed to OpenAI. Caitlin Kalinowski has been hired to oversee the artificial intelligence startup’s robotics effort, according to a Monday (Nov. 4) post on LinkedIn. Kalinowski began leading Meta’s AR glasses team in March 2022,...

Physical Intelligence Raises $400 Million to Develop Robot Software
Investments // November 04, 2024

Robotics startup Physical Intelligence has reportedly raised $400 million in early-stage funding. The funding round, which included participation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and OpenAI, values the company at $2 billion, Reuters reported Monday (Nov. 4), citing PitchBook data. According to the report, Physical Intelligence aims to develop software...

Richtech to Operate ‘Robot-Powered Restaurants’ at 20 More Walmart Locations
artificial intelligence // October 20, 2024

Richtech Robotics plans to use its robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) cloud technology to run 20 more Walmart-located restaurants in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. The provider of AI-driven service robots has signed a binding letter of intent with Ghost Kitchens America in which the companies...

Interviews & Exclusives
The Farm to Finance Revolution: How AI Is Transforming Agriculture

August 28, 2024
Technology has long had a profound impact on farming practices. With the advent of artificial intelligence, the growing intersection of AgTech, finance and robotics is helping ensure that the future of agriculture stays fertile. “AI and machine learning are not new technologies,” Ceres AI CEO Ramsey Masri told PYMNTS’ CEO Karen Webster. “They’ve been around […]

Walmart and Amazon’s Retail Tug-of-War Now Focused on AI

March 01, 2024
This week, Amazon increased its investments in artificial intelligence, as the eCommerce giant and rival Walmart adopt new technologies to remain competitive. Amazon’s $1 billion Industrial Innovation Fund is ramping up investments in companies that combine AI and...

Connectivity Defined the Past Decade — Interoperability Will Shape the Next

December 04, 2023
A decade ago, in 2013, Amazon counted around a thousand robots across its fulfilment warehouses. That same year, tech giant Google spent more on headcount and people costs than it...

Restaurants Go All-In on Smart Digital, but Consumers Remain Wary

November 24, 2023
Restaurants are increasingly adopting automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and robots across all areas of operation, but these efforts are not always a surefire hit. A Chick-fil-A in Valrico, Florida, for...

Quick Reads
OpenAI Names Meta Augmented Reality Vet Caitlin Kalinowski to Head Robotics Project

November 05, 2024
The one-time head of Meta’s augmented reality glasses project is headed to OpenAI. Caitlin Kalinowski has been hired to oversee the artificial intelligence startup’s robotics effort, according to a Monday (Nov. 4) post on LinkedIn. Kalinowski began leading Meta’s AR glasses team in March 2022, guiding the development of its Orion prototype, according to her […]

Physical Intelligence Raises $400 Million to Develop Robot Software

November 04, 2024
Robotics startup Physical Intelligence has reportedly raised $400 million in early-stage funding. The funding round, which included participation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and OpenAI, values the company at $2 billion, Reuters reported Monday...

Richtech to Operate ‘Robot-Powered Restaurants’ at 20 More Walmart Locations

October 20, 2024
Richtech Robotics plans to use its robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) cloud technology to run 20 more Walmart-located restaurants in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. The provider of AI-driven service robots...

Report: Amazon and Bezos Expeditions to Back Robot-Maker Swiss-Mile

August 28, 2024
Swiss-Mile, which makes robots for logistics and other use cases, has raised $22 million in a seed funding round from investors that include Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Bezos Expeditions, HongShan, Armada...