Robot

• Europe's robotics and physical AI ecosystem is expanding beyond industrial automation to include humanoid robots and autonomous defense systems. • Harmattan AI, founded in 2024 in Paris, is developing AI-powered autonomous systems for land, air, and maritime military operations. • To support its growth in unmanned vehicles and real-time decision-making technology, Harmattan AI has raised approximately €209.2 million, including a Series B round in January.

• AI is being utilized by scientists to develop next-generation batteries designed to replace current lithium-ion technology. • Researchers are using AI to discover novel porous materials, which could lead to the creation of more powerful and efficient energy storage. • This breakthrough is significant as it addresses the limitations of existing battery tech and may improve sustainability and performance.

• Uber is expanding its partnership with autonomous-driving firm Pony.ai to accelerate the deployment of its robotaxi ambitions. • The collaboration allows Uber to scale driverless mobility services by leveraging Pony.ai's specialized technology rather than developing all components internally. • This move signals a strategic shift for autonomous taxis, transitioning them from experimental pilot projects into viable, real-world transportation services.

• NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang predicts a 5-10x increase in computing demand driven by the emergence of 100 billion AI agents and billions of robots. • To support this growth, Huang is pursuing massive strategic investments, including a $500 billion deal with SK Group and a $1 billion bet on Naver. • This expansion signals a shift toward a future where autonomous agents and robotics require significantly more processing power than current LLMs.

Move comes as the Trump administration has increasingly sought to keep Chinese technology out of the USThe Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on humanoid robots from China on Tuesday, saying that the technology poses “unacceptable risks” to the country’s national security. The move comes as the Trump administration has increasingly sought to keep Chinese technology out of the US.The FCC defines the banned robots as “advanced robotic devices”, which include humanoids and animal-like quadrupeds. Continue reading...

• Stockholm and New York-based edtech company imagi raised €10.2 million in a seed funding round on July 21, 2026. • The round was led by KT Ventures and Valemount Capital, with additional support from Futury Capital and various private industrial family offices. • Founded in 2018, imagi develops an AI literacy platform specifically designed to help K-12 schools integrate artificial intelligence into classrooms safely and effectively.

Salamanca City Central says it is pausing project with Realbotix as it addresses concerns including data privacyA New York school district has walked back plans to introduce a humanoid robot at its high school after the proposal sparked backlash from educators and community members.The Salamanca City Central school district announced on 24 July in a social media post that its pilot project with Toronto-based tech company Realbotix had been put on hold “while we work through enhanced student data privacy agreements with the New York State Education Department and continue engaging with our community and stakeholders”. Continue reading...