The robotics industry started the year with large funding rounds, new product releases, and well-known brands finding new homes. If January is any indication, 2025 will be a nonstop year for the industry.
Here are the 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in the past month. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter and listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay up to date on the robotics developments you need to know about.
10. NEURA Robotics raises $123M to continue developing cognitive, humanoid robots
NEURA raised €120 million ($123.3 million U.S.) in Series B funding. The Metzingen, Germany-based company said the investment validates its leadership in “cognitive robotics” and in European robotics as the region collaborates and competes with the U.S. and China. Read more.
9. Symbotic to acquire Walmart robotics unit for $200M and build new systems
Symbotic Inc. said it will acquire Walmart Inc.’s Advanced Systems and Robotics business. The supply chain robotics company said the transaction expands its relationship with Walmart with the goal of “developing an integrated supply chain.” Read more.
8. RIC Technology debuts robotic 3D printer that can print up to 3 stories high
In January 2025, RIC Technology announced its most advanced and largest construction robotic 3D printer, named RIC-PRIMUS. With the capability to print structures up to 32 ft. tall, RIC-PRIMUS expands upon the innovations of its predecessor, RIC-M1 PRO. Read more.
7. NVIDIA heralds ‘physical AI’ era with Cosmos platform launch
For too long, artificial intelligence has been trapped in Flatland, the two-dimensional world imagined by English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott. While chatbots, image generators, and AI-driven video tools have dazzled us, they remain confined to the flat surfaces of our screens. Now, NVIDIA is ushering in the era of “physical AI” — a world where AI can perceive, understand, and interact with the three-dimensional world. Read more.
6. Watch Out adds autonomy to CNC cells for precise production
Manufacturers face widespread shortages of skilled labor, but more intelligent automation could alleviate the problem, according to Watch Out. The company has developed highly automated workcells to make production more flexible and less labor-intensive. Read more.
5. IFR predicts top 5 global robotics trends for 2025
The global market value of industrial robot installations has reached an all-time high of $16.5 billion (U.S.), according to the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR. Future demand will be driven by a number of technological innovations, market forces, and new fields of business, it predicted. Read more.
4. CES 2025 recap: Noteworthy robots at this year’s show
The annual Consumer Electronics Show brings together the latest in technology product announcements. In January 2025, Las Vegas was once again full of robotics and AI-based systems. While CES catered primarily to consumer electronics and robotics, we hunted down the commercial robots sprinkled throughout the event. Read more.
3. LimX Dynamics demonstrates latest humanoid robot motions
Humanoid robots are getting more agile and potentially more useful. LimX Dynamics Inc. released a video showing a full-sized humanoid lying down, doing parallel squats, rotating at the waist, and lifting itself into a standing position by rotating its legs in a way that human hips cannot. Read more.
2. 5 biggest robotics trends of 2024
With 2024 in the rearview mirror, The Robot Report looks back at some of the biggest robotics trends of the year. While there were many exciting innovations and new technologies, we also saw the industry weather dips in funding and slower sales. Here are our five biggest trends for 2024. Read more.
1. Intel spins out RealSense as standalone company
Intel Corp. is spinning out RealSense as an independent company. It plans to do this in the first half of 2025, with the new business being an Intel Capital portfolio company. Intel told The Robot Report that spinning out RealSense is not a direct result of the company’s recent financial struggles. Read more.
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