Robotics and autonomous vehicle news

Image AI maker Black Forest Labs released a robot model

It tops NVIDIA’s RoboLab-120 simulation leaderboard.

Black Forest Labs released FLUX 3 Action, a 7-billion-parameter model that turns camera images and text instructions into robot movements. It leads NVIDIA’s RoboLab-120 leaderboard with 42.9%. The weights are free for non-commercial use, and most speed and real-robot figures come from the company.

Why it matters

A small open model beating larger ones in a public test is a real result. But the test runs in simulation, and 42.9% means most tasks still fail. Robots in homes and factories need independent tests in the real world.

4 min read 5 sources

RoboticsSep 23

Google’s Intrinsic made its core robot software open source

The AI models and cloud tools stay paid.

Intrinsic published Intrinsic Core on GitHub on September 22, at the ROSCon conference in Toronto. The free toolkit covers real-time control, finding parts with cameras, motion and grasp planning, and simulation for robot arms. Its Flowstate tool, advanced AI models, and cloud services remain paid.

4 min read 6 sources

RoboticsSep 22

Toyota’s “400,000 robots” are mostly a renewal plan

They are not a humanoid army.

Toyota estimates that modernising factories could cost about ¥1 trillion, or $6.4 billion, a year from 2028 across its group and suppliers. The 400,000 robots in the reports include many existing machines that will be replaced.

4 min read 4 sources

RoboticsSep 16

Europe has a new AI and robotics pipeline

The test is whether research reaches real factories.

The EIT programme plans to support founders, fund scale-ups, and connect robotics teams with industry through 2028. Its targets are useful, but they are goals rather than delivered products.

4 min read 3 sources

RoboticsSep 16

Digit 5 is stronger and faster to charge

Working safely beside people is the bigger test.

Agility says its new humanoid can lift 22.7 kilograms, work for 90 minutes, and charge in nine minutes. Early access starts in 2027, so its safety and productivity claims are not yet broad field results.

5 min read 3 sources

RoboticsSep 10

Arm wants one shared language for robot skills

A label must lead to a fair test.

Arm has proposed six levels for describing robot abilities and brought more than 80 companies into its physical AI programme. The framework is a starting point, not an independent safety standard.

4 min read 3 sources

RoboticsSep 9

Doha showed a robotaxi with no safety driver

The public service still has one.

Pony.ai demonstrated a fully driverless car at a transport event. Its paid Doha rides still use trained safety operators, so the demo and the public service are different stages.

4 min read 2 sources

More Robotics news

RoboticsSep 4

Tesla’s Cybercab has no steering wheel

Now it must prove it is safe.

Tesla started a small Cybercab service in Austin. The cars have no pedals or steering wheel, so passengers cannot take control during a problem.

4 min read

RoboticsSep 3

London has robotaxis, but a safety driver is still inside

Some Uber users in London can now get a Wayve self-driving car. A trained driver stays inside and can take control if needed.

4 min read

RoboticsSep 2

Robots are learning how to handle mistakes in the real world

New robot models are moving from clean labs into busy places such as warehouses and kitchens. They are getting better at noticing problems and trying again.

4 min read