🦾 HardTech Reads: The AI & Robotics Revolution vol.28
Welcome to the exploration of the world where founders embark on bold quests and solve non-obvious problems🤘
🏭 XPENG’s “AI Tech Tree” links humanoids, EVs, and flying cars, 🤖 Hugging Face acquires Pollen Robotics, open-sources Reachy, 🧠 DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics brings LLMs into physical space, 🚘 Waymo crashes far less than human drivers, 🧑🏭 U.S. manufacturing to add 3.8M jobs — Gen Z, ready?, ☢️ DOE allocates HALEU to 5 advanced nuclear startups, 📦 Zipline + Walmart launch drone delivery in Texas, 🌍 Space-based solar and nuclear propulsion gain traction, 🧨 Mach Industries is back 🌊 Anduril unveils torpedo-launching ‘Copperhead’ underwater drone.
🚀 HARDTECH NEWS: Robotics & AI Innovations
🤖 Hugging Face Buys a Humanoid Robot Company — and Open Sources It
In a surprising but exciting move, Hugging Face acquired Pollen Robotics, creators of the open-source humanoid robot Reachy 2. Known for democratizing access to AI models, Hugging Face plans to release the entire source code of Reachy to the public. This is a bold step toward integrating open-source AI with real-world embodiment — creating massive opportunities for researchers, students, and developers to build robotic applications powered by foundational models. The merger could accelerate innovation in physical AI, enabling the next generation of tinkerers to program robots with LLMs straight out of the box. Learn more.
🧠 DeepMind Debuts Gemini Robotics: AI That Can Touch, See, and Understand
DeepMind introduced Gemini Robotics, a version of its flagship Gemini model tailored to control robots. It combines language understanding, visual perception, and physical action — letting robots interpret verbal commands and respond with physical tasks in real time. The focus is on generality, interactivity, and dexterity: think folding laundry, opening drawers, or assembling products. By embedding advanced reasoning into physical systems, Google is pushing closer to a vision of general-purpose helper robots that can work in homes, warehouses, and beyond. Learn more.
🧬 NUS Creates Brain-Like Transistor That Mimics Neurons and Synapses
Asia keeps innovating! Engineers at the National University of Singapore discovered that a common silicon transistor can act like both a neuron and a synapse — key building blocks of the human brain. The team adjusted the transistor’s resistance to simulate neural firing and plasticity, enabling it to replicate key brain functions in a tiny, efficient chip. This neuromorphic breakthrough could pave the way for low-power, scalable AI processors that perform learning and inference directly on hardware — without relying on external cloud-based models. In short, smarter and more energy-efficient AI chips might be built using today’s existing infrastructure. Learn more.
🚗 XPENG’s Ambitious AI Future: Robots, EVs, and Flying Cars
Chinese smart mobility giant XPENG has laid out a sweeping AI-first vision through its new “AI Tech Tree,” which connects electric vehicles, robotics, and autonomous flight. Its 2025 X9 EV launch comes loaded with 496 tech upgrades, including an in-house 40-core Turing AI chip capable of running large models on-device. XPENG also revealed a humanoid robot prototype, IRON, as part of its effort to embed intelligence across physical systems. This is China’s version of Tesla’s multi-modal playbook — and XPENG is signaling its intent to become a dominant force in embodied intelligence. Learn more.
🏭 America’s Manufacturing Boom: 3.8M Jobs on the Horizon that Gen Z doesn’t want to do
According to Fortune, the U.S. is entering a new industrial renaissance, with 3.8 million new manufacturing roles expected by 2033. As baby boomers retire and reshoring accelerates, industries are hungry for skilled talent — especially in robotics, automation, and logistics. Companies are increasingly offering apprenticeships and better wages to attract younger workers, including Gen Z technologists. For early-career engineers or those with mechatronics and quality control skills, manufacturing might be the next big wave of job security and innovation. Learn more.
☢️ HALEU Allocations Signal a New Era in U.S. Nuclear Power
The U.S. Department of Energy has allocated the first batch of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to five advanced reactor developers: TerraPower, X-energy, Kairos, Radiant, and Westinghouse. This marks a critical milestone in building the domestic fuel supply chain for next-gen nuclear reactors, which require enriched uranium not currently available at scale in the U.S. The allocations will support demo reactors and microgrids by the end of the decade, reducing reliance on foreign sources like Russia. It’s a big moment for American energy independence — and for the commercial viability of fast, molten salt, and microreactors. Learn more.
🛰️ Space-Based Energy and Propulsion Systems Edge Closer to Reality
From nuclear-powered rockets to orbital solar panels, startups and agencies are converging on a new space energy frontier. NASA, DARPA, and companies like L3Harris and Virtus Solis are investing in power-beaming systems and space-grade nuclear propulsion. The goal? Deliver clean energy to Earth from orbit, and halve the travel time to Mars. With SpaceX and Blue Origin slashing launch costs, the economics of space power are starting to look surprisingly real — and governments are paying attention. Learn more.
🏠 Robots Are Coming to Your Home
A new wave of humanoid robots is targeting domestic tasks like tidying up, unloading dishwashers, and folding laundry. Startups like 1X and giants like Tesla are racing to commercialize AI-powered humanoids, with 1X aiming to deploy 100+ Neo units into homes this year. Since 2015, investors have poured over $7.2B into more than 50 humanoid robotics startups. It’s not just science fiction anymore — a human-shaped bot might soon be your housemate. Learn more.
🚁 Walmart + Zipline = Drone Delivery Takes Off in Texas
Zipline has officially launched drone delivery in Texas, starting with Walmart in the Dallas metro area. The company’s new Platform 2 system enables quiet, accurate aerial delivery in under 30 minutes — even during windy or rainy weather. With up to 65,000 items available for same-day service, this is one of the most ambitious urban drone deployments to date. Zipline’s technology could transform last-mile logistics, starting in the suburbs. Learn more.
🚘 Waymo’s Driverless Cars Are Safer Than Human Drivers
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have logged over 50 million miles with just 60 reported crashes serious enough to trigger airbag deployment or injuries — a rate significantly lower than that of human drivers over the same distance. That’s the equivalent of about 70 lifetimes of driving with far fewer major incidents. The data reinforces a growing consensus: when it comes to road safety, robots might actually outperform people. As robotaxi deployments expand, this kind of real-world validation will be critical to public trust and regulatory momentum.
Learn more.
🌊 Anduril Unveils Torpedo-Launching Underwater Drone, ‘Copperhead’
Anduril has launched Copperhead, a new unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) designed to be deployed from larger underwater drones like Dive-LD and Dive-XL. The system can operate as a multipurpose payload platform — and in its Copperhead-M variant, it functions as a torpedo. It’s part of Anduril’s broader strategy to build a modular fleet of autonomous surface and subsurface vehicles capable of countering threats across the maritime domain. With underwater conflict increasingly in focus — especially in U.S.–China strategy — Copperhead represents a new frontier in low-cost, scalable naval tech. Learn more.
💥 How a Hydrogen Explosion Led to Sequoia’s First Defense Tech Bet
Ethan Thornton, founder of Mach Industries, launched the company while still a teenage MIT student — but before raising capital, a hydrogen-powered prototype exploded, injuring a team member. That near-catastrophic moment forced a pause in development until Sequoia Capital stepped in with its first-ever defense tech investment. Since then, Mach has pivoted away from hydrogen and raised over $80M to develop a new class of weapons, including cruise missiles and edge-of-space-deployed bombs. The company is also working on “Forge,” a decentralized network of micro-factories — and it recently secured a U.S. Army contract. Learn more.
🚀 Startups to Know: Game-Changers in HardTech & AI
RLWRLD (South Korea) raised a $15M seed round to develop embodied AI and physical robotics platforms.
Investors: LG Electronics, SK Telecom, KDDI, ANA Holdings, Mitsui Chemicals, Shimadzu Corporation, Hashed, Global BrainRevel (USA) raised a $23.1M Series A to build developer tools for controlling complex physical hardware systems.
Investors: Thrive CapitalScout AI (USA) secured a $15M seed round to create autonomous AI software for defense robots operating across land, sea, air, and space.
Investors: Align Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, Draper Associates, Decisive Point Ventures, Perot Jain, Sigmas Group, Evolution VC, BVVC, Habitat Partners, Piedmont Capital, FJ Labs, Revelry Venture Partners, Monte Carlo Capital, Expansion VC, GaingelsBeSirius (Netherlands) raised a $3.4M seed round to help heavy industries manage ESG compliance with AI-driven software.
Investors: NAP, Fund F, Techstars, Blackwood, WEPA Ventures, Golden Egg CheckCosmic Robotics (USA) raised $4M to build robots that assist with installing large-scale solar panels.
Investors: Giant Ventures, MaC Venture Capital, HCVCNuro (USA): $106M for autonomous delivery vehicles used in urban logistics. (Investors undisclosed)
Brinc Drones (USA): $75M to build emergency response drones for public safety.
Investor: Index Ventures
📚FAVORITE RESOURCES
Fictiv’s 2024 State of Manufacturing Report: Re-shoring is now a dominant strategy due to geopolitical tension, labor availability, and climate-related supply chain risks. More here.
🎤EVENTS
Who’s coming to HardTech Awards (Vancouver), Hill and Valley (Washington, DC), and Reindustrialize (Detroit, Mi)? Ping me if you are there!💪
➖ April 23–26 RoboSoft (Lausanne, Switzerland)
➖ April 30 — Hill and Valley Forum 2025 (Washington, DC)
➖ April 30-May 1 Robotics Summit (Boston, Massachussets)
➖ May 12–15 Automate (Detroit, Michigan)
➖ May 17–23 ICRA 2025 (Atlanta, Georgia)
➖ May 18–21 International Electric Machines and Drives Conference (Houston, TX)
➖ May 19–23 International Conference on Robotics & Automation (Atlanta, Georgia)
➖ May 20–21 Robotics & Automation Conference (Tel Aviv, Israel)
HARDTECH AWARDS — if you are coming to WebSummit, join us on May 30 for HardTech Awards!
➖ June 30-July 2 International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots (College Station, Texas)
➖ June 16–17 — Reindustrialize, Detroit, MI
➖ August 18–22 Intl. Conference on Automation Science & Engineering (Anaheim, California)
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If you are interested in AI, Robotics & HardTech, you may want to check out my previous posts:
➡️ The Coming Scarcity of Humanity
➡️Humanoids Don’t Exist in Isolation — It Takes an Ecosystem to Bring Them to Life!
➡️ Clone Alpha: The Next Leap in Humanoid Robotics
➡️ Will we have a chatGPT moment for Robots?
➡️ ‘Made in China’-Robotics Market Overview