Global Scans · Robotics · Weekly Summary

• [New] Agricultural robotics will witness massive developments within the next decade regarding the increased penetration and integration into farming activities worldwide. Agri Business Review
• [New] Nasa plans a sustainable moon base staffed by astronauts and robots near the lunar south pole, where permanently shadowed craters are thought to hold tons of frozen water that could be turned into rocket fuel and drinking water. The Guardian
• [New] OpenAI is developing its first custom inference chip, Jalapeno, set for deployment by year-end, and says it will build humanoid robots. Forbes
• [New] Looking ahead, OpenAI plans new devices, a custom chip, and humanoid robots, aiming for a proactive, general-purpose AI subscription. Forbes
• [New] Humanoid robots, advanced artificial intelligence, and increasing automation will fundamentally transform the way we work across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, services, and many other industries. Plan-Net Robot
• [New] Apptronik unveiled the Apollo 2 humanoid robot and also announced the opening of Robot Park, which it will use for data collection and robot training in Texas. Robotics 24/7
• [New] There have been significant shifts such as the US ban of foreign mobile robots through the FCC, the rise of open source models and an acceleration of robot foundation model development timelines that we have previously anticipated. RoboStrategy
• [New] Investment in industrial robots will accelerate markedly over the next decade, from annual growth that now averages 2 to 3% to around 10%. Robohub
• [New] Dominant Robot Type: Articulated robots are projected to dominate robot type segmentation with an estimated 38% share in 2026, supported by strong reliability, multi-axis flexibility, and wide use across automotive and electronics production lines. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Amazon Robotics will use NVIDIA's physical AI platform to support warehouse automation and new robotic systems. Fintech Singapore
• [New] The International Federation of Robotics projects that service robot installations in retail and wholesale will grow at over 15% annually through 2027. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Humanoid robots could take on repetitive, dangerous and physically demanding jobs, with some machines potentially matching the output of two workers in certain tasks. Yahoo News Singapore
• [New] Global humanoid robot shipments surged 272% in H1 2026 to 19,100 units, with projections for 60,000 in 2026 and 500,000 by 2030. Forbes
• [New] Tesla plans to introduce a host of new products in the near future, including Optimus humanoid robots, autonomous Cybercabs and AI initiatives. Fortune
• [New] The US ban on robot vacuum cleaners is not workable It's going to leave Americans with less choice and way higher prices. MIT Technology Review
• [New] OpenAI will definitely build humanoid robots as well. THE DECODER
• [New] Continuous innovation in AI-integrated robotics, machine vision, and collaborative automation is expected to sustain Japan's leadership in industrial robotics technology and adoption. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Increasing adoption of AI-enabled robotics and smart factory technologies is expected to sustain regional leadership through 2033. Persistence Market Research
• [New] Nvidia is bringing data-center-grade world modeling to edge devices, enabling robots to reason, predict, and act in real time without cloud dependency. The Brief - Superculture
• [New] The Pentagon is experimenting with sending fleets of robots into harm's way first, to blunt the risk typically borne by soldiers. The Christian Science Monitor
• [New] South Korea's K-Robot Economy Plan targets 1 million robot installations by 2030, while the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act is channeling capital into highly automated semiconductor fabs. Persistence Market Research
• [New] A streamlined robotics agenda can help one country rise in the global value chain, while for another it may kickstart innovation needed for achieving technological sovereignty, particularly critical in an era where disruptive digital transformation can dictate shifts in global order. Robohub
• Sub-goals within Goal 3 include the creation of robots that 1) 90% of citizens will feel comfortable engaging with by 2030, 2) work in remote and dangerous locations by 2050, and 3) autonomously innovate by 2050. Robohub

Last updated: 07 September 2026