Robotics

Healthcare

The FDA Authorizes Johnson & Johnson's Ottava, a Table-Integrated Surgical Robot

Jul 23, 2026

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2 min read

The FDA Authorizes Johnson & Johnson's Ottava, a Table-Integrated Surgical Robot

The FDA granted De Novo authorization to Johnson & Johnson's Ottava robotic surgical system, a table-integrated design for soft-tissue surgery that cuts the machine's footprint by up to half.

Aaron Rafferty

Augmodo Raises $21 Million to Take Its Worker-Worn AI Badges Beyond Retail

Jul 16, 2026

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2 min read

Augmodo Raises $21 Million to Take Its Worker-Worn AI Badges Beyond Retail

Seattle spatial AI startup Augmodo raised $21 million at a $350 million valuation led by TQ Ventures, expanding its camera-equipped Smartbadges from grocery aisles into warehouses, factories and hospitals.

Aaron Rafferty

Shift Is Giving San Francisco Free Private Chefs to Harvest Robot Training Data

Jul 15, 2026

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2 min read

Shift Is Giving San Francisco Free Private Chefs to Harvest Robot Training Data

The Micro-AGI startup behind free NYC apartment cleanings has paid workers in 15 countries more than $5 million to film their own labor, and the footage trains the robots built to do that labor next

Aaron Rafferty

Healthcare

Humanoid Robots Perform Live Surgery for the First Time at UC San Diego

Jul 11, 2026

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2 min read

Humanoid Robots Perform Live Surgery for the First Time at UC San Diego

Teleoperated humanoid robots removed gallbladders from live animals in a Nature-published UC San Diego trial, a proof of concept researchers say could stretch scarce surgeons to places that have none.

Aaron Rafferty

Innovation

Robotics Funding Hits Record $18.8 Billion as Robots Move Into Food and Care

Jun 23, 2026

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2 min read

Robotics Funding Hits Record $18.8 Billion as Robots Move Into Food and Care

Global robotics venture funding reached a record $18.8 billion in 2026, and a growing share is going to embodied AI that fills human gaps in food production, farming, elder care, and labor-short industries.

Aaron Rafferty

Food Policy

Food Robotics Races to Fill a Labor Shortage That Threatens the Food Supply

Jun 22, 2026

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2 min read

Food Robotics Races to Fill a Labor Shortage That Threatens the Food Supply

Companies like Chef Robotics are deploying AI-driven food robots to cover a deepening labor shortage that the industry warns could lead to food shortages.

Aaron Rafferty

Robotics

Jun 22, 2026

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2 min read

Tether Leads $1.4 Billion NEURA Robotics Round as Robots Get Crypto Wallets

Stablecoin issuer Tether led NEURA Robotics' Series C of up to $1.4 billion, the largest full-stack robotics round ever, embedding crypto wallets into machines.

Aaron Rafferty

Food Policy

Cala Founder Launches Eridale to Use AI and Robotics Against the $10 Trillion Cost of Bad Diets

May 5, 2026

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2 min read

Cala Founder Launches Eridale to Use AI and Robotics Against the $10 Trillion Cost of Bad Diets

Eridale, the new venture from Cala founder Ylan Richard, launched May 5 with a plan to use AI and robotics to make restaurant-quality food affordable.

Aaron Rafferty

DoorDash Bets on Rivian Spinoff ALSO's $200M Round for Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery

Apr 2, 2026

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4 min read

DoorDash Bets on Rivian Spinoff ALSO's $200M Round for Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery

DoorDash invested in Rivian spinoff ALSO's $200M Series C for purpose-built autonomous EVs that deliver in bike lanes and curbside spaces.

Aaron Rafferty

Healthcare

Neuralink Demonstrates Thought-to-Speech in ALS Patient Through VOICE Trial

Mar 28, 2026

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4 min read

Neuralink Demonstrates Thought-to-Speech in ALS Patient Through VOICE Trial

Neuralink demonstrated thought-to-speech technology in ALS patient Kenneth Shock, the second participant in its VOICE clinical trial implanted in January 2026.

Aaron Rafferty

Robotics

The FDA Authorizes Johnson & Johnson's Ottava, a Table-Integrated Surgical Robot

Augmodo Raises $21 Million to Take Its Worker-Worn AI Badges Beyond Retail

Shift Is Giving San Francisco Free Private Chefs to Harvest Robot Training Data

Humanoid Robots Perform Live Surgery for the First Time at UC San Diego

Robotics Funding Hits Record $18.8 Billion as Robots Move Into Food and Care

Food Robotics Races to Fill a Labor Shortage That Threatens the Food Supply

Tether Leads $1.4 Billion NEURA Robotics Round as Robots Get Crypto Wallets

Cala Founder Launches Eridale to Use AI and Robotics Against the $10 Trillion Cost of Bad Diets

DoorDash Bets on Rivian Spinoff ALSO's $200M Round for Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery

Neuralink Demonstrates Thought-to-Speech in ALS Patient Through VOICE Trial

WYDE Newsroom