Meet Digit Version 5 from Agility Robotics: a human-safe working robot. And meet RobOpsCon: an open-source fleet manager from InOrbitAI

9/11 and the development of disaster robots plus robots as entertainment and companions, or potentially sneaky spies. So many interesting stories in robotics this week!

First 11 vs 11 robotics football match at RoboCup 2026 and the winners of each division announced! Plus my unofficial Golden Boot award.

Also The Top Physical AI Startups for 2026, Life Lessons For Robotics Founders From Sebastian Thrun, Call For Partners IEEE Humanoids 2026 and more!

Korea is producing significant robotics and AI companies with a focus on real world applications. Meanwhile in SF the robot wars meet dance battles (spoiler - the dancers lose). And the latest lessons from the graveyard of robot startups.

Indian robotics startups are getting funded, with Ireland and Canada also showing activity. There’s also a lot of activity and investment in drone startups.

Robot familiars, is AI or UI the next frontier? Or is it system integration and human trust? How Hello Robot is also redefining the next household robot as NOT a humanoid. Plus more robotics news and events.

Visibility is critical - there are women in tech (not enough) but they are less visible than men and are offered lower profile positions.

It's a cautiously positive message - although still stumbles into some conflation of robotics, automation and computerization ie. conflating job loss through computerization with robotics.

Focus is on two technologies - robotics and the internet - to drive future productivity, innovation and labor growth.