Happy 2025 in Robotics!
Lol all the people now saying 2025 is the year of the Humanoids. In 2023, we started telling you that humanoids were here to stay!
I’ve been happily spending a couple of weeks in Australia (and New Zealand) with family but am now revving back up for an intensive year of robotics activities!
Here are a lot of the links I gathered over the holiday… Enjoy!
And thank you!
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to tell me that you like reading this newsletter! And deep gratitude to the paid subscribers who help keep our startup activities and events running. Coming next for you is the ‘complete’ 2025 calendar of robotics events.
Science Robotics December issue includes article about Women in Robotics
Overcoming the challenges that women in robotics face
Robotics history is still HIS story, but Women in Robotics is working hard to include HER story in the future of robotics. (sorry it’s paywalled but hope you can access it!)
Andra Keay https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9946-606X Authors Info & Affiliations
Science Robotics 18 Dec 2024 Vol 9, Issue 97
DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adu0391
Catie Cuan and Ken Goldberg dancing with robots
Circuit Launch Mountain View is Open!
Circuit Launch is the ultimate hub for hardware innovators, offering state-of-the-art prototyping labs, co-working space, and a thriving community of entrepreneurs. We provide the tools, training, and connections to accelerate your ideas into reality, with locations in Oakland, San Leandro (2025) and Mountain View.
Tour the new facility and check out our Dedicated Desks, Entrepreneur Hot Desks, and Private offices, now available for your next big idea. info@circuitlaunch.com
A selection of good substack 2024 2025 AI robotics reviews (apologies if I missed you):
Send me your community news to share!
Robotics News
LG Electronics tops AI robotics patent filings over last decade - MSN.com
Robots emerge as next cash cow for Samsung, LG, Hyundai Motor - Korea Times
Hon Hai (Foxconn) says it’s partnering with NVIDIA to develop humanoid robots - Taipei Times
Samsung to become largest shareholder in South Korean robotics startup Rainbow Robotics - LokmatTimes
Nvidia bets on robotics to drive future growth - Financial Times
Toyota will announce “Woven City” blueprint at CES 2025 - MK.ko.kr
CES 2025 Food Tech Exhibitor Preview - The Spoon
Robots from China’s startup mass produced outpacing Tesla - Global Times
Mantis Robotics Secures $5M to Redefine Robotics through Physical AI - Mantis Robotics
Slip Robotics snags $28M for its bots that can load a truck in five minutes - TechCrunch
SwitchBot is bringing a Rosie the Robot wannabe to CES - The Verge
Samsung’s AI Robot Ball with a projector is real and ready to roll in 2025 - CNET
CES 2025: Roborock’s grabby new robot vacuum is a huge flex - Mashable
New humanoid robot with wheels is unveiled - MSN.com
NHTSA finally releases new rules for self-driving cars - but there’s a twist - The Verge
China’s AgiBot releases large-scale humanoid robot AI dataset for everyday activities - Silicon Angle
Here’s the second humanoid robot to get a paying job - Forbes
Humanoid robots will march into factories and homes in 2025 - New Scientist
Bay Area events note the convergence of AI and robotics - The Robot Report
Humanoid robots coming soon, initially under remote control - The Register
The Year of Humanoid Robots - Crunchbase News
The trends that shaped EVs, robotaxis, and electric flight in 2024 - TechCrunch
Predictions for robotics in 2025 - via experts - RTechRound
The State of AI, robotics heading into 2025 - Erik Nieves The Robot Report
The Molex 2024 Robotics Report - Molex
The Top 7 Robotics Stories of 2024 - Evan Ackerman IEEE Spectrum
Medical/Health Robotics
Rise of AI and loneliness drives demand for robot pets - ABC News
This fuzzy, purse-mounted robot is designed to ‘delight bystanders’ - TechCrunch
This tiny robot cat will blow on your coffee to cool it off - TechCrunch
The Moxie child support robot gets a new lease of life through open source - OSNews
Startup completes first fully robotic dental surgery - MSN.com
Revolutionary Robotic Surgery Combines Dual-System Technologies for Groundbreaking Prostate Procedure - HospiMedica
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about technology and humanity with Silicon Valley Read’s featured authors Charlee Dyroff (Loneliness & Company), Dr. Fei-Fei Li (The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI), and Ray Nayler (The Mountain in the Sea) on January 30th.
Attendees are invited to come early to see two robot dogs and visit the Euphrat Museum of Art, for their special exhibit where artists will be showcased around the theme "Encoding Empathy".
HRI 2025 - March 4-6 Melbourne Australia
In addition to a special “Industry Day” on March 3, 2025, the HRI 2025 conference invites partners to meet with some of the largest organizations in Australia!
This year, the conference theme is “robots for a sustainable world”—we all face the pressing global challenge of achieving sustainability in every facet of our lives; and we want to ensure that robots are part of the solution, not part of the problem.
The HRI conference gathers researchers and practitioners from all over the world to discuss and explore the intersection of robotics and artificial intelligence with our human, social world.
If you commit to sponsorship before December 13th, 2024, your organization could be an HRI 2025 Platinum partner for a 25% discounted rate of ~USD$7,500 (~USD$10,000 value)! Discounted Gold (~USD$6,000), Silver (~USD$3,750), and Bronze (~USD$1,125) packages are also available. Space is limited and first-come-first-served for some partner perks, so confirm your sponsorship now to maximize your benefits!
Details about partner/sponsor packages and à la carte options can be found here: https://humanrobotinteraction.org/2025/partners
IF you are a "supported organization", or small businesses (with fewer than 500 employees), businesses owned by women or socially or economically disadvantaged, nonprofits, and academic research groups, ask about the additional discounts.
Thanks and hope to have your organization represented at HRI 2025! :-)
2025
I can say that we launched International Humanoids Day on 12/12 and also that in 2025 the Silicon Valley / San Francisco Humanoids Summit will be back on Dec 11th and 12th 2025 AND in London on May 29th and 30th.
HRI 2025 Melbourne Australia March 4 - March 6
ProMat 2025 Chicago IL Mar 17 - Mar 20
ICRA 2025 Atlanta Georgia 17 May - 23 May 2025
I'd like to see more adoption but they have skills and capital to produce good robots, also willingness to try, however have struggled to find applications for robots with significant adoption.
I'm intrigued by all the activity from Asian tech giants in the robotics space. Have you noticed any unique approaches they're taking compared to their Western counterparts?