Kinisi wins Automate Start-Up Challenge
Plus Space Robotics, ICRA, Humanoid Summit and China's incentives for humanoid robots
Congratulations to Kinisi, the future of physical intelligence, for winning the Automate Start-up Challenge! A well deserved win. Here’s some more information about Kinisi’s KR1 robot c/o the BBC.
Hat tip also to 3Laws Robotics, a CalTech spinout from Los Angeles with a dynamic universal safety layer. The ultrasonic sensor from Sonair looked very interesting too. Wonder who we’ll see at the ICRA 2025 Startup Challenge this coming week! Or on the Innovation Stage.
Yesterday I spoke at the 2025 Smart Space Summit with Oxford Space Institute and Covington. I highlighted the strength of robotics ecosystem startups that have dual use cases both for space applications and terrestrial ones. If you’re interested in developing robotics technologies for the space industry then I recommend browsing NASA’s Civil Space Shortfall report, or if you’re in the Bay Area look out for the next Ames Partnership Day.
Chinese authorities are handing out generous subsidies for humanoid firms. More than $20 billion has been allocated to the sector over the past year, and Beijing is establishing a one trillion yuan ($137 billion) fund to support startups in areas such as AI and robotics, official announcements show.
The government is also a key buyer, according to a Reuters review of hundreds of tender documents. State procurement of humanoid robots and related tech jumped to 214 million yuan in 2024 from 4.7 million yuan in 2023.
Other state support includes a newly created 10 billion yuan AI and robotics fund by the southern city of Shenzhen.
Humanoid robot makers and component suppliers based in Wuhan are eligible for subsidies of up to 5 million yuan after reaching thresholds for procurement and sales targets, as well as free office space.
Beijing's municipal government created a robotics fund in 2023 that offered up to 30 million yuan for companies looking to accelerate construction of their first products.
Some analysts predict that humanoids could follow the trajectory of electric vehicles, whose costs tumbled dramatically over the past decade as manufacturers rushed in and government subsidies spurred widespread adoption among the Chinese public.
The average bill of materials for a humanoid will be about $35,000 by the end of this year but could fall to $17,000 by 2030 if most of it is sourced from China, said Ming Hsun Lee, head of Greater China automotive and industrial research at Bank of America Securities, in a research note.
Three Chinese humanoid manufacturers told Reuters they predicted a similar halving of costs, perhaps within a year. In comparison, the component cost for Tesla's (TSLA.O), opens new tab Optimus robots, if all of their major parts are sourced from outside China, is currently $50,000 to $60,000, Lee added in the note. Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment.
"With its comprehensive supply chain, China has an edge in lowering the humanoid robot production cost significantly," Lee told Reuters, estimating that global humanoid robot annual sales could reach 1 million units in 2030. "This industry is still in its baby boom stage."
Read more at Reuters: Chinas AI powered humanoid robots aim to transform manufacturing
COMMUNITY NEWS
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CDL Web3: June 15, 2025 @ 11:59PM ET
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All other CDL Sites and Streams:
Final Deadline: July 25, 2025 @ 11:59PM ET
Start your application by filling out the form here:
IERA AWARD
The IERA Award is calling for submissions, deadline May 31st, if you are world class in robotics innovation and commercialization. The award is hosted by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Industry Activities Board. Previous winners include many famous names.
Silicon Valley Robotics Startup & Investor Database
Are you a startup fundraising atm? Fill out our "For Investors Eyes Only" sheet.
Are you an accredited investor interested in seeing robotics startups? Sign up here!
Robotics News
Robust.AI Partners With Foxconn to Accelerate and Scale Manufacturing of Carter Warehouse Automation Robots - Business Wire
Top Prize Awarded in Lunar Autonomy Challenge to Virtually Map Moon’s Surface - NASA
Nations meet at UN for ‘killer robot’ talks as regulation lags - Reuters
Reporting on a growing trend towards autonomous factories - Control Engineering
AutoStore and OnePointOne Unveil the World’s First Robotic Vertical Farm Utilizing Automated Cubic Storage - Now Supplying Select Whole Foods Market Stores - Business Wire
Waymo robotaxis to map Boston - The Robot Report
Aurora expands Werner pilot with 1000 mile autonomous lane - Trucking Dive
Grocery hauling truckers vote to strike over autonomous semi truck concerns - CDLLife
TORC celebrates grand opening of Alliance autonomous truck hub - Community Impact
Californian Autonomous Vehicles Get a Revised Regulatory Load if New DMV Law Passes - Crowell
Uber to Offer First Shared Autonomous Rides With Funky VW Microbus - PCMag
Robot with animated face is here to make customer service better - Fox News
Five robots putting the tech in Venice Architecture Biennale - Dezeen
Meet Asia’s 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs Making Robots And Rockets - Forbes
Giant Robotic Bugs Are Headed to Farms - IEEE Spectrum
We loved doing a Le Robot hackathon so much that we’re going to be hosting more at Circuit Launch Mountain View, Circuit Launch Oakland and Frontier Tower SF on June 14 and 15. Stay tuned for details about these specific locations and sign up here:
🚀 Join the LeRobot Worldwide Hackathon - AI Robotics Global Challenge! 🌍 Are you ready to discover robotics with AI? 🌟 Join us for a global hackathon to learn, train, and solve real-world problems using open-source tech!
📅 Date: June 2025, 14-15
📍 Worldwide: Online & Local Hackathons
🚀 Register Now: https://forms.gle/NP22nZ9knKCB2KS18
Deep Tech Week and Hard Tech Venture Summit and USS Hornet Party
PLUS Deep Tech Week is back in SF from June 22 and we’re ready to bring robots to the party! Are you interested in taking part? andra@svrobo.org
And don’t forget the Hard Tech Venture Summit in SF on June 18 with Robotics / Hard Tech Manufacturing Workshop on June 19 - in our event calendar below.
Robotics Events
ICRA 2025 Atlanta Georgia 17 May - 23 May 2025
Humanoids Summit London May 29-30
Bots&Beer&BoardGames Mountain View - June 4
Robotics Invest Boston - June 10-11
CVPR Nashville Tennessee - June 11-15
Hugging Face Le Robot Hackathon Mountain View - June 14-15
Hugging Face Le Robot Hackathon Mountain View - June 14-15
(Hugging Face SF Hackathon and Robot Build Nights links coming soon)
Hard Tech Venture Summit & Startup Manufacturing Workshop - June 18-19
Deep Tech Week Robot Party - June 22
SVR Robotics Leadership Summit - June 30
Actuate - Sep 23-24
SVR Robotics Investment Summit - Sep 25
ROSCON Singapore - Oct 27-30
SVR Robotics Leadership Summit - Dec 10
Humanoids Summit - Dec 11-12
Join the organizing team at Silicon Valley Robotics - bots&beer@svrobo.org
