Apptronik, Humanoid & Meta Go Big on Human-Like Robots
Avride hits Jersey City, Aviant heads to Stockholm
Wow, it sure looks like humanoids are the form factor of choice, with a number of tech companies large and small raising big gobs of cash and unveiling eye-catching hardware.
Speaking of cool companies, we’re pleased to announce the latest round of partners headed to Curbivore 2025, this April 10th and 11th. Delivery bot leaders Coco and Starship join our industry leaders — will you be there?
Apptronik Raises $350 Million
Austin, Texas-based Apptronik closed on a $350 million Series A, co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with participation from Google. Borne out of DARPA’s robotics challenge, the startup has a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind, and is building a general-purpose humanoid robot, named Apollo, envisioned for use in logistics, retail, manufacturing, and more.
Humanoid Debuts HMND 01
London’s aptly named Humanoid showed off a new robot of its own, the HMND 01. Weighing in at 154 pounds and 5 feet, 9 inches tall, the machine is designed for efficient object manipulation and customization, thanks to “exchangeable garments” designed for varying use cases.
Avride Heads to Jersey City
Fresh off its partnership with Grubhub, Avride has teamed up with Uber Eats, bringing its delivery robots to Jersey City, New Jersey. Uber, which has worked with the likes of Cartken, Coco, Nuro, Serve and Waymo, says this is its first deployment on the east coast. Sorry breakfast burrito lovers: this deployment is only live between 11 AM and 9 PM.
Aviant Launches in Stockholm
Swedish drone delivery startup Aviant is headed to Stockholm, as it teams up with Delivery Hero-owned foodora, and telecom firm Tele2. The drones operate with a range of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and had previously served more rural locations like Trondheim.
In Other News
Meta plans push into humanoids, led by ex-Cruise CEO Marc Whitten. Ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati launches Thinking Machines, while OpenAI’s former chief scientist is raising a new round for Safe Superintelligence at a $20 billion valuation. MIT’s millimeter wave tech helps drones navigate at night. Topcon Agriculture partners with Bonsai Robotics. Wendy’s goes all-in on drive-thru AI. Kernel pivots towards new “Counter Service” concept. (H/T HNGRY.) ICYMI: Ottomate sat down with Coco Robotics’ Zach Rash to discuss their new-found profitability in Los Angeles.