Robots So Fast They "Trip, Emit Smoke, Fall Apart"
VenHub opens in LA, Starship makes 8 millionth delivery, Hugging Face buys Pollen
Let’s kick this week’s updates off with a fun piece by Bloomberg, looking at Beijing’s E-Town Half-Marathon for humanoids. While “Tiangong Ultra” managed to finish the race in two hours and forty minutes, most of its companions did not make it to the finish line. Many, in fact, “collapsed shortly after the start, scattering body armor on the track.”
VenHub Opens in LA
Pasadena, CA-based VenHub has opened its first two robotically-operated mini-marts in Greater Los Angeles. Open 24 hours per day, the first two build-outs are in North Hollywood and Glendale; both feature a robotic arm that picks and dispenses snacks, sundries and convenience items.
Cartken Launches New Hauler Model
Cartken continues its pivot away from sidewalk delivery and towards logistics and warehouse-focused applications, with the launch of its new Hauler AMR. The Hauler is designed to “automate mixed outdoor/indoor environment material handling for manufacturing facilities, warehouses, distribution centers, corporate campuses, and life sciences environments.” The robot has a capacity of 660 pounds and a top speed of 4.5 miles per hour.
Starship Makes Eight Millionth Delivery
Sidewalk bot stalwart Starship just hit a new milestone: eight million deliveries. Starship now has 2,000+ machines across over 150 locations, crossing 125,000 road and driveways per day. Starship compares its size favorably to other AV players like Zipline and Waymo, but we will say that a few little birdies have whispered that the company has had cutbacks as of late…
Hugging Face Buys Pollen Robotics
French AI platform Hugging Face is getting into the humanoid robotics game, with the purchase of Bordeaux-based Pollen Robotics. Pollen makes the open-source Reachy robot, with 7-DOF arms and Lidar. Hugging Face has been beefing up its robotic ambitions since last year, when started the company started LeRobot library, helmed by ex-Tesla Optimus lead Remi Cadene.
In Other News
Sam’s Club’s 600-location remodel to eliminate cashiers. Tesla diner nears completion. Hi Auto raises $15M for drive-thru automation. Zipline and Walmart expand partnership. Nuro heads to Japan.