Robots and Startups

Interesting things about robots, robot startups, and the future that's already here. From the epicenter of the robot revolution - Silicon Valley Robotics. · Over 10,000 subscribers By subscribing, you agree Substack's Terms of Use, and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy. “Andra Keay does a lot of work describing how the development of robotics will shape our future.

Interesting things about robots, robot startups, and the future that's already here. From the epicenter of the robot revolution - Silicon Valley Robotics. · Over 10,000 subscribers By subscribing, you agree Substack's Terms of Use, and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy. “Andra Keay does a lot of work describing how the development of robotics will shape our future.

Interesting things about robots, robot startups, and the future that's already here. From the epicenter of the robot revolution - Silicon Valley Robotics. · Over 10,000 subscribers By subscribing, you agree Substack's Terms of Use, and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy. “Andra Keay does a lot of work describing how the development of robotics will shape our future.

Interesting things about robots, robot startups, and the future that's already here. From the epicenter of the robot revolution - Silicon Valley Robotics. · Over 10,000 subscribers By subscribing, you agree Substack's Terms of Use, and acknowledge its Information Collection Notice and Privacy Policy. “Andra Keay does a lot of work describing how the development of robotics will shape our future.

We’re only (just over) halfway through 2026 and already the robotics funding totals are greater than the whole of 2025. So far the robotics equity funding total for 2026 is approx $40 Billion compared to $36 Billion total for 2025. This is also indicative of larger round sizes as the number of funding events so far in 2026 is 824, compared to the 2025 total of 1150.

Inspired by the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2013-2014), the IEEE/RAS LRC (2023-2026), the RoboCup Rescue International competition (2001-2026), and the NIST Humanoid Robot Baseline Benchmark currently under development. This competition will be designed and run by the same team as the above. Evaluate baseline humanoid robot mobility, manipulation/dexterity, and reasoning capabilities. Some of the best humanoid robots will be evaluated on similar tests before and after the competition.

I moved to Silicon Valley back in 2010 because I had zero doubt that this was going to be the epicenter of the global robotics revolution. All the right resources for robotics companies were here, they just weren’t very visible, and Silicon Valley wasn’t quite ready for robots back then, barring a few forward thinking investors and founders.

According to Anduril’s CEO Brian Schimpf via Fortune, defense tech is becoming a bubble with valuations increasingly divorced from reality. Anduril, of course, is now valued at $61 Billion. In the first quarter of 2026, VCs deployed a record $19.8 billion into defense tech across 262 deals, according to PitchBook. (For comparison: That number in Q1 2024 was $5.7 billion, and in Q1 2025 was about $17 billion.) It’s a big shift in investor appetite from just 5 or 6 years ago.

My interest in robots began when I was lucky enough to be taken to New York’s World Fair in 1964. Even though I was only four years old, I can remember the sense of wonder that seeing an animatronic figure gave me. I’m afraid my interest wasn’t really in the content of Abe Lincoln’s address on the preservation of American democracy, liberty, and the rule of law. I was spellbound by seeing that such a lifelike robot had been constructed by humans.

It had to happen. The Trump family is involved in a humanoid robot company which is now selling robot warfighters to the U.S. army. Two humanoid robots nicknamed “Phantom MK-1” were deployed to Ukraine, which has been in a state of war since last February. Standing 180 cm tall and weighing 80 kg, these black-bodied robots with robust builds evoke comparisons to Batman. They were tasked with transporting supplies to high-risk war zones.