Tootfinder

Uber plans to invest $1.25B in Rivian through 2031, contingent on meeting autonomy milestones, starting with $300M at signing, to deploy 50K Level 4 robotaxis (Andrew J. Hawkins/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/transportation/897105/uber-rivian-robotaxi…

Uber to invest $1.25 billion in Rivian as part of new robotaxi deal
Uber will invest $1.25 billion in Rivian as part of a huge robotaxi deal. The companies plan on deploying 10,000 autonomous R2 vehicles as robotaxis by 2031.

Biohybrid-Robotik: Selbsttrainierte Bio-Muskeln treiben Schwimmroboter an
Bio-Muskeln für Roboter müssen stark sein. Ein Forschungsteam hat sie sich selbst trainieren lassen, um an Stärke zu gewinnen.

“[Niantic Spatial]’s latest product is a model that it says can pinpoint your location on a map to within a few centimeters, based on a handful of snapshots of the buildings or other landmarks in view. The firm wants to use it to help robots navigate with greater precision in places where GPS is unreliable.”

How Pokémon Go is helping robots deliver pizza on time
Niantic's AI spinout is using 30 billion images of urban landmarks crowdsourced from players to train a new world model.

Always hire a lawyer to read the fine print. Thank you for your years of service. You've helped make us rich, while eroding privacy. There will be no severance package or back pay, but console yourself: You got the job you loved.
https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-go-data-ai-robot…

Your Pokémon Go data has helped Niantic AI power urban delivery robots
If you played Pokémon Go, there's a chance you helped with the development of training robots and AI.

As companies pour billions into sprawling industrial campuses for cloud and AI computing,
some data center operators are experimenting with four-legged bots
—about the size of large dogs
—that can patrol fences, inspect equipment, and flag any issues before they turn into costly outages.
These robots, known as “quadrupeds,”
are being used to patrol the complexes,
which can sometimes reach the size of multiple football fields.

Robot dogs are protecting data centers. Operators are seeing payoffs.
Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics are selling robot dogs to data center operators, providing perimeter security and inspection capabilities.

Amazon acquires Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup Rivr, formerly Swiss-Mile; PitchBook: the startup was valued at $110M in an August 2024 funding round (The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/amazon-acqu…

Amazon Acquires Robotics Startup, Boosting Efforts to Streamline Deliveries
Amazon has acquired autonomous robotics startup Rivr, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed, a deal that could help the commerce and logistics giant deliver packages to shoppers’ doors more efficiently. Based in Zurich and formerly known as Swiss-Mile, Rivr was valued at $110 million in an August ...

Bolt setzt für Robotaxis auf Nvidia-Technik
Bolt hat eine Partnerschaft mit Nvidia angekündigt. Dessen Plattform für autonomes Fahren soll den Einsatz von Robotaxis in Europa beschleunigen.
https://www.

New York pulls a proposal that would have allowed for robotaxi services outside NYC, a setback for Waymo, which wants to hit 1M paid weekly US rides by 2026 end (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

New York’s Robotaxi Plan Pulled in Setback to Waymo Expansion
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has pulled a proposal that would have allowed for commercial robotaxi services outside New York City, a blow to Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo as it seeks to aggressively expand its driverless fleet this year.

Gecko Robotics secures a $71M US Navy contract to use robots to slash repair time for dated ships, as the US races to reindustrialize its aging defense systems (Samantha Subin/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/17/gecko-robotics-navy-contract-ship-repair-t…

Gecko Robotics brings its AI to U.S. Navy ship repair in latest next-gen defense tech deal
CEO Jake Loosararian said Gecko is supporting the Navy's push to have 80% fleet readiness by 2027.

Nvidia announces BYD, Geely, Isuzu, and Nissan will use its Drive Hyperion AV platform and says Uber will launch Hyperion-powered robotaxis in 28 cities by 2028 (Andrew J. Hawkins/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/tech/895301/nvidia-robotaxi-byd-geely-hyp…

Nvidia says China’s BYD and Geely will use its robotaxi platform
Nvidia says it’s adding BYD and Geely to its robotaxi program, as well as Uber and Lyft. The chipmaker is stepping up its automotive business as robotaxis expand.