In Episode 184 of The Robotic Report Podcast, co-host Mike Oitzman interviews Jeff Cardenas, CEO and co-founder of humanoid robotic producer Apptronik. The corporate raised $350M in Collection A funding this week to scale its Apollo humanoid.
Eugene Demaitre, editorial director for The Robotic Report, additionally joins the present to spotlight his journey to the Manifest occasion in Las Vegas.
Apptronik’s Collection A funding was co-led by B Capital and Capital Manufacturing facility, with Google additionally collaborating. This substantial funding spherical positions Apptronik amongst a rising variety of humanoid firms attracting main investments.
Different notable examples embody Determine AI, which has raised $854 million, together with a large $675 million Collection B spherical in February 2024; Agility Robotics, with no less than $178 million raised (although the main points of their latest funding from Schaeffler stay undisclosed); and 1X Applied sciences, which has garnered $136.5 million, together with a $100 million Collection B spherical.
A key facet of Apptronik’s Collection A funding, in accordance with Cardenas, is the involvement of Texas-based Capital Manufacturing facility. This group, which supplies mentorship, coworking areas, and workplaces for entrepreneurs, and is a number one funder of younger tech firms in Texas, assembled a big group of Texas households to contribute to the spherical. These households, having constructed their wealth within the oil and fuel business, are actually looking for promising high-tech investments inside the state.
If you happen to’re serious about listening to one other story in regards to the rising curiosity in funding humanoid growth, take heed to The Robotic Report podcast interview with Jamie Lee, managing companion from Tamarak World. Tamarak is likely one of the lead traders within the $675M spherical for Determine final yr, and Lee highlights how a lot curiosity there was for retail traders to attempt to get entangled with the chance within the humanoid market. Cardenas validated this curiosity in his feedback about Capital Manufacturing facility.
For the primary 9 months of the fiscal yr ending March 31, 2025 (masking April 1 to December 31, 2024), FANUC reported blended monetary outcomes, reflecting a worldwide financial system that’s recovering however stays unsure. Robotic gross sales skilled a 16.4% decline, reaching ¥242,386 million, because of decreased gross sales throughout China, Europe, and the Americas, attributed to weaker demand from automobile-related industries in these areas. Nevertheless, sturdy demand from normal industries in Japan partially offset these losses.
The evolution of Carbon Robotics‘ Laserweeder from a totally autonomous cell robotic to its present “sensible implement” kind is a big growth. The LaserWeeder G2 represents a considerable enchancment, boasting quicker speeds, a lighter weight, and larger energy effectivity in comparison with its predecessor.
This method makes use of vision-targeted lasers to remove weeds as they emerge, providing a possible payback interval of 1 to a few years for gear with a lifespan of seven to 10 years, in accordance with the corporate. The G2 product household gives 5 configurations, all constructed round a redesigned core energy and processing unit.