🏆 China hosts first World Humanoid Robot Games 🏆
280 teams from 16 countries compete in Beijing's robot Olympics

The three-day World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing featured 280 teams from 16 countries competing in everything from soccer to track and field. Humanoid robots crashed into tangled heaps during soccer matches, with many picking themselves back up to thunderous applause from spectators who paid $17-$80 for tickets.

The event reflects China's huge investment in robotics, with organizers claiming the tumbles provide valuable data for real-world applications, such as factory work. Teams from the US, Germany, Japan, and Brazil participated, with 192 representing universities and 88 from private enterprises.

🤖 Nvidia drops new robotics world models 🤖
Cosmos Reason gives robots "reasoning" abilities through memory and physics understanding

Nvidia unveiled 'Cosmos Reason', a 7-billion-parameter AI model that gives robots "reasoning" abilities through memory and physics understanding. The chip giant also dropped 'Cosmos Transfer-2' for synthetic data generation, enabling developers to simulate the real world in 3D using sensor data. With new servers and cloud platforms rounding out the announcement, Nvidia is betting that robotics is the next goldmine for its AI chips beyond data centers.

The open and customizable vision language model enables robots to understand complex physical environments and make informed decisions based on spatial reasoning.

💰 Hugging Face researcher raising $40M for robotics startup 💰
Remi Cadene's Uma focuses on industrial and commercial robotics applications

Hugging Face researcher Remi Cadene is reportedly in talks to raise around $40 million in seed funding for his startup Uma, which focuses on commercial robotics. Cadene, who previously worked for Meta and Tesla's Optimus program, is launching the venture as investor appetite for robotics heats up significantly. The funding round has attracted substantial investor interest, positioning Uma to compete in the rapidly expanding industrial and commercial robotics market. The startup aims to bridge the gap between AI research and practical robotics applications in real-world environments.

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🎵 Waymo adds Spotify integration to robotaxis 🎵

Waymo has launched a direct Spotify integration for its robotaxis in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, allowing passengers to access their personal music libraries through the vehicle's audio system. The integration eliminates the previous cumbersome Google Assistant workaround, letting riders connect their Spotify account once and enjoy personalized music across all future trips. The feature represents Waymo's effort to make autonomous rides feel more personal and comfortable for passengers.

🤖 Chinese firm unveils robot surrogate with artificial womb 🤖

Chinese firm Kaiwa Technology has unveiled plans for the world's first 'robot surrogate' — a life-sized humanoid with an artificial womb embedded in its abdomen that can carry a fetus for ten months and deliver a baby. Set to launch in 2026 and priced under $14,000, the robot is designed for those seeking to bypass the physical demands of pregnancy. Its development has sparked widespread debate, ranging from ethical concerns to optimistic prospects for reproductive technology advancement.