Definition
Robotics designs machines that sense and act in the physical world. In 2026 news coverage, industrial and specialized robots (mining, logistics, food) often dominate large funding rounds versus general-purpose humanoids.
Key Points
- 2026-07-22: atoms $1.7B for industrial AI / “wheelbase for robots” (2026-07-23-atoms-1-7b-a16z-kalanick-robotics)
- Overlaps heavily with physical-ai and industrial-automation
- Capital intensity rising — multi-billion rounds appear in 2026