Intelligence on machines that act
Illustration: Autonomous Systems ReviewLead story / Robotics
The prototype, codenamed Max, was developed in three months alongside Shanghai-based Fourier Intelligence — a partnership that raises pointed questions about US technology firms' reliance on Chinese hardware expertise.
Rob Polli2 Nov 20263 min read
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NVIDIA's Humanoid Push Depends on Chinese-Made Dexterous Hands
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Wave-powered offshore AI nodes are bypassing the land grid entirely
Reporting
Axon has announced a $1.2 billion investment in Skydio, acquiring a 37% stake in the company. Additionally, Axon has secured an exclusive agreement to distribute Skydio drones to public safety agencies across the United States and Canada. This partnership aims to expand Axon's presence in the Drone as First Responder market.
The University of North Dakota, through its Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site, has entered into a partnership with the Joint Interagency Combined Air Operations Center (JIATF-401) to evaluate counter-drone technologies for the Pentagon. This collaboration aims to assist the military in identifying effective counter-UAS systems for potential future testing and procurement.
The Royal Navy has conducted the first-ever launch of strike drones from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth during trials in the North Atlantic. British-made Nyan Maritime one-way drones were deployed from the carrier's flight deck, demonstrating potential integration with F-35B stealth jets. These trials are part of the Navy's 'hybrid carrier air wing' strategy, aiming to enhance the carrier's reach, lethality, and flexibility by combining crewed and uncrewed systems.
SkyeBrowse has launched new AI-powered tools designed to assist inspectors in assessing storm damage to roofs without the need for physical roof access. The updated videogrammetry platform converts drone video into roof measurements and damage reports. Enhancements also include expanded GIS and survey features to support mapping workflows, alongside improved survey correction tools.
KONGSBERG has introduced two new sonars, the Aegir17 and Aegir57N, to its Aegir SSA (Subsea Situational Awareness) family, making advanced subsea monitoring more accessible. The Aegir17 offers long-range, 360-degree surveillance, while the Aegir57N combines navigation and security features in a compact design suitable for USVs. Additionally, KONGSBERG is expanding its partnership with Viam to develop an AI-powered virtual sonar operator aimed at automating underwater object detection and tracking, particularly for uncrewed vessels and fixed installations.
Newswire
Source: Naval News
Source: Naval News
Source: Naval News
Source: The Robot Report
Depth
A new generation of autonomous, ocean-based compute platforms is harvesting wave energy and transmitting results via satellite — sidestepping permitting queues, utility constraints and the crippling cost of land-based cooling.
The leading AI compute provider for humanoid robotics is building its reference platforms around end-effectors manufactured in China. That division of labour — US silicon for cognition, Chinese hardware for manipulation — defines where the supply chain sits today and what it means for integrators choosing sides.
With Model S and X assembly dismantled in 46 days, Tesla's Fremont factory now targets one million Optimus units annually — a manufacturing pivot with few precedents in the automotive industry.
Industry Intelligence
France's Naval Group revealed its SCX 26 concept warship at Euronaval 2026 on 4 November — a 10,000-tonne vessel designed for the 2040s that asks serious questions about whether directed-energy weapons and high-volume missile capacity can coexist at sea.
Rob Polli4 Nov 20264 min read
Defence & Security
European AI defense firm Helsing launched the Contra air defense system on 26 October 2026, pairing two autonomous interceptors with a cost structure designed to make mass-drone engagement economically viable for the first time.
On 29 October the FCC votes to let drones use 50 MHz of the 800 MHz cellular band. The carriers want it, the drone makers want it, and nobody objected. The interesting questions are why it took until now, and who still gets left out.
Worth another look
Every autonomous fleet on the road today has people in the loop. Understanding the spectrum from remote advice to remote driving — and why the industry blurs it — is essential to reading any operator's safety claims.
Directory discovery
Autonomous Drones
Strong inspection editorial value
Company profileFrom the ASR directory. Inclusion is not an endorsement.
More reporting
Conversations
Qualcomm, Microsoft, Magic Leap, and now Agility Robotics — the executive running the West's most-deployed humanoid company has built a career on unfashionable patience. As Digit heads for the public markets, her bet is that reliability beats backflips.
Argument
Voters have found their panda. It's a windowless shed in Texas. Whoever wins, you're buying the bamboo.
The number of autonomous vehicle startups founded this year has surpassed the peak of the last decade's boom — and open-source vision-language-action models are the primary reason why. I've been watching this space long enough to say: the entry barrier hasn't just lowered, it has effectively collapsed.
Foundations
One measures the world; the other infers it. A decade-long fight over how machines should see has quietly ended in a truce — and the terms of that truce explain most of what's on the roof of a robotaxi.
Driver-optional farm machines are working fields at Level 4 today, years ahead of urban robotaxis. The reason isn't better technology — it's a fundamentally easier problem, and understanding why explains the whole sector.
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