Hardware Podcasts

Robotics in Review: Editors look back at 2025

The Robot Report Podcast · 23 Dec 2025 · 1h 29m

What this episode covers

The Robot Report editorial team, including Steve Crowe, Gene Demaitre, Mike Oitzman, and Brianna Wessling, reviews the major robotics industry shifts of 2025, highlighting $3.5 billion in humanoid funding and the rise of physical AI. They analyze significant corporate events, such as iRobot’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy and ABB’s sale of its mobile robot division to SoftBank, while discussing Waymo’s scaling challenges and Amazon’s deployment of 1 million warehouse robots. The episode also covers the spin-out of Intel RealSense, the impact of autonomous systems in Ukraine and Gaza, and the push for a US national robotics strategy.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
iRobot, ABB, SoftBank, Waymo, Amazon, Intel RealSense, Figure, Unitree, Boston Dynamics, Sunday Robotics, Nebius, One X, Tesla, Pterodine Robotics, Universal Robots

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Built 2 Scale · 1h 13m

    Google I/O 2025 AI Bombshell, Nvidia’s $50 Trillion Robot Bet & Coinbase Hacked

    Hosts Scott Wilcox and Matt Parrott discuss the latest AI and robotics news, focusing on Google's integration of Gemini into its core search product, OpenAI's release of the Codex coding model, and Nvidia's strategic pivot to becoming an infrastructure company for humanoid robots via its Isaac GR00T platform. They also analyze Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's decision to reject a $20 million ransom in favor of a $400 million bounty and reimbursement strategy, and reflect on the 'founder mode' leadership style of CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.

    AI & machine learningLeadership, teams & culture
    6 chapters

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 1h 24m

    246: automatica 2025: Exploring Innovation, Robotics, and Startups Across Bavaria, Germany, and Europe

    Chris Luecke and Jake Hall report from Automatica 2025 in Munich, interviewing leaders from Intrinsic, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Innok Robotics, KUKA, and VDMA. They discuss how AI foundation models are making robotics accessible to non-experts, the collaborative innovation ecosystem in Bavaria, and the challenges European startups face in scaling compared to the US. The episode highlights specific technologies like Intrinsic's perception models, Innok's outdoor AMR platform, and the industry's push for interoperability standards.

    AI & machine learningRobotics & autonomy
    6 chapters

  • Built 2 Scale · 1h 24m

    NVIDIA's Trojan horse, Yann LeCun Timebomb, 8 Sleep Mega Raise and the Physical AI Boom

    Hosts Matt Perrott and Scott Wilcox analyze the shifting dynamics of the AI and robotics industries, highlighting Nvidia's vertical integration strategy with Jensen Huang and Brett Adcock, and 8 Sleep's $100M raise to build an AI sleep operating system. They discuss the GPT-5 routing controversy, Meta's AI division restructuring, and the rise of autonomous hardware startups like Lumina Vehicles, arguing that founder-led companies are outpacing corporate giants in innovation and velocity.

    Connected products & IoTMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    10 chapters

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 17m

    The State of Robotics in 2025: Live from the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, MA

    Host Jake Hall interviews Aaron Prather, Director of Robotics & Autonomous Systems at ASTM International, about the critical role of safety standards in deploying humanoid robots across diverse environments like homes and healthcare. Spencer Krause, President and CEO of SKA Robotics, discusses the current state of the industry, highlighting use cases in mining, construction, and hospital logistics, and explaining how advancements in edge AI and cheaper sensors are enabling broader adoption. The conversation covers the transition of robotics from controlled industrial settings to unstructured public and private spaces, emphasizing the need for robust safety frameworks and cost-effective technology to reach a buyer's market.

    Robotics & autonomyCertification & compliance
    7 chapters

  • Built 2 Scale · 1h 22m

    The Elon vs Sam FEUD Explodes + GPT-5 First Look & Remote Construction Robots

    Hosts Matt Perrott (BuildPass) and Scott Wilcox (W & Elysium) discuss the explosive feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, the launch of ChatGPT-5, and the economic crisis in AI startups where compute costs exceed revenue. They analyze Google's aggressive Gemini integration across its productivity suite and Perplexity's $34B bid for Chrome. The episode concludes with a deep dive into robotics, covering Y Combinator's Flywheel AI for remote construction equipment, Figure AI's humanoid laundry demo, and Unitree's low-cost humanoids, predicting a 'ChatGPT moment' for robots in 1-3 years.

    AI & machine learningPricing, margins & unit economics
    11 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Robot Report Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.