Top 10 Robotics Stories of September 2026

September 2026 has been a busy month for the robotics industry. Live events, including IMTS, ROSCon and iROS, have brought a wave of developments around automation and artificial intelligence. This month, our top 10 is full of new products, company launches, and major changes for some robotics companies.

Here are the 10 most popular articles on The robot report in the last month. Sign up to The robot report newsletter and listen The robot report Podcast to stay up to date on the latest news in the field of robotics.

10. With the new VENTUNO Q board, Arduino hopes to simplify robotics development

Arduino, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, opened pre-orders in September 2026 for VENTUNO Q, a cutting-edge AI platform based on the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ8 series. Arduino made the board for developers, prioritizing familiarity and ease of use with the right software, accessories and extensions. Read more.

9. Boston Dynamics opens Metaplant Application Center in September 2026 to form Atlas

On the path to generic automation, developers are training humanoid robots on specific skill sets. Boston Dynamics has opened its Robotics Metaplant Application Center, or RMAC, at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. The Georgia facility is a testbed and training center for integrating Atlas humanoids directly into Hyundai’s automotive manufacturing operations. Read more.

8. A Boston Dynamics veteran launches Dynamic Creatures to bring characters to life with robotics

Boston Dynamics is focused on commercializing robots for industrial work, but it has always had time for fun, too. We saw Spot and Atlas dancing, taking part in the FIFA World Cup, and more. Now, a Boston Dynamics veteran is launching Dynamic Creatures. The startup focuses on creating robotic characters for entertainment. Read more.

7. Introducing Flourish One, the Raspberry Pi-powered humanoid created for busy parents

Flourish, a startup straddling San Francisco and Paris, announced plans to sell Flourish One in September 2026. Early adopters can teach the $3,555 humanoid on wheels new household tasks in under 30 minutes using just a smartphone. Read more.

6. Qualcomm will acquire PickNik Robotics and keep MoveIt open source

Qualcomm has agreed to acquire PickNik Inc., which developed robotics software including the open source manipulation framework MoveIt. The companies said they expect to streamline MoveIt integration with Qualcomm Dragonwing platforms to give developers an easier path from AI models to real-time planning, manipulation and control. Read more.

5. Unitree shares are down 53% in September 2026 since their IPO debut

Shares of Unitree Robotics, a Chinese maker of humanoid robots based in Hangzhou, fell nearly 40% in September 2026 from their first-day closing price on Aug. 19, wiping off about $20 billion in market value since then and about $35 billion from their peak. Read more.

4. Agility’s Digit 5 ​​humanoid has new legs, batteries, and safety improvements

Agility Robotics has unveiled Digit 5, the latest version of its humanoid robot awaiting a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The latest version of the Digit includes more human-like legs, updated batteries and a more comprehensive safety architecture. Read more.

3. Intrinsic key parts of its platform’s open sources for easier development

In September 2026 Intrinsic released Intrinsic Core, an open source set of robot operating system-compatible features for building robotic applications. With the release, the Google unit said more developers globally will be able to build with key parts of the Intrinsic platform. Read more.

2. SoftBank agrees to acquire Robotics and AI Institute in September 2026

According to multiple sources, SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) from Hyundai Motor Group. The deal has been rumored for a couple of months now, but it is now being examined by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Read more.

1. Agility reports $1.8 million more revenue than the humanoid SPAC

Agility Robotics said it has deployed its Digit humanoid at 9 customer sites as it prepares to go public via a proposed SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp. The robot report in September 2026 I got my first look at the company’s financials, thanks to a new S-4 filing with the SEC. Read more.