• In Episode 230 ofThe Robot ReportPodcast, hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre recap the major robotics news of the week and discuss their experiences at the Manifest 2026 supply chaintrade showin Las Vegas. • Show timeline 8:12 -Zooxrobotaxi review (see video below) 6:20 - News of the week 14:33 - Manifesteventrecap with Gene Demaitre and Mike Oitzman 34:08 - Interview with Sankalp Arora, CEO ofGather AI 41:58 - Interview with Ben Gruettner, chief revenue officer ofRobust.AI 49:28 - Interview with Owen Nicholson, CEO ofSLAMcore 54:21 - Interview with Mason Cole, vice president of sales atSlip Robotics 1:00:55 - Interview with Steven McKinley (chief operating officer) and Jim Leifer (CEO) atAmbi Robotics 1:10:00 - Interview with Jackie Wu, CEO ofCorvus Robotics 1:16:40 - Interview withKevin Damoa, founder and CEO ofGlid Technologies 1:22:37 - Interview with Eric Miller, co-founder and CEO ofAutoPallet News of the week Apptronik brings in another $520M to ramp up Apollo production Apptronik has raised a $520 million Series A-X funding round. • This brings the Austin, Texas-based humanoid robot developer’s total Series A to more than $935 million and its total capital raised to nearly $1 billion. • With the capital, Apptronik said it will ramp up production of the Apollo robot and expand its global network of commercial and pilot deployments. • The company also plans to build facilities for robot training and data collection, as well as to finish developing its latest robot model, which is set to debut in this year. • Symbotic acquires autonomous forklift maker Fox Robotics Symbotic has acquired Fox Robotics in a move that broadens its logistics robotics offerings.
Article Summaries:
- The Robot Report Podcast’s Episode 230 covers the week’s top robotics stories and a recap of the Manifest 2026 trade show in Las Vegas. Hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre highlight Apptronik’s $520 million Series A‑X raise, which will boost Apollo robot production and expand global deployments. They also discuss Symbotic’s acquisition of autonomous forklift maker Fox Robotics, broadening its material‑handling portfolio and targeting clients like Walmart. Additionally, the podcast reports Boston Dynamics’ CEO Robert Playter’s resignation, with CFO Amanda McMaster stepping in as interim leader. Interviews with leaders from Gather AI, Robust.AI, SLAMcore, and others punctuate the episode.
Sources: