Today's lineup leans into the money and momentum behind physical AI, from a billion-dollar grasping model to fresh VC theses and eVTOL seed rounds. We've also got event rebrands and award nominations to mark on your calendar, plus a cheaper drone and a bit of walking-robot control theory for the researchers.

In today’s roundup

• RoboBusiness rebrands as Robotics Summit & Expo West — The Robot Report
  RoboBusiness gets a new name and a West Coast identity, signaling a focus on real-world deployment to complement the East Coast flagship show.
• 2027 TRR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open nominations — The Robot Report
  Nominations are open for the 2027 TRR50 awards, with winners to be feted at the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston next June.
• Ex-Nvidia-turned-VC Amulya Vishwanath: ‘Physical AI is in it’s LEGO era’ — TechCrunch Robotics
  A former Nvidia engineer now investing frames physical AI as being in its "LEGO era," chasing the long-awaited ChatGPT moment for robotics.
• Eka is worth $1.45B thanks to a physical AI model that has experts raving — TechCrunch Robotics
  Eka's $1.45B valuation rests on a robotic arm said to pick a wide range of objects with unusually smooth, human-like dexterity.
• Sol.One enters India with DG Sol.One — sUAS News
  Sol.One's joint venture with DGVK Enterprises will manufacture its full drone range in India, a notable move toward local production.
• eVTOL pioneer Skyfly lands $10 million to bring personal vertical flight to market — sUAS News
  Skyfly's $10M seed round, backed by growth equity and a defence-tech fund, aims to push personal vertical flight closer to market.
• Antigravity just halved the price of its drone — by swapping its headset for wristwatch control — The Verge
  Antigravity drops the A1's price by ditching the headset for wristwatch control, a trade-off worth watching for beginner-friendly flying.
• Adaptive Rejection of Unknown Hybrid Sinusoidal Disturbances with Application to Humanoid Walking under Unknown Ground Motion — arXiv cs.RO
  New research tackles humanoid walking on accelerating ground by rejecting unknown sinusoidal disturbances, a step toward legged control in non-inertial environments.

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The Daily Grind · RobotCafe · robotcafe.com