Tesla announces a wheelchair-accessible robotaxi, Uber influences autonomous vehicle adoption, and automotive security concerns emerge with hackable car alarms and self-driving car interference with first responders.
Hong Kong has approved a trial scheme for fully driverless autonomous vehicles on Airport Island, marking the first time tests will proceed without a human backup. Chinese tech giant Baidu received the city's first pilot license for autonomous vehicles in November 2024.
New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill that would require autonomous vehicles to use cameras plus lidar and radar, potentially blocking Tesla's camera-only system. The proposal aims to enhance safety through redundant sensing technologies.
The US Department of Transportation has proposed new regulations that would permit autonomous vehicles to operate without brake pedals, removing a key barrier for companies like Tesla and Zoox. The public has 30 days to comment on the proposal.
Defense tech startup Mach Industries, founded by Ethan Thornton, has secured $300 million in Series C funding at a $1.8 billion valuation. The company, which develops autonomous weapons and drone defense systems, has seen its valuation nearly quadruple in a year. The funding will support the development of five autonomous vehicles and a new Department of Defense contract.
China has more than doubled the production efficiency of stealth fighter components in a “dark factory”, where autonomous vehicles and AI-driven machinery operate nearly 24 hours a day. The process once required employees to monitor its round-the-clock operations, but the plant can now produce the “skeleton” of an aircraft in near darkness, according to the official Science and Technology Daily. Dark factories are facilities designed to operate with little to no human intervention, thereby...
California DMV announces new AV regulations effective July 1, ending traffic ticket immunity for robotaxis. Law enforcement can now issue 'notices of AV noncompliance' for violations like running red lights. Regulations also require 30-second emergency response times and geofencing capabilities for emergency zones, plus allow testing of heavy-duty autonomous trucks.
Scout AI, a defense startup founded in 2024, has raised $100 million in Series A funding to develop AI models for autonomous military vehicles. The company is building a model called "Fury" using Vision Language Action (VLA) technology to operate military assets, starting with logistical support and eventually autonomous weapons. Scout has secured $11 million in military contracts from DARPA and the Army Applications Laboratory, and is one of 20 autonomy companies training with the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood.
Scout AI, a defense startup founded in 2024 by Colby Adcock and Collin Otis, has raised $100 million in Series A funding to build AI models for autonomous military vehicles. The company is training its "Fury" AI model using all-terrain vehicles at a central California military base, with plans to expand from logistical support to autonomous weapons. Scout has secured $11 million in contracts from DARPA and the Army Applications Laboratory, and is one of 20 autonomy companies working with the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division.
Defense startup Scout AI has raised $100 million in Series A funding to develop 'Fury,' an AI model designed to command autonomous military ground vehicles and drones. The company focuses on using Vision Language Action models to navigate complex, unpredictable environments.
Scout AI, a defense startup founded in 2024 by Coby Adcock and Collin Otis, has raised $100 million in Series A funding to develop AI models for autonomous military vehicles. The company is building a system called "Fury" using Vision Language Action models to operate and command military assets, starting with logistical support and expanding to autonomous weapons. Scout has secured $11 million in military contracts from DARPA and the Army Applications Laboratory, and is one of 20 autonomy companies training with the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood.
China has suspended new licenses for autonomous vehicles following an incident last month in Wuhan where dozens of Baidu robotaxis suddenly stopped in traffic, causing chaos. The restrictions prevent companies from adding new driverless cars to fleets, expanding into new cities, or launching new test projects. It remains unclear when regulators will resume issuing licenses. This is at least the second time regulators have intervened after a Baidu-related incident, and the company's Wuhan operations remain paused while authorities investigate.
Scout AI, a defense startup founded in 2024, has raised a $100 million Series A to build AI models for autonomous military vehicles. The company trains its "Fury" AI model using four-seater ATVs at a central California military base, leveraging Vision Language Action (VLA) technology to enable autonomous operation on off-road terrain. Scout has secured $11 million in DoD contracts and is one of 20 autonomy companies working with the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division, with deployment expected in 2027.
Physical artificial intelligence (AI) – the marriage of advanced machines with “brains” that allow them to interact with their environment – is expanding rapidly in China. It’s fuelling the development of smarter robots, drones and driverless cars that are appearing on roads and factory floors, in the skies and even on stage. Delivery drones have taken flight over cities like southern China’s Shenzhen, while delivery bots are riding city subways. The first autonomous vehicles are plying public...
Russia's Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard laid down the Dmitry Glukhov minesweeper on April 24, 2026, the sixteenth ship of Project 12700 (Alexandrit). The new-generation minesweepers feature automated control systems, modern sonar, and fiberglass hulls, designed to replace aging Soviet-era vessels. The lead ship Aleksandr Obukhov entered service in 2016, with plans for approximately 40 ships by the Navy.
A pivotal year for self-driving cars has begun in China, with the first “hands off” models approved to ply public roads, carmakers gearing up to mass-produce them and the first mandatory safety standards for autonomous vehicles out for public comment. The first carmakers were given the go-ahead in mid-December to build electric vehicle (EV) models with Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving capability. On an international scale from L0 to L5, an L3 autonomous vehicle can operate independently under...
