Amazon and Nvidia are backing eight AI and robotics startups in a Bodily AI Fellowship managed by MassRobotics, the Massachusetts-based robotics hub. The eight startups are getting science and engineering help, $200,000 in AWS credit, entry to Nvidia’s {hardware} and software program stack, and go-to-market help at main Amazon, Nvidia and MassRobotics occasions.
The main focus: bodily AI.
“Bodily AI is de facto successfully saying how do you utilize spatial consciousness and apply that with intelligence to have the ability to now have actuation carried out on bodily objects and in bodily settings,” Amazon’s head of generative AI innovation and supply at AWS Taimur Rashid informed me not too long ago on the TechFirst podcast.
There’s an enormous alternative right here, Rashid says: 2.5 billion individuals globally do bodily labor that represents nearly $50 trillion price of annual output that automation and bodily AI may help with.
The eight startups are making use of AI to duties as numerous as controlling self-piloting sea-going vessels, self-driving development tools, accelerating logistics, and rising meals on farms. Amazon is aware of this works: Rashid says robotic automation in its achievement facilities has contributed to boosting effectivity 25% already.
Listed below are the eight startups:
Bedrock Robotics: autonomous development tools
Development websites are chaotic, dusty, and uneven, all of which is hard on robots. Bedrock Robotics, based mostly in San Francisco, tackles that by retrofitting bulldozers, excavators, and loaders with sensors, compute models, and AI software program, turning them into self-driving heavy machines.
Blue Water Autonomy: robotic ships for the open ocean
The ocean is without doubt one of the hardest environments for autonomy: stormy, always-changing, and assist is usually far-off. Blue Water Autonomy builds AI-powered floor vessels that may patrol, transport, or conduct analysis with out human crews. Every ship makes use of real-time notion and planning to navigate altering currents and climate.
Diligent Robotics: humanoid helpers for healthcare
Diligent Robotics, out of Austin, Texas, develops socially clever wheeled robots that already function in 25 hospitals throughout the USA. Their robotic Moxi ferries provides, handles deliveries, and helps nursing workers.
Generalist AI: instructing robots to be taught like people
Immediately’s robots are normally specialists with out numerous intelligence. Generalist AI desires them to grow to be learners, kind of like people. The corporate is constructing foundation-model architectures for robotics: methods that permit machines grasp a number of duties and adapt to new ones.
RobCo: modular automation for smaller factories
German startup RobCo offers modular robotic arms and low-code software program for small and mid-sized producers. Every arm may be reconfigured for brand spanking new duties, giving smaller companies reasonably priced, versatile automation. Robots may be extraordinarily costly and out of attain for smaller corporations: this might be the democratization of robotics, bringing bodily AI to the lengthy tail of trade.
Tutor Intelligence: warehouse automation as a service
Tutor Intelligence builds AI-driven warehouse robots that deal with palletizing and logistics. The methods use laptop imaginative and prescient and reinforcement studying and are bought as a subscription service.
Wandercraft: powered exoskeletons restoring mobility
Paris-based Wandercraft designs powered exoskeletons that permit individuals with mobility impairments stand and stroll extra naturally. Its self-balancing design fuses robotics, management principle, and AI to revive motion.
Zordi: autonomous farm robots
Zordi builds agricultural robots that monitor crops, detect ripeness, and harvest safely. The corporate brings automation to greenhouses and fields whereas lowering waste and enter prices.
The chance is large proper now, Rashid says, because of the confluence of three main forces: growing labor shortages in wealthier nations because the inhabitants ages, falling {hardware} prices for sensors, cameras, processors and motors for robots, and more and more succesful generative and agentic AI which are serving to us prepare robots and provides them intelligence a lot simpler than earlier than.
But it surely’s nonetheless early days.
“Whereas I do really feel like we’re nonetheless within the very early days of agentic AI,” Rashid says, “we’re even within the earliest days of bodily AI.”
Each sorts are needed. Generalist robots present flexibility and scale, whereas specialist robots ship the accuracy and reliability required for delicate or extremely expert operations.
These eight present corporations ought to graduate from the Fellowship later this 12 months. For subsequent 12 months, Amazon is taking a look at bringing extra enterprise corporations into this system.
Supply: https://www.forbes.com/websites/johnkoetsier/2025/11/06/amazon-nvidia-backing-8-ai–robotics-startups-to-unlock-multi-trillion-dollar-opportunity/
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