EngineAI Unveils New Humanoid Robots at World Robot Conference 2025
EngineAI showcased its latest advancements in humanoid robotics at the World Robot Conference 2025 in Beijing. The company debuted the T800, a heavy-duty, full-sized humanoid robot standing 1.85 meters tall, and also presented the PM01, which demonstrated impressive dexterity and high-speed running. Additionally, EngineAI announced the upcoming release of the SA02, a 1.25-meter-tall humanoid robot priced at approximately $5,500, aimed at making the technology more accessible to young engineers and enthusiasts. The company also introduced the JS01, a high-mobility quadrupedal robot designed for rugged terrains, suitable for industrial inspections, rescue, and logistics. These innovations highlight EngineAI’s focus on accelerating the commercialization of robotics and fostering a collaborative global ecosystem.
GM Revives Self-Driving Program with Focus on Personal Autonomous Cars
General Motors is renewing its push into autonomous vehicle technology, shifting its focus from robotaxis to developing self-driving cars for personal use. The company is actively seeking to rehire former employees from its shuttered Cruise division to bolster its team of autonomy experts. GM is currently testing a fleet of lidar-equipped vehicles on public roads to gather data and build simulation models that will accelerate the development of its autonomous driving technology. The plan, detailed in an internal meeting, aims first for a hands-free, eyes-free driving experience with a human in the vehicle, with the ultimate goal of a fully driverless car. This move signals CEO Mary Barra’s continued commitment to the autonomous vehicle market, despite the previous shutdown of the Cruise robotaxi service following a pedestrian-related incident.
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International Experts Optimistic on China’s Robotics Industry at World Robot Conference
At the 2025 World Robot Conference (WRC) in Beijing, international experts have expressed strong optimism about the future of China’s robotics industry. Jeff Burnstein, president of the U.S.-based Association for Advancing Automation, highlighted China’s position as the largest user of traditional robots globally and predicted significant growth in the humanoid robot market. Massimiliano Zecca, a professor at Loughborough University, pointed to China’s manufacturing strength as a key advantage, enabling the production of cost-effective and efficient robots. The five-day conference has gathered over 200 robotics companies from around the world, showcasing the latest in humanoid, wheeled, and collaborative robots. Experts at the event called for increased international collaboration, particularly between China, the UK, and Europe, to advance the robotics supply chain and develop open standards.
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Skywork Launches Matrix-Game 2.0 as Open-Source Rival to DeepMind’s Genie 3
Skywork has unveiled Matrix-Game 2.0, an upgraded version of its interactive world model, as a fully open-source project. This release is positioned as an alternative to Google DeepMind’s recently announced, but not open-sourced, Genie 3 model. Matrix-Game 2.0 is an interactive world model capable of real-time, long-sequence generation in general scenarios. The open-sourcing of this technology is intended to drive progress in the field of interactive world modeling. This move is part of Skywork’s broader strategy to advance its multi-model AI ecosystem through open-source contributions.
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OpenAI Unleashes GPT-5 and Free, Customizable ‘Open-Weight’ AI Models
OpenAI has introduced GPT-5, describing it as its most advanced AI system to date, with significant improvements in performance across various domains like coding, math, and health. The new model is available to all users, with subscribers to Plus and Pro getting expanded access and capabilities. In a significant strategic shift, OpenAI also launched two “open-weight” language models, gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b, which are free to download and modify. This marks the first time since GPT-2 that OpenAI has released an open-weight language model. These text-only models are designed to be efficient, run on local computer systems, and are suitable for tasks like internet searching and executing code. OpenAI is collaborating with partners like Orange and Snowflake to explore real-world applications for these new open models.
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Pony.ai Ramps Up Robotaxi Production, Aims for 1,000-Vehicle Fleet by 2025
Pony.ai has ramped up the mass production of its Gen-7 Robotaxi models, with over 200 units already produced. The company is on schedule to reach its target of a 1,000-vehicle fleet by the end of 2025. In the second quarter of 2025, Pony.ai’s robotaxi service revenues grew by 157.8% year-over-year, with fare-charging revenue surging by over 300%. The company has initiated operations in all four of China’s tier-one cities and has expanded its presence to Dubai, South Korea, and Luxembourg. Pony.ai is also making significant strides in cost efficiency, improving its remote assistant-to-vehicle ratio with a goal of one assistant monitoring 30 vehicles by the end of the year.
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Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) to Announce Q2 2025 Financial Results
Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, August 14, 2025, to discuss its operational progress and financial results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2025. The announcement is scheduled for after the market closes. Analysts project the company will report earnings of ($0.06) per share on revenue of $0.10 million for the quarter. The company, which focuses on integrated photonics and quantum optics technology, will provide details on its recent performance and outlook to investors.
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Xiaomi Reveals New AI Voice Model for Smart Cars and Homes
Xiaomi has announced a next-generation AI voice model specifically optimized for in-car and smart home applications. The new model is designed to provide faster response times, context-aware voice control, and offline capabilities. It is slated to be integrated into upcoming Xiaomi electric vehicles and Mi Home smart devices. With this development, Xiaomi aims to compete more effectively with other major players in the voice-first ecosystem space, such as Apple and Huawei.
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Elon Musk’s xAI Launches Unrestricted Image Generator Grok-Imagine, Sparking Debate
Elon Musk’s xAI has launched Grok-Imagine, a new generative AI tool capable of creating images and videos from text prompts. The tool, currently in an early beta phase, allows for the creation of both SFW (Safe for Work) and NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content without explicit safety restrictions. The launch has generated significant buzz, with over 20 million images reportedly generated within the first 24 hours. This release has sparked considerable debate regarding content moderation, potential misuse, and the role of safety guardrails in generative AI platforms.
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