NEC invests in US-based robotics startup Dexmate - Robotics & Automation News
“Dexmate’s humanoid robot “VEGA” and integrated Physical AI development platform fundamentally lower the barriers to robot development and deployment by enabling anyone to easily design, configure, and operate AI-powered robots in real-world environments.
Key takeaways
- China’s 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing showcased dramatic strides in humanoid robotics, with the X‑Humanoid “Tiangong Ultra” completing the 100‑metre sprint in 9.39 seconds—faster than Usain Bolt’s 9.58‑second record—and shattering the 400‑metre record at 38.15 seconds.
- The event, which ran from Aug.
- 22‑26 at the former Olympic speed‑skating oval, attracted more than 2,000 robots from over 600 teams, featuring track‑and‑field, boxing, soccer and obstacle‑course challenges, and even highlighted failures such as robots tripping, collapsing or catching fire.
- Analysts note that the rapid performance gains signal major advances in whole‑body control and cloud‑assisted AI, with many robots still relying on 5G‑linked “embodied‑intelligence” systems for real‑time computation.
- The market momentum is reflected in a $2.2 billion valuation for China’s humanoid sector in 2026 and projected 60 % annual growth, while global investors poured a record $33 billion into robotics in 2025‑26, spurring IPOs such as Unitree’s debut.
“Dexmate’s humanoid robot “VEGA” and integrated Physical AI development platform fundamentally lower the barriers to robot development and deployment by enabling anyone to easily design, configure, and operate AI-powered robots in real-world environments.
“Through this strategic partnership with NEC and their global expertise, we look forward to deploying our technology at scale and jointly accelerating the real-world implementation of Physical AI across a wide range of industries.”
The investment comes as technology companies increasingly look beyond generative AI operating primarily in digital environments toward physical AI systems capable of interacting with objects, people and real-world surroundings. Skip to primary navigation Skip to primary sidebar Skip to secondary sidebar
Robotics & Automation News
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NEC invests in US-based robotics startup Dexmate
by Sam Francis
Japanese technology giant NEC’s corporate venture capital fund has invested in US-based robotics startup Dexmate, developer of the VEGA humanoid robot and an integrated physical AI development platform.
The investment was made through the NEC Orchestrating Future Fund (NOFF), with NEC and Dexmate planning to explore opportunities to deploy physical AI technologies across a range of industries.
Founded in 2024 by AI robotics researchers, Dexmate is developing VEGA alongside a software platform designed to simplify the development, configuration and operation of AI-powered robots. The company says its integrated approach addresses some of the challenges involved in deploying physical AI systems, which can require the coordination of sensors, control systems, training data, simulation environments and site-specific tuning.
By bringing these elements together, Dexmate aims to streamline the process from developing robots for particular applications through to deploying them in real-world environments.
Tao Chen, co-founder and CEO of Dexmate, says: “We are honored to welcome the investment from the NEC Orchestrating Future Fund and deeply appreciate their confidence in our Physical AI technology.
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