Top 10 robotics stories of September 2026

4. Agility’s Digit 5 humanoid has new legs, batteries, and safety upgrades

Agility Robotics unveiled Digit 5, the latest version of its humanoid robot as it awaits a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The latest version of Digit includes more human-like legs, upgraded batteries, and a more comprehensive safety architecture. Read more.

3. Intrinsic open sources key parts of its platform for easier development

Intrinsic in September 2026 released Intrinsic Core, an open-source set of Robot Operating System-compatible capabilities for building robotic applications. With the release, the Google unit said more of the world’s developers will be able to build with foundational parts of the Intrinsic platform. Read more. Arduino, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, in September 2026 opened pre-orders for VENTUNO Q, a edge AI platform powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ8 Series. Arduino built the board for developers, prioritizing familiarity and ease of use with the right software, accessories, and extensions. Read more.

9. Boston Dynamics opens Metaplant Application Center in September 2026 to train Atlas

On the path to general-purpose automation, developers are training humanoid robots on specific skill sets. Boston Dynamics opened its Robotics Metaplant Application Center, or RMAC, at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. The Georgia facility is a testbed and training center for integrating the Atlas humanoids directly into Hyundai’s automotive manufacturing operations. Read more. ### 6. Qualcomm to acquire PickNik Robotics and keep MoveIt open-source

Qualcomm has agreed to acquire PickNik Inc., which has developed robotics software including the MoveIt open-source manipulation framework. The companies said they expect to streamline MoveIt integration with Qualcomm Dragonwing platforms to give developers an easier path from AI models to planning, manipulation, and real-time control. Read more.

5. Unitree shares down 53% in September 2026 from IPO debut

Shares of Hangzhou, China-based humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics fell nearly 40% in September 2026 from their first-day closing price on Aug. 19, erasing roughly $20 billion in market value from that point and about $35 billion from their peak. Read more.