Manifest 2026 recap
In Episode 230 of The Robot Report Podcast, hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre recap the major robotics news of the week and discuss their experiences at the Manifest 2026 supply chain trade show in Las Vegas.
Show timeline
- 8:12 – Zoox robotaxi review
- 6:20 – News of the week
- 14:33 – Manifest event recap with Gene Demaitre and Mike Oitzman
- 34:08 – Interview with Sankalp Arora, CEO of Gather AI
- 41:58 – Interview with Ben Gruettner, chief revenue officer of Robust.AI
- 49:28 – Interview with Owen Nicholson, CEO of Slamcore
- 54:21 – Interview with Mason Cole, vice president of sales at Slip Robotics
- 1:00:55 – Interview with Steven McKinley (chief operating officer) and Jim Leifer (CEO) at Ambi Robotics
- 1:10:00 – Interview with Jackie Wu, CEO of Corvus Robotics
- 1:16:40 – Interview with Kevin Damoa, founder and CEO of Glid Technologies
- 1:22:37 – Interview with Eric Miller, co-founder and CEO of AutoPallet
News of the week
Apptronik brings in another $520M to ramp up Apollo production
Apptronik has raised a $520 million Series A-X funding round. This brings the Austin, Texas-based humanoid robot developer’s total Series A to more than $935 million and its total capital raised to nearly $1 billion.
With the capital, Apptronik said it will ramp up production of the Apollo robot and expand its global network of commercial and pilot deployments. The company also plans to build facilities for robot training and data collection, as well as to finish developing its latest robot model, which is set to debut in this year.
Symbotic acquires autonomous forklift maker Fox Robotics
Symbotic has acquired Fox Robotics in a move that broadens its logistics robotics offerings. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company announced the deal during its Q1 2026 earnings call.
Symbotic founder and CEO Rick Cohen said the Fox Robotics acquisition gives Symbotic access to a broader market in autonomous material handling and the possibility of introducing new solutions beyond existing warehouse automation.
While most of Fox Robotics’ customers are not Symbotic customers, they do share one large client: Walmart. Cohen said he expects to bring guided fork trucks to a wider audience.
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter steps down
Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, has stepped down from the company. Playter took over as CEO in 2019 and led Boston Dynamics through its acquisition by Hyundai in 2020.
Prior to taking over as CEO, Playter served as chief operating officer. His last day with Boston Dynamics will be Feb. 27. According to the company, Playter plans to retire.
Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamics’ chief financial officer, will take over as interim CEO until the board of directors finds its next leader.
Playter took over as CEO at a crucial time for Boston Dynamics. The company was long known for its research platforms like the hydraulically-powered Atlas humanoid but wanted to turn its technology into commercial systems. Playter helped to bring Spot, Stetch, and most recently, a fully electric version of Atlas to market.
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