Robots, autonomous vehicles, and AI acting in the physical world.
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Enigma raises $71M to make controlling a robot as easy as adjusting the volume
Robotics startup Enigma raised a $71 million seed round led by Index Ventures and Ribbit Capital, with participation from Sarah Guo's Conviction Partners. Co-founded by Jonathan Jacobi — once Microsoft's youngest employee — and Gal Niv, both from Israel's cybersecurity scene, the company builds its own robotic arms and AI models and runs more than 100 proprietary robots out of hangars in Israel and California.
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Hyundai claims humanoid robot plan is not part of talks with striking workers
About 34,000 Hyundai Motor Group union members staged a three-day rolling strike, which the industry is calling the first auto-plant strike explicitly triggered by a humanoid-robot deployment plan. The company plans to deploy more than 25,000 Atlas humanoid robots across Hyundai and Kia plants, starting with the Georgia Metaplant in 2028. Management nonetheless drew a line, saying the robot rollout is not up for negotiation with striking workers. Beyond the robot issue, the union is also demanding a shift from hourly to fixed pay, raising the retirement age from 60 to 65, and expanding profit-sharing bonuses tied to automation.