A recent survey by Gartner, reveals that only 48% of digital initiatives achieve or surpass their intended business outcomes. The findings, based on responses from over 3,100 CIOs and technology leaders globally, alongside more than 1,100 executives from other business areas, highlight the challenges organizations face in aligning digital transformation efforts with strategic goals. However, a subset of leaders, known as the “Digital Vanguard,” reported higher success, with 71% of their digital projects meeting or exceeding targets.

Nauticus Robotics, specializing in autonomous subsea robotics and software, recently completed its initial 2024 Gulf of Mexico survey work for Shell Exploration and Production, a subsidiary of Shell. The project, conducted off the coast of Louisiana, was part of a service contract awarded to Nauticus in 2023. It included the survey of both active and inactive assets at depths reaching 1,000 meters, performed entirely through untethered, autonomous operations.

Circus SE, a German AI and robotics company focused on solutions for the food service industry, has announced pre-orders amounting to EUR 1.1 billion in potential recurring revenue for its AI-based SaaS product, CircusAI. With 8,400 units pre-ordered shortly after market entry, the company aims to address labor shortages in the EUR 2.6 trillion food service sector through AI-powered autonomous systems. Circus intends to build on this demand by expanding its AI capabilities, partly through acquisitions of emerging AI technologies.

At the Gartner ITSymposium/Xpo 2024 keynote one of the most far reaching predictions from analysts Alicia Mullery and Daryl Plummer about AI was the expectation that AI agents are set to play an increasingly central role in organizations, evolving beyond general-purpose AI tools into specialized, expert-driven AI systems capable of handling specific tasks independently.

At the Automation and Robotics Conference 2024, host Fizyr outlined its strategic approach to automation and computer vision. The company has also refined its product branding, with its software now rebranded as ‘Panoptic.’ One key challenge businesses face is justifying the cost of automation.

Geek+ and Intel have launched the Vision Only Robot Solution, using Intel’s Visual Navigation Modules. This robotics solution, designed for the logistics sector integrates Intel’s RealSense camera in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The system has several features, including depth-based visual perception, navigation, and obstacle avoidance.

For the third time Rocking Robots will be present in Munich as media partner for Automatica, the premier global trade fair for intelligent automation and robotics. Set to take place from June 24 to 27, 2025, at Messe München, Automatica offers a comprehensive overview of current trends and innovations in automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing.

Spot AI has introduced its new Video AI Agents, advancing AI’s role in physical environments by enabling automated responses and insights from video data. The launch comes as the company secures $31 million in additional funding, bringing its total to $93 million, with support from investors including Qualcomm Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, and Bessemer Venture Partners. Spot AI, which serves 1,000 clients across 17 industries, applies its technology to manage and analyze high volumes of video footage, providing actionable data to industries with safety, security, and operational needs.

The global demand for robotics in transport and logistics has shown strong growth, with nearly 113,000 robots sold for these tasks in 2023, reflecting a 35% increase over the previous year, according to a report by the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association in partnership with the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Pudu Robotics has introduced the PUDU DH11, an 11-degree-of-freedom (DOF) dexterous robotic hand, developed to enhance the object manipulation abilities of humanoid and semi-humanoid robots. This release represents a progression in robotic functionality by Pudu Robotics’ innovation-focused research division, Pudu X-Lab, and builds on the company’s previous semi-humanoid model, the PUDU D7, which launched in September.