The Week in Robotics
This week in robotics — sourced, verified, and put in context against our index of 4,245 robots.
Boots on the Ground
DEPLOYMENT
Via Verdict Food ServiceDeliveroo partners with Coco Robotics for UK sidewalk robot deliveries
Deliveroo has partnered with Coco Robotics to launch autonomous sidewalk delivery services across several UK cities, marking Coco's entry into the UK market and Deliveroo's first domestic deployment of autonomous delivery vehicles.
The rollout starts in London's Canary Wharf in October before expanding to Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees, and Nottingham. Initial merchants include Patty&Bun, Signorelli, and Beam, with Ole & Steen, Royal China, and Din Tai Fung to join later.
Coco is also in discussions with additional local councils across London and the wider UK, and the rollout will include new local depots and charging infrastructure.
Via Robotics & Automation NewsEinride and EASE Logistics run daily driverless electric trucks in Ohio
Einride and EASE Logistics have launched daily driverless freight operations between EASE warehouses in Marysville, Ohio, using SAE Level 4 autonomous electric trucks with no one in the cab, monitored by a remote operator.
The deployment is part of the Truck Automation Corridor Project, a joint ODOT, DriveOhio and INDOT initiative to prepare Ohio and Indiana interstates for automated freight, and is EASE's third autonomous trucking deployment with DriveOhio.
Einride and EASE plan to use operational data from daily service, including miles driven, loads moved, and uptime, to guide scaling of the deployment across the region.
Follow the Money
INVESTMENTVia Unite.AIRobCo Hits $1B Valuation via New Investment and Employee Share Sale
RobCo announced on October 5, 2026 that it has surpassed a $1 billion valuation, becoming a unicorn through a transaction combining new investment with an employee secondary share sale.
The round drew existing investors Sequoia, Lightspeed, Greenfield, Kindred, Lingotto and Promus Ventures, plus new investors Cherry Ventures and European Tech Collective. RobCo said the transaction doubles its valuation in nine months, following its $100 million Series C announced January 29, 2026.
The Munich-founded company builds industrial robots deployed via a Robotics-as-a-Service model, with customers including BMW, DynaEnergetics, Fabricated Extrusion Company, T-Systems and Rosenberger, and says the U.S. is now its fastest-growing market.
On the Calendar
AHEADRobotics shows, conferences and competitions opening in the next eight weeks. Dates confirmed against each organiser’s own page.
- Oct 12–16CIIF 2026 — China International Industry Fair
- Oct 20–21RoboBusiness 2026
- Nov 3–6CeMAT ASIA 2026
- Nov 9–12CoRL 2026 — Conference on Robot Learning
The Number
DATAHalf the month’s rounds were under $15M; its three largest took 56% of the capital. Biggest: Cornerstone Robotics at $700M.
Full capital index →This is funding we have recorded, not all robotics funding — we find more rounds partly because we read more news than we used to. Amounts are the disclosed round size, not a valuation. Months run to the last complete one.
134 of the 281 humanoids we track come from China-headquartered makers. Against 38 from United States-headquartered makers. Counted from the live index on the day this issue was assembled.