In the face of growing labor shortages and need for sustainability, European manufacturers are racing to reinvent their processes to become software-defined and AI-driven. To achieve this, robot developers and industrial digitalization solution providers are working with NVIDIA to build safe, AI-driven robots and industrial technologies to drive modern, sustainable manufacturing. At NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech, Europe’s leading robotics companies including Agile Robots, Extend Robotics, Humanoid, idealworks, Neura Robotics, SICK, Universal Robots, Vorwerk and Wandelbots are showcasing their latest AI-driven robots and automation breakthroughs, all accelerated by NVIDIA technologies. In addition, NVIDIA is releasing new models and tools to support the entire robotics ecosystem. NVIDIA Releases Tools for Accelerating Robot Development and Safety NVIDIA Isaac GR00T N1.5, an open foundation model for humanoid robot reasoning and skills, is now available for download on Hugging Face. This update enhances the model’s adaptability and ability to follow instructions, significantly improving its performance in material handling and manufacturing tasks. The NVIDIA Isaac Sim 5.0 and Isaac Lab 2.2 open-source robotics simulation and learning frameworks, optimized for NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 workstations, are available on GitHub for developer preview. In addition, NVIDIA announced that NVIDIA Halos — a full-stack, comprehensive safety system that unifies hardware architecture, AI models, software, tools and services — now expands to robotics, promoting safety across the entire development lifecycle of AI-driven robots. The NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab has earned accreditation from the ANSI National Accreditation Boardto perform inspections across functional safety for robotics, in addition to automotive vehicles. “NVIDIA’s latest evaluation with ANAB verifies the demonstration of competence and compliance with internationally recognized standards, helping ensure that developers of autonomous machines — from automotive to robotics — can meet the highest benchmarks for functional safety,” said R. Douglas Leonard Jr., executive director of ANAB. Arcbest, Advantech, Bluewhite, Boston Dynamics, FORT, Inxpect, KION, NexCobot — a NEXCOM company, and Synapticon are among the first robotics companies to join the Halos Inspection Lab, ensuring their products meet NVIDIA safety and cybersecurity requirements. To support robotics leaders in strengthening safety across the entire development lifecycle of AI-driven robots, Halos will now provide: Safety extension packages for the NVIDIA IGX platform, enabling manufacturers to easily program safety functions into their robots, supported by TÜV Rheinland’s inspection of NVIDIA IGX. A robotic safety platform, which includes IGX and NVIDIA Holoscan Sensor Bridge for a unified approach to designing sensor-to-compute architecture with built-in AI safety. An outside-in safety AI inspector — an AI-powered agent for monitoring robot operations, helping improve worker safety. Europe’s Robotics Ecosystem Builds on NVIDIA’s Three Computers Europe’s leading robotics developers and solution providers are integrating the NVIDIA Isaac robotics platform to train, simulate and deploy robots across different embodiments. Agile Robots is post-training the GR00T N1 model in Isaac Lab to train its dual-arm manipulator robots, which run on NVIDIA Jetson hardware, to execute a variety of tasks in industrial environments. Meanwhile, idealworks has adopted the Mega NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for robotic fleet simulation to extend the blueprint’s capabilities to humanoids. Building on the VDA 5050 framework, idealworks contributes to the development of guidance that supports tasks uniquely enabled by humanoid robots, such as picking, moving and placing objects. Neura Robotics is integrating NVIDIA Isaac to further enhance its robot development workflows. The company is using GR00T-Mimic to post-train the Isaac GR00T N1 robot foundation model for its service robot MiPA. Neura is also collaborating with SAP and NVIDIA to integrate SAP’s Joule agents with its robots, using the Mega NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint to simulate and refine robot behavior in complex, realistic operational scenarios before deployment. Vorwerk is using NVIDIA technologies to power its AI-driven collaborative robots. The company is post-training GR00T N1 models in Isaac Lab with its custom synthetic data pipeline, which is built on Isaac GR00T-Mimic and powered by the NVIDIA Omniverse platform. The enhanced models are then deployed on NVIDIA Jetson AGX, Jetson Orin or Jetson Thor modules for advanced, real-time home robotics. Humanoid is using NVIDIA’s full robotics stack, including Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab, to cut its prototyping time down by six weeks. The company is training its vision language action models on NVIDIA DGX B200 systems to boost the cognitive abilities of its robots, allowing them to operate autonomously in complex environments using Jetson Thor onboard computing. Universal Robots is introducing UR15, its fastest collaborative robot yet, to the European market. Using UR’s AI Accelerator — developed on NVIDIA Isaac’s CUDA-accelerated libraries and AI models, as well as NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin — manufacturers can build AI applications to embed intelligence into the company’s new cobots. Wandelbots is showcasing its NOVA Operating System, now integrated with Omniverse, to simulate, validate and optimize robotic behaviors virtually before deploying them to physical robots. Wandelbots also announced a collaboration with EY and EDAG to offer manufacturers a scalable automation platform on Omniverse that speeds up the transition from proof of concept to full-scale deployment. Extend Robotics is using the Isaac GR00T platform to enable customers to control and train robots for industrial tasks like visual inspection and handling radioactive materials. The company’s Advanced Mechanics Assistance System lets users collect demonstration data and generate diverse synthetic datasets with NVIDIA GR00T-Mimic and GR00T-Gen to train the GR00T N1 foundation model. SICK is enhancing its autonomous perception solutions by integrating new certified sensor models — as well as 2D and 3D lidars, safety scanners and cameras — into NVIDIA Isaac Sim. This enables engineers to virtually design, test and validate machines using SICK’s sensing models within Omniverse, supporting processes spanning product development to large-scale robotic fleet management. Toyota Material Handling Europe is working with SoftServe to simulate its autonomous mobile robots working alongside human workers, using the Mega NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint. Toyota Material Handling Europe is testing and simulating a multitude of traffic scenarios — allowing the company to refine its AI algorithms before real-world deployment. NVIDIA’s partner ecosystem is enabling European industries to tap into intelligent, AI-powered robotics. By harnessing advanced simulation, digital twins and generative AI, manufacturers are rapidly developing and deploying safe, adaptable robot fleets that address labor shortages, boost sustainability and drive operational efficiency. Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang at VivaTech, and explore GTC Paris sessions. See notice regarding software product information. #european #robot #makers #adopt #nvidia

In a world where smartphones have become extensions of our very beings, it seems only fitting that the latest buzz is about none other than the Trump Mobile and its dazzling Gold T1 smartphone. Yes, you heard that right – a phone that’s as golden as its namesake’s aspirations and, arguably, just as inflated! Let’s dive into the nine *urgent* questions we all have about this technological marvel. First on the list: Is it true that the Trump Mobile can only connect to social media platforms that feature a certain orange-tinted filter? Because if it doesn’t, what’s the point, really? We all know that a phone’s worth is measured by its ability to curate the perfect image, preferably one that makes the user look like a billion bucks—just like the former president himself. And while we’re on the topic of money, can we talk about the Gold T1’s price tag? Rumor has it that it’s priced like a luxury yacht, but comes with the battery life of a damp sponge. A perfect combo for those who wish to flaunt their wealth while simultaneously being unable to scroll through their Twitter feed without a panic attack when the battery drops to 1%. Now, let’s not forget about the *data plan*. Is it true that the plan includes unlimited access to news outlets that only cover “the best” headlines? Because if I can’t get my daily dose of “Trump is the best” articles, then what’s the point of having a phone that’s practically a golden trophy? I can just see the commercials now: “Get your Trump Mobile and never miss an opportunity to revel in your own glory!” Furthermore, what about the customer service? One can only imagine calling for assistance and getting a voicemail that says, “We’re busy making America great again, please leave a message after the beep.” If you’re lucky, you might get a callback… in a week, or perhaps never. After all, who needs help when you have a phone that’s practically an icon of success? Let’s also discuss the design. Is it true that the Gold T1 comes with a built-in mirror so you can admire yourself while pretending to check your messages? Because nothing screams “I’m important” like a smartphone that encourages narcissism at every glance. And what about the camera? Will it have a special feature that automatically enhances your selfies to ensure you look as good as the carefully curated versions of yourself? I mean, we can’t have anything less than perfection when it comes to our online personas, can we? In conclusion, while the Trump Mobile and Gold T1 smartphone might promise a new era of connectivity and self-admiration, one can only wonder if it’s all a glittery façade hiding a less-than-stellar user experience. But hey, for those who’ve always dreamt of owning a piece of tech that’s as bold and brash as its namesake, this might just be the device for you! #TrumpMobile #GoldT1 #SmartphoneHumor #TechSatire #DigitalNarcissism

Alors qu'on assiste à l'essor fulgurant des imprimantes 3D de bureau, incarné par le phénomène Bambu Lab, il est plus que temps de tirer la sonnette d'alarme sur les dérives et les promesses non tenues de cette technologie. En effet, tout comme le monde du tennis a vu des géants comme Federer et Nadal se faire détrôner par Djokovic, le secteur de l'impression 3D semble être en train de sombrer dans une course effrénée vers le bas, où l'innovation est sacrifiée sur l'autel du profit rapide. Ces dernières années, le marché des imprimantes 3D a explosé, attirant des adeptes de tous horizons. Cependant, derrière cette façade brillante se cachent des problèmes techniques majeurs et une véritable désillusion pour les utilisateurs. Les entreprises, dont Bambu Lab, promeuvent leurs produits comme des solutions révolutionnaires, mais qu'en est-il réellement de la qualité et de la fiabilité ? Les défauts de fabrication, les pannes fréquentes et les logiciels bogués sont monnaie courante. Les utilisateurs se retrouvent souvent avec des équipements qui ne fonctionnent pas comme promis, les laissant frustrés et désillusionnés. En plus de cela, le soutien technique laisse à désirer. Les marques, trop occupées à vendre leurs imprimantes 3D de bureau dernier cri, négligent souvent l'assistance après-vente. Les utilisateurs se sentent abandonnés, avec des problèmes non résolus et des promesses non tenues. Qui peut tolérer une technologie qui, au lieu de faciliter la vie, la complique davantage ? Il est temps d'exiger une meilleure qualité, un véritable soutien et une transparence de la part de ces entreprises qui semblent plus préoccupées par leur image que par l'expérience utilisateur. Et que dire des matériaux utilisés ? Nous sommes bombardés de promesses de matériaux durables et respectueux de l'environnement, mais la réalité est tout autre. De nombreuses imprimantes 3D de bureau ne produisent que des objets fabriqués à partir de plastiques de mauvaise qualité, contribuant ainsi à la pollution. Est-ce vraiment le progrès que nous espérions ? Nous sommes censés être à l'avant-garde d'une révolution technologique, mais nous finissons par reproduire les erreurs du passé. Il est urgent que nous, en tant que consommateurs, prenions conscience de ces problèmes. Ne laissons pas les entreprises nous berner avec leurs discours marketing séduisants tandis qu'elles continuent à négliger la qualité et la durabilité de leurs produits. Il est temps de se lever et d'exiger des changements. Nous méritons mieux qu'une simple impression 3D de bureau qui ne tient pas ses promesses. #Impression3D #BambuLab #Technologie #Innovations #ConsommationResponsable

India has been one of the top recipients of remittances in the world for more than a decade. Inward remittances jumped from billion in 2010-11 to billion in 2023-24, according to data from the country’s central bank. The bank projects that figure will reach billion in 2029. This means there is an increasing market for digitalized banking experiences for non-resident Indians, ranging from remittances to investing in different assets back home. Asporais trying to build a verticalized financial experience for the Indian diaspora by keeping convenience at the center. While a lot of financial products are in its future roadmap, the company currently focuses largely on remittances. “While multiple financial products for non-resident Indians exist, they don’t know about them because there is no digital journey for them. They possibly use the same banking app as residents, which makes it harder for them to discover products catered towards them,” Garg said. In the last year, the company has grown the volume of remittances by 6x — from million to billion in yearly volume processed. With this growth, the company has attracted a lot of investor interest. It raised million in Series A funding last December — which was previously unreported — led by Sequoia with participation from Greylock, Y Combinator, Hummingbird Ventures, and Global Founders Capital. The round pegged the company’s valuation at million. In the four months following, the company tripled its transaction volume, prompting investors to put in more money. The company announced today it has raised million in Series B funding, co-led by Sequoia and Greylock, with Hummingbird, Quantum Light Ventures, and Y Combinator also contributing to the round. The startup said this round values the company at million. The startup has raised over million in funding to date. Techcrunch event + on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. + on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | July 15 REGISTER NOW After pivoting from being Pipe.com for India, the company started by offering remittance for NRIs in the U.K. in 2023 and has expanded its presence in other markets, including Europe and the United Arab Emirates. It charges a flat fee for money transfer and offers a competitive rate. Now it also allows customers to invest in mutual funds in India. The startup markets its exchange rates as “Google rate” as customers often search for currency conversion rates, even though they may not reflect live rates. The startup is also set to launch in the U.S., one of the biggest remittance corridors to India, next month. Plus, it plans to open up shop in Canada, Singapore, and Australia by the fourth quarter of this year. Garg, who grew up in the UAE, said that remittances are just the start, and the company wants to build out more financial tools for NRIs. “We want to use remittances as a wedge and build all the financial solutions that the diaspora needs, including banking, investing, insurance, lending in the home country, and products that help them take care of their parents,” he told TechCrunch. He added that a large chunk of money that NRIs send home is for wealth creation rather than family sustenance. The startup said that 80% of its users are sending money to their own accounts back home. In the next few months, the company is launching a few products to offer more services. This month, it plans to launch a bill payment platform to let users pay for services like rent and utilities. Next month, it plans to launch fixed deposit accounts for non-resident Indians that allow them to park money in foreign currency. By the end of the year, it plans to launch a full-stack banking account for NRIs that typically takes days for users to open. While these accounts can help the diaspora maintain their tax status in India, a lot of people use a family member’s account because of the cumbersome process, and Aspora wants to simplify this. Apart from banking, the company also plans to launch a product that would help NRIs take care of their parents back home by offering regular medical checkups, emergency care coverage, and concierge services for other assistance. Besides global competitors like Remittly and Wise, the company also has India-based rivals like Abound, which was spun off from Times Internet. Sequoia’s Luciana Lixandru is confident that Aspora’s execution speed and verticalized solution will give it an edge. “Speed of execution, for me, is one of the main indicators in the early days of the future success of a company,” she told TechCrunch over a call. “Aspora moves fast, but it is also very deliberate in building corridor by corridor, which is very important in financial services.” #aspora #gets #50m #sequioa #build