The US Army has named five winners of its xTechHumanoid competition, run through the Army FUZE xTech program in partnership with the Humanoid Community of Collaboration. Among 103 submitted proposals, the winners include power systems, tactile fingertip sensors, software, and a humanoid robot called Alex, built by the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. Alex features 29 joints, custom backdriveable actuators, ballistic protection, and a hybrid autonomy system combining AI with human control.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-29
Austin startup Tern has secured an $11.26 million U.S. Army contract to install its GPS-alternative navigation system in military vehicles. The technology uses a device connected to a vehicle's diagnostics board, paired with a tablet, to calculate location and routing by passively analyzing data the vehicle already generates, rather than relying on satellite signals.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-10
The US Army's Joint Task Force Southern Border used a high-energy laser weapon to destroy three drones near the Rio Grande Valley overnight on August 25-26, after officials said the drones threatened military and Customs and Border Patrol personnel. The weapon involved is the Locust Laser Weapon System, built on AeroVironment's AMP-HEL technology and delivered to the Army starting September 2025, with additional units following in December.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-02
The US Army's Joint Task Force Southern Border used a 20-kilowatt Locust Laser Weapon System to destroy three drones near the Rio Grande Valley overnight on August 25-26, after officials said the drones threatened military and border patrol personnel. The vehicle-mounted laser, derived from the Army's AMP-HEL program, was supplied by defense contractor AeroVironment, which delivered its first prototypes in September 2025 and expanded the fleet in December.
wired.com
· 2026-09-01
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