GoKawiil
Tech News
Aridge, backed by Chinese robotics and auto firm Xpeng, showcased its Land Aircraft Carrier system at Web Summit in Lisbon, a two-part vehicle combining a 5.5-meter ground van with a foldable eVTOL aircraft that fits inside it. Founder Deli Zhao said the eVTOL, which has six rotors and can fly as high as a helicopter for about 19 miles, can be piloted by anyone after just five minutes of training, or flown autonomously.
XPENG announced on September 7 that its Iron humanoid robot autonomously walked off its newly operational assembly line right after being built, with CEO He Xiaopeng marking the moment by giving it a staff badge. The company says more than 80 percent of the line's core processes are automated, using quality-control methods borrowed from its car manufacturing operations, as it targets mass production of Iron by year's end.
Xpeng's robotics division closed a funding round exceeding $900 million, valuing the unit at over $6.3 billion, in what the company calls China's largest-ever private financing for embodied AI. IDG Capital led the round with backing from Gaorong Ventures, Tencent and Alibaba, while Xpeng founder He Xiaopeng and co-president Brian Gu personally contributed roughly $100 million. Other Chinese automakers—including BYD, Chery's AiMOGA unit, Changan, GAC, Li Auto, SAIC and Seres—are also building or preparing to spin off humanoid robot programs.