The robot revolution faces these three big challenges

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Daft Punk only had it half right.

Robots don't just rock ; they also draw a ton of investment.

The French musicians who famously donned robot helmets retired five years ago, but Silicon Valley's obsession with robotics is reaching a fever pitch.

Robotics and physical AI companies raised $33.4 billion globally in the first half of 2026.

It's a stunning rise for a sector that didn't even hit $5 billion in funding in all of 2020.

Rya Jetha, our resident robotics expert , wrote about why Silicon Valley is betting billions on a robot revolution .

It's the first installment in Robonomics, our new series examining the rise of robots and their impact on business, jobs, and everyday life.

The size of the market that robotics can address is a big draw.

The need for physical labor is so vast — from construction sites to at-home butlers — the possibilities are almost endless.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a huge proponent of physical AI, valued the industry at … $50 trillion.

Just because the opportunity is there doesn't mean it'll be easy to realize.

Here are some of the biggest pain points standing in the way of the robotics revolution: Not an easy hand-off: When talking about robots, the discussion typically starts and ends with human hands.