"The robotics era is just around the corner," Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang proclaimed during his keynote speech at CES 2025.   

In the two months since his speech, several western companies have made significant strides in bridging the gap between artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, making Huang’s projection all the more tangible.   

This week, Google launched two new AI models that will enable robots to better understand their surroundings and allow developers to run custom programs that utilize reasoning abilities. By implementing robotics-focused AI models created by companies like Google, startups can reduce development costs and accelerate the time it takes to bring their robots to market. 

In February, Texas-based robotics manufacturer, Apptronik, signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Jabil to build, test, and deploy Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robots. This partnership aims to speed up production by utilizing robots to construct other robots.  

“Humanoid robots have the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work, but for that to become a reality, we need to be able to build them rapidly at scale, at the right price point, and in geographies where our customers are located,” Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas said in a statement. “Our partnership with Jabil, along with our unique design for manufacturability and ability to have Apollo humanoid robots handling material movement and assembly tasks in the factory, are critical components needed to create a flywheel effect that could make humanoid robots ubiquitous.”   

While these advancements provide optimism for the revival of American manufacturing, robotics are also being integrated into many other industries.    

Oregon-based Agility Robotics, which developed an AI-powered bipedal Mobile Manipulation Robot (MMR) known as Digit, announced a partnership with Tompkins Solutions, a leading provider of supply chain consulting and warehouse automation, bringing advanced robotic solutions to warehouse operations.  

In the energy sector, Colorado-based NAES, the biggest independent power operator in the United States, entered into a strategic partnership with Gecko, a company that develops AI-driven robotics platforms, to improve the efficiency and dependability of power plants. Together they will deploy AI-driven solutions that maximize plant performance, use robotics to gather data from the real world, and automate vital procedures.  

The agricultural industry is also exploring the use of AI-powered robots to increase efficiency.   

Seattle-based Carbon Robotics has developed an alternative to traditional herbicides and labor-intensive manual weeding by harnessing lasers, AI, and advanced robotics. Equipped with powerful 240-watt lasers that can destroy weeds with pinpoint accuracy, the LaserWeeder G2 also features high-resolution cameras and enhanced optics for precise weed identification that processes over 40 million labeled plants for accurate detection.  

In Maricopa, Arizona, a giant AI-powered robot is helping the agricultural industry grow crops that can withstand higher temperatures and drought conditions. The Field Scanalyzer stands 70 feet tall, weighs 30 tons, and has five different sensors on board that enable it to collect up to a terabyte of data each day. The data is used by researchers at George Washington University and St. Louis University to teach machine learning algorithms to spot connections between particular genes and plant traits.  

In health care, AI robots are increasingly being used for minimally invasive surgeries, but humanoid robots are also being used for nursing. According to a recent analysis by InsightAce Analytic, the worldwide robotic nurse industry is expected to grow 17.07% to reach an astonishing $2,777.61 million by 2031.   

Austin, Texas-based Diligent Healthcare has been developing a robotic nurse known as Moxi. The robotic assistant is outfitted with modern sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence algorithms that allow it to autonomously roam health care facilities, engage with people, and complete non-patient-facing tasks such as delivering lab specimens and supplies or collecting soiled linens.   

Even the wellness industry is getting in on the action. San Francisco-based Aescape developed an AI-powered robot that delivers precise, personalized massages. The company’s technology uses advanced sensors to map over one million 3D data points of a person’s body, enabling the robotic Aerpoints to replicate seven distinct massage techniques with the perfect pressure and temperature. Since launching with Equinox in New York City, Aescape has quickly gained traction beyond fitness with leading hospitality brands like Four Seasons, Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton adopting the technology to enhance their wellness offerings and drive additional revenue.  

The next frontier for robotics is in the home. In February, California-based Figure AI released a new generalist vision-language-action (VLA) that empowers robots to process visual information and voice inputs in real time. Using its new capabilities, the company announced that it intends to start carrying out alpha tests with its humanoid robots in households in 2025.   

Drilling at the speed of light: Quaise Energy recently demonstrated a groundbreaking technology that uses electromagnetic energy traveling at the speed of light to vaporize rock in minutes. With this advanced technology, the company intends to drill down to nearly 12 miles beneath the surface, where it will deploy a gyrotron to harness subterranean heat capable of generating massive amounts of clean power.

Carlos Araque, Quaise’s co-founder and chief executive, said it will likely drill its first well in Oregon sometime next year at a depth of around 2.5 miles. Ultimately, Quaise plans to develop five gigawatts in the next decade for $15 to $25 billion. To get there, Araque wants to team up with large oil companies, which he said possess the resources and technical know-how to develop large-scale energy projects.

Learn more about the potential for geothermal energy to meet the nation's growing demand for electricity by listening to WGA's OutWest podcast. The Heat Beneath Our Feet: Exploring the Potential of Geothermal Energy with Colorado Governor Jared Polis explores various advancements in the geothermal industry, including enhanced geothermal systems. The Well of the Future: Repurposing Oil and Gas Wells for Geothermal Energy Production delves into the potential for blending aspects of the oil and gas industry with geothermal energy production, and how doing so can help make both industries more efficient and sustainable.   

New State Park: After years of planning and construction, Utah’s newest state park is expected to be completed ahead of its anticipated grand opening in late April — though the exact date remains uncertain.   

Established by the Utah Legislature in 2021, Utahraptor State Park spans over 6,500 acres known for its paleontological and historical significance. The park’s Dalton Wells bone bed is one of North America’s largest fossil sites, containing thousands of dinosaur bones, including those of Utahraptor ostrommaysorum, the state’s namesake dinosaur and one of the largest known raptors. The area was also home to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930s, which was later repurposed during World War II as an isolation camp for Japanese American internees.   

Direct Air Capture: Spiritus announced that it raised $30 million from the likes of Khosla Ventures, Aramco Ventures, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, and TDK Ventures, to deploy a direct air capture facility in New Mexico. The facility is expected to come online in the second half of 2025 with the capability of removing 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. The funding announced Thursday will also help Spiritus develop a larger-scale carbon removal plant in Wyoming, though construction has yet to begin.  

Learn more about direct air capture by listening to Decarbonizing the West, an episode of WGA's OutWest podcast in which WGA policy advisor Abby Pelsmaeker speaks with some of the country's leading decarbonization experts about how these strategies have evolved in recent years and their prospects for the future.  

Waste to water: El Paso Water broke ground on the first U.S. facility that will treat wastewater for direct reuse in a city water supply. Using a four-step process that transforms wastewater into clean, potable drinking water, the Pure Water Center will produce 10 million gallons of clean water each day at a cost of $500 per acre-foot, which is comparable to the cost of water from the desalination plant.   

Rescues Run the Iditarod: Eleven of the 15 dogs on Justin Olnes’ Iditarod team, including his lead dog Fly (pictured), come from the Fairbanks animal shelter or other rescue organizations throughout Alaska. Olnes and his wife, Kailyn, operate ReRun Kennel just outside of Fairbanks. Their mission is to promote dog mushing while providing homes for rescue dogs in need. When Olnes arrived at the Galena checkpoint last Friday, he said he and his dogs experienced plenty of twists and turns on the first 400 miles of trail — including a sandstorm. But they’re in good spirits.