Neura Robotics, Seco Partner to Scale Physical AI in Europe

German robotics startup Neura Robotics has selected Italian firm SECO to engineer and build the compute models for its cognitive robots.In a blog post, Neura said the partnership will “industrialize and scale” physical AI in Europe.The modules will integrate Qualcomm’s Dragonwing processors into Neura’s distributed compute architecture, which puts processing capabilities throughout its robots rather than relying on a single central computing system.This approach, dubbed Smart Limbs by Neura, means compute is placed closer to joints, sensors and other points of physical interaction, enabling robots to process information locally and make decisions with lower latency.The companies will initially work on modules for Neura’s humanoid robots, including its domestic robot 4NE1.The partners will also collaborate on physical AI applications for semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, with the intention of creating globally applicable automation systems.Related:Hugging Face Releases Programmable, Walking Duck Robot“Physical AI will not be built by one company alone,” David Reger, founder and CEO of Neura, said in the release. “It requires an ecosystem across sensing, compute, cloud and industrialization … This is exactly how I believe Europe should approach Physical AI: combine our industrial knowledge, build together and scale it globally.”The deal is the latest in Neura’s ongoing push into physical AI, with the company completing a $1.4B funding round for the project in June. Investors including Nvidia, Amazon and Qualcomm contributed to the round.In July, Neura also opened several “robot gyms”, which the company says are built to address the scarcity of real-world training data for the development and deployment of intelligent robots.The facilities combine physical training with high-fidelity simulation, creating datasets that feed directly into the Neuraverse, Neura's platform to connect robots, developers and industry partners.As part of the latest deal with SECO, the partners will establish a new Neura Gym in Italy, marking the company’s first in Southern Europe.About the AuthorContributing WriterScarlett Evans is a freelance writer with a focus on emerging technologies and the minerals industry. Previously, she served as assistant editor at IoT World Today, where she specialized in robotics and smart city technologies. Scarlett also has a background in the mining and resources sector, with experience at Mine Australia, Mine Technology and Power Technology. She joined Informa in April 2022 before transitioning to freelance work.