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Industrial Next wants factory robots to switch tasks in minutes, not weeks

In most factories, automation is fixed: robots and machines are programmed for one specific task and product. Changing a line means reprogramming and physical retooling, or swapping out equipment, which can take weeks or months. San Francisco-based Industrial Next says it’s changing that.

The startup, which presented today on the Startup Battlefield stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, builds AI-driven, self-contained robotic stations powered by proprietary foundation models that connect vision, task context and motion. The company says this lets a production line be retooled in minutes rather than weeks without traditional programming. The goal is to let manufacturers automate complex and delicate tasks that traditionally require human labor.

The company announced on stage that it’s partnering with BMW Group Technology Office to evaluate Industrial Next’s AI-powered dexterous manipulation for manufacturing.

Industrial Next was founded in 2021 by Lukas Pankau and Allen Pan, both of whom previously worked at Tesla. Pankau...

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Microsoft Patches More Than 1,400 Security Flaws

Microsoft today issued updates to fix more than 1,400 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. Today’s epic patch batch dwarfs September’s record of nearly 1,000 fixes, which was already about ten times the normal monthly patch load from Redmond. Just one of

Is Mini DisplayPort Becoming Obsolete?

How Thunderbolt and USB-C replaced the need for a dedicated video port. Barry Paterson/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. For a while, Mini DisplayPort was one of the main options for video output on smaller devices. Apple announced it in 2008 to replace interfaces

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Russia resorts to desperate World War One defence technique to protect its oil refineries — floating barrage balloons failed to curtail V1s and are unlikely to succeed against UAVs

* Russia has updated the concept of barrage balloons to defend oil refineries * Barrage balloons were first deployed over 100 years ago to defend against air raids * It is not clear what the measures are defending against, as they only appear suitable for disabling smaller drones Russia has deployed barrage balloons

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Microsoft Patches More Than 1,400 Security Flaws

Is Mini DisplayPort Becoming Obsolete?

Russia resorts to desperate World War One defence technique to protect its oil refineries — floating barrage balloons failed to curtail V1s and are unlikely to succeed against UAVs