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Robotics & Autonomy·September 3, 2026·1 min read

The Trump administration imposes tariffs of up to 100% on foreign drones, including 100% on models over 55lbs or with thermal imaging, in a bid to thwart China

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Tariffs of up to 100% on heavier and thermal-equipped foreign drones effectively tax advanced capabilities, not just hardware origin—raising costs for inspection, agriculture, and public safety operators. If your workflows depend on non-domestic drones, you need a sourcing and certification plan now, or your unit economics will break on the next procurement cycle.

Robotics & Autonomy

Uber launches London's first commercial robotaxi service; the vehicles use Wayve's autonomous driving tech and will initially have human safety drivers

Wayve and Uber testing camera-only, non-geofenced AVs on London’s chaotic street grid is a stress test for end-to-end learning in the hardest urban conditions. If you’re in mobility or logistics, treat London performance data as a leading indicator of where AV software generalization actually is versus polished demos.