Most Read: Tesla’s Optimus Robot on Display, Air Taxi Company Gets Another $20M Investment

Here are this week’s most-read stories in IoT World Today:

Tesla Optimus Humanoid Robot Draws Crowds at World AI Conference

Tesla’s second generation Optimus humanoid robot drew significant attention at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, despite being displayed in a glass case. 

First unveiled last December, Optimus Gen 2 boasts improved motion and handling capabilities and can do routine tasks such as folding laundry.

Displaying the latest version of the humanoid robot, Tesla stated in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that attendees would "witness the re-evolution of humanoid robots."

Although the humanoid robot was enclosed in a glass case and no demonstrations were held, attendees eagerly lined up to take selfies with it.

Learn more about Optimus Gen 2 and Tesla’s humanoid robotics plans >>>

Air Taxi Company Gets $20M More; Backed by Embraer

Electric aerial vehicle (EAV) maker Eve Air Mobility has received a $20 million investment from Nidec Aerospace, the maker of its electric propulsion system.

This follows a $94 million investment from several investors, including Embraer, the main backer of Eve Air.

Nidec plans to expand its business into industrial unmanned drones, next-generation hybrid aircraft and future electric aircraft. 

Related:AT&T Cyberattack Impacts Call, Text Data of Wireless Customers

The investment also is part of the Nidec strategy to supply products such as chargers for EAVs.

Nidec is going to be featured in Eve’s eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle manuals as a recommended charger vendor, according to the company.

Read more about Eve Air Mobility and its eVTOL vehicles >>>

Humanoid Robots Work the BMW Factory Floor

A humanoid robot has been spotted working the factory floor at a BMW manufacturing plant, seven months after the automaker announced a partnership with AI robotics company Figure. 

In January, California-based Figure AI confirmed it agreed to a deal where the German automaker would use its general-purpose robots in car manufacturing.

And according to a newly released video, it is underway. 

The video shows the robot handling parts in a BMW factory. Its abilities are driven by neural networks mapping pixels directly to actions. The robot then uses neural network learned placement to place a part where required. 

Uncover more about the OpenAI-backed robotics company >>>

Luminar Full-Stack Self-Driving Software Available to Automakers

Florida company Luminar has announced the launch of a new full-stack software suite for automakers looking to advance their autonomous driving capabilities.

Related:Tesla Self-Driving Taxi Delayed Until October

The Orlando firm, probably best known as a supplier of lidar, said its Sentinel solution is the result of five years of software and AI development.

The first shipments occurred last week and are planned to be delivered to car manufacturers for evaluation in the next three months, although Luminar is keen to stress that the tech remains “in development” and does not yet constitute a production release version.

Sentinel is said to offer a wide range of functionality, including proactive safety, perception, 3D mapping and localization, simulation, plus dynamic lidar features.

Find out more about the software suite designed for consumer vehicles >>>

Air Taxi Cleared to Fly at Paris Olympics

German eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle developer Volocopter has been cleared to fly at the 2024 Paris Olympics starting July 26.

The French government has also agreed to the development of a takeoff and landing facility to be called Vertiport de Paris-Austerlitz.

Only electric aerial vehicles (EAV) from Volocopter are authorized to use the new vertiport and conduct demonstration flights during the Paris Games.

Flights are being allowed from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. with a limitation of two flights per hour and a total of up to 900 flights.

It is expected that the EAV will be the VoloCity, one of several Volocopter flying vehicles. The EAV has also flown in Las Vegas, Dallas and Tampa, Florida.

Check out the first in our in-depth look at the technology on display during the Paris Games >>>