Factory trust, not capability, now limits robot deployment

As AI moves from data centers to factory floors, the challenge is no longer what robots can do but whether manufacturers trust them enough to deploy them. Walden Robotics, spun out of Toyota Research Institute in January 2026 with $300 million in funding, builds general-purpose robots that continuously learn during deployment. Its machines have worked full production shifts since May, handling machine tending, parts kitting, and subassembly. Robots pair autonomy with remote human assistance, feeding data back to improve over time. CoreWeave provides the simulation infrastructure needed before any robot reaches a production line.