Welcome to The Robot Times

Welcome to The Robot Times, a new publication focused on the intersection of robotics and our economy. It covers areas such as investments, corporate strategy, developments in the law and regulation, as well as – perhaps most importantly – how robotics is changing the world of work.

While it will of course refer to the engineering developments in this growing field, its perspective is one of broad analysis of where the sector is heading and what it means for businesses, investors, lawmakers, and us…. the non-humanoid population.

It will start slowly, with news stories each week, along with think pieces. There is also a Jobs section and a Company Directory, which are free to use by readers. You can also subscribe for email alerts, where you receive a short bulletin every time a new article is published.

There is also the opportunity to advertise, from display adverts to sponsored bylines. More on that in the future.

The Robot Times (TRT) is also the sister publication of the now globally-read Artificial Lawyer, the first news and information site in the world focused on legal AI, which launched back in 2016.

As you will see, TRT is in exploration mode – as are many other people now entering this field. Where TRT seeks to explore is not so much the technical aspects of robotics, but rather the downstream effects as this field grows and steadily embeds itself into the economy, as well as the financial, strategic, and regulatory inputs that will shape this ecosystem.

In terms of which parts of robotics TRT will focus on, clearly we have to pay attention to the most transformative areas, and thus humanoids will be key. But, other areas such as autonomous transport and logistics, integrated robotics systems e.g. ‘Dark Factory’ strategies, more narrow robotics applications for building, cleaning, food preparation, and other areas, will also be covered. In short, wherever there is likely to be some economic effect, then TRT will be exploring it.

Also, robotics, as any expert in the field will tell you, has been around for decades, but what is happening now is new, and that in part is being helped along by AI.

As mentioned, TRT’s sister site is Artificial Lawyer, a publication based on the idea that AI would transform the legal world – and that is now happening. In this case, AI – along with improvements across a range of essential engineering needs, e.g. hand dexterity – will transform robotics and move it out of the factory and into people’s homes and businesses at a scale that today seems impossible. Yet, if the technological barriers can be overcome, then robots will indeed become part of everyday life.

Before signing off on this welcome message, one last point: realism.

The field of robotics, especially since humanoids started to come to market, is understandably affected by a lot of excitement, which sometimes spills over into unrealistic expectations – from hype videos to wild economic predictions. TRT will always seek to take a middle way between optimism and constructive realism.

It seems inevitable that robotics, across a range of use cases and forms, will alter the world in very significant ways, but the investors, the corporate world, and law makers are also going to be part of this journey, and they need facts and detailed, calm analysis to help this transition into a robot- and AI-supported economy a success.

I look forward to going on this journey with you – a journey that may take many years, but nevertheless we will get there, and it’s going to be transformative!

Richard Tromans, Founder and Editor, The Robot Times – Feb 19, 2026 – London.

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Note: to contact, or send in your news, please email: richard@therobottimes.com