MassRobotics expands physical AI fellowship with AWS and NVIDIA - The Robot Report

MassRobotics, in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA Inception, has launched applications for the second cohort of its Physical AI Fellowship, an eight-week virtual program designed to help robotics and physical AI startups scale their innovations. The fellowship aims to advance the integration of artificial intelligence with robotics to create smart machines capable of understanding and interacting with the physical world. Selected startups will benefit from access to MassRobotics’ global network, AWS’s AI stack and up to $200,000 in AWS credits, as well as NVIDIA’s robotics software and expert mentorship. The program builds on the success of the inaugural 2025 cohort, where eight startups received tailored technical support to accelerate innovation in areas such as foundation model development, simulation optimization, and edge deployment. These companies worked on diverse applications ranging from autonomous construction equipment and ocean vessels to hospital service robots and robotic exoskeletons. The fellowship partners emphasize that the collaboration helps translate complex AI research into practical robotics solutions that address real-world business challenges