NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial intelligence is becoming a much bigger story than drones alone. The technology is finding its way into factories, hospitals, warehouses, vehicles, power systems and defense operations, changing how businesses work and how they control costs. AI can help robots perform complicated tasks, spot problems before equipment breaks down, analyze medical images, protect computer networks and help autonomous machines make decisions on their own. In the drone industry, AI can make aircraft smarter and more capable. But the same technology can also power self-driving vehicles, automated production lines, intelligent security systems and next-generation military equipment. That opens the door to a much larger market, with AI companies potentially serving customers across several industries instead of relying on a single application. Leading Tech Companies on the move today include: ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Palladyne AI Corp. (NASDAQ: PDYN), SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN), BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA).
The money being invested in these technologies shows just how big the opportunity could become. Grand View Research estimates that the global AI in robotics market could grow from approximately $20.4 billion in 2025 to $182.7 billion by 2033, as more businesses turn to intelligent machines and automation. ABI Research has also projected that robotics foundation models could represent a $150 billion opportunity by 2036. These are separate market forecasts, but both point to the growing role AI could play in the physical world, where machines are expected to do more than follow instructions. They will increasingly need to recognize what is happening around them, process information and respond. For companies developing the software, chips, sensors and systems behind these capabilities, the potential extends well beyond drones. As adoption spreads, AI could become a key part of how entire industries operate, compete and grow.
Key revenue-growth drivers:
- Industrial Robotics and Autonomous Machines: AI-powered robots are moving into manufacturing, assembly, inspection and other industrial tasks, creating opportunities in robotics hardware, machine vision, sensors and intelligent automation.
- Healthcare and Biotechnology: AI can help analyze medical images, accelerate drug discovery, support clinical decision-making and improve the processing of complex biological data.
- Autonomous Vehicles and Logistics: Self-driving vehicles, warehouse robots and intelligent delivery systems could use AI to improve navigation, manage inventory and reduce operating inefficiencies.
- Cybersecurity and Defense Technology: AI is being applied to threat detection, network security, intelligence analysis, electronic warfare and autonomous ground-based defense systems.
- Energy, Infrastructure and Smart Manufacturing: AI can help monitor power grids, optimize energy consumption, identify equipment failures and improve industrial production—creating opportunities as businesses seek greater efficiency and reliability.
The investment takeaway: Companies that develop AI technology with applications across several industries may have a broader addressable market than businesses focused exclusively on drones. The key is identifying firms with commercially viable products, defensible technology, credible customers and a clear path to revenue as adoption expands.
ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) Extends Use of Tillerstack’s Orsa+ AI Software and Plans Healthcare Teaching Applications Combined with Stacklens™ Smart Glasses - Existing industrial software use supports planned hands-free AI applications across field service and healthcare education - ZenaTech, Inc. ($ZENA) (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) ("ZenaTech"), a technology solution provider specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and Quantum Computing solutions, today highlighted the use of Onsite Remote Assist (Orsa+) AI software, developed by its subsidiary Tillerstack. Orsa+ is remote software used for AI assistance for field technicians. It is designed to work with the Company’s recently unveiled Stacklens™ AI smart glasses and live access to off-site experts in the field. Today ZenaTech outlined plans to extend this solution to healthcare teaching applications and its intention to work toward medical device certification.
“Our vision is to bring practical AI assistance directly into the worker’s field of view,” said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., ZenaTech CEO. “Multiple industrial companies already use Orsa+ to support their field operations, and that existing use gives us a foundation for developing additional hands-free applications that connect workers with technical information, AI assistance, and human expertise. Combining Orsa+ with Stacklens could extend that support across industrial and field applications and healthcare education, where seeing a task from the learner’s perspective can help instructors provide more relevant guidance.”
Orsa+ is designed to combine remote visual support with access to field-service information, and its AI assistant is being developed to use the technician’s visual perspective to support the task at hand. Applications include manufacturing and industrial machinery, utilities and energy, telecommunications, HVAC and building services, and transportation and logistics, where it can provide troubleshooting, maintenance guidance, and access to technical documentation. The technology is intended to give less experienced technicians handsfree access to specialist knowledge, helping organizations shorten troubleshooting times, reduce specialist travel, and improve service documentation.
ZenaTech believes there is significant potential for Orsa+ integrated with Stacklens as a teaching aid in healthcare. The planned combination would allow an AI assistant and remote instructors to see what the wearer sees, supporting instruction from the learner’s perspective while keeping their hands available for practical tasks. Potential applications include clinical simulation, nursing and allied health education, medical equipment instruction and maintenance training, and the Company intends to explore these opportunities with healthcare and education organizations.
The planned Stacklens line is intended to complement Orsa+ software by bringing hands-free camera, audio, and AI capabilities into safety eyewear designed for field environments. As announced on October 9, 2026, Stacklens remains at the prototype and testing stage, with customer pilots expected to begin in 2027, and existing Orsa+ AI software use is separate from these planned pilots. ZenaTech intends to work toward medical device certification for Stacklens and will provide further updates as it reaches additional development, certification, and pilot program milestones. Continued… Read this full release and additional news for ZENA by visiting: https://www.zenatech.com/newsroom/
In other recent tech companies’ developments of interest:
Federal Ammunition, part of The Kinetic Group, a member of CSG Group; Mossberg; and Palladyne AI Corp. (NASDAQ: PDYN), recently announced the joint development of SwarmShot™, a modular autonomous airborne counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) designed to transform compatible drones into reusable air-to-air interceptors operating together as a collaborative kinetic defensive swarm.
SwarmShot will combine Federal’s specialized counter-UAS shotshell ammunition, a lightweight Mossberg weapon module purpose-engineered for airborne operation, and Palladyne AI’s IntelliSwarm™ autonomy system, which combines BRAIN avionics with SwarmOS™ collaborative autonomy software.
The system will initially be developed as a modular mission add-on for Gremlin-X™, Palladyne AI’s Group 1 quadcopter mini-bomber. The modular architecture is intended to allow the same aircraft to be configured for either its existing mini-bomber precision-strike mission or an autonomous counter-UAS mission. Following qualification on Gremlin-X, the companies plan to offer SwarmShot to other manufacturers as an integration kit for compatible unmanned aircraft.
SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN), a global leader in voice and agentic AI, recently highlighted the deployment of its voice and generative AI technology in the Kia Sorento in India. The integration underscores SoundHound’s deepening footprint across India, reinforcing continuous unit expansion across high-volume international markets.
With the Sorento in India, the Kia AI Assistant with Real-Time Generative AI makes its global debut, marking a first for the Sorento lineup and a category first in the market. Combining SoundHound’s proprietary voice AI platform with advanced generative capabilities, the "Hey Kia" wake-up command delivers continuous, multi-turn conversational support engineered to handle even complex requests in real-time:
- In-Cabin System Control: Drivers can intuitively adjust climate controls, cabin lighting, windows, and driving modes using natural, conversational speech without relying on rigid, pre-programmed phrasing.
- Hands-Free Vehicle Intelligence: Passengers can get instant answers to any question about their vehicle from the digital owner’s manual, and learn about features like hybrid powertrain functions or specialized seating settings.
- Dynamic Conversational Search: The system delivers real-time information, localized point-of-interest navigation, news updates, and contextual Q&A tailored for high-accuracy performance in noisy cabin environments.
BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI), a specialized security and defense technology company providing mission-ready AI, recently announced it has secured more than $225 million1 in contract awards since July across homeland security, defense, intelligence and federal civilian customers. The awards represent both new wins and successful recompetes in the core of BigBear.ai’s business, which is focused on expanding in the National Security and Trade & Travel markets.
“Retaining critical work with CBP while adding the FBI, the Coast Guard and new defense and intelligence customers is proof of a strong foundation and an expanding customer base,” said Kevin McAleenan, CEO of BigBear.ai. “Technology does not translate into capability without operational insight, and these awards come from customers who understand both the depth of our experience and our differentiated technology.”
As part of these wins, BigBear.ai won more than 25 new generative AI awards across federal agencies, including the FBI, NASA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Energy and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Customer teams use BigBear.ai’s generative AI platforms and products for secure access to the latest generative AI models and agentic tools, with the choice of available models from leading AI and cloud providers, and demand continues to grow across defense, intelligence and civilian agencies, including in disconnected and air-gapped environments.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) announced semiconductor leaders are adopting NVIDIA CUDA-X™ libraries — including the new NVIDIA cuPotential library, which developers can use to build AI agents that simulate how atoms and molecules interact — to advance AI-defined fabs.
AI-defined fabs are semiconductor factories where AI helps engineers optimize processes, solve production issues and improve production efficiency. As demand for advanced chips rises, such fabs must expand production while managing increasingly complex manufacturing processes. Engineers need new ways to model materials, analyze inspection data and test process changes in digital twins before applying them in production.
The expanded CUDA-X portfolio gives AI agents and engineering applications accelerated tools for semiconductor simulation, 3D data processing and image analysis, helping automate more engineering work across chip design and manufacturing so fabs can predict process behavior and improve yield.
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