SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 29, 2026--
Robbyant, an embodied AI company within Ant Group, and the Arab Federation for Digital Economy (AFDE) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance the deployment, localization and commercialization of embodied AI and robotic solutions in the United Arab Emirates and the wider GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and Middle East markets.
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The agreement was signed by Dr. Ayman Ghoneim, Assistant Secretary-General of AFDE, and Yu Liang, Head of Commercialization at Robbyant. The partnership establishes a structured mechanism to jointly advance embodied AI adoption across the Middle East, with collaboration spanning five strategic pillars.
AFDE selected Robbyant based on its full-stack technological capabilities native to embodied AI. In July 2026, Robbyant announced the release of the LingBot 2.0 series, a comprehensive model suite comprising LingBot-Depth 2.0, LingBot-Vision, LingBot-VLA 2.0, LingBot-World 2.0, LingBot-Video, and LingBot-VA 2.0. This series forms a complete, embodied-native “universal brain” that powers robotic perception, world simulation, and action. Notably, Robbyant’s LingBot-VLA 2.0 foundation model has achieved pre-training support for 20 distinct robotic embodiments across 17 hardware brands, demonstrating a strong engineering focus on generalization and multi-embodiment compatibility.
The company is also preparing to launch its proprietary cloud-based model toolchain platform, designed to better support model development, evaluation, and deployment for embodied AI applications.
Robbyant’s solutions are already being deployed in real-world commercial scenarios, including pharmacies, logistics facilities, and industrial machine tending. For instance, in collaboration with Guo Da Drugstore, the company has launched a “Smart Pharmacy” robotics solution powered by the LingBot 2.0 models. This deployment has significantly improved operational efficiency, particularly during peak hours and overnight shifts.
About Robbyant
Robbyant is an embodied intelligence company within Ant Group, dedicated to advancing embodied intelligence through cutting-edge software and hardware technologies. Robbyant independently develops foundational large models for embodied AI and actively explores next-generation intelligent devices, aiming to create robotic companions and caregivers that truly understand and enhance people’s everyday lives and deliver reliable intelligent services across key use cases, such as elderly care, medical assistance, and household tasks.
To learn more about Robbyant, please visit: www.robbyant.com
Robbyant's medication dispensing robotics solution deployed at Guo Da Drugstore in Shanghai
Dr. Ayman Ghoneim and Yu Liang sign the MoU on behalf of AFDE and Robbyant
NEW YORK (AP) — David Stearns doesn't get a do-over. He knows that all too well.
One day after the New York Mets finished last in the NL East for the first time in 23 years, the team's embattled president of baseball operations was asked a pointed question.
Knowing what he knows now, would he have taken a full swing at re-signing Pete Alonso?
“I think that's a very fair question. The truth is in this job, I don't get mulligans,” Stearns said Monday. "I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year. And the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough.”
When the Mets didn't attempt to retain Alonso in free agency last fall, their homegrown franchise home run leader bolted for a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore as Stearns focused on improving the pitching and defense instead.
“I think I’ll retire the phrase `run prevention,’” Stearns said with a grin. “I don’t know that that one worked particularly well.”
Alonso topped the American League with 43 homers and 113 RBIs, playing in every game for the third consecutive season as the 31-year-old slugger became the first player in major league history to win an RBI crown in both leagues.
New York, meanwhile, never recovered from a 12-game losing streak in April. Despite a record $358 million opening-day payroll, the Mets struggled badly at the plate, were mediocre on the mound and finished 74-88 for their worst mark since 2017.
“This past weekend that we just experienced in Washington, where you are literally playing out the string, it’s miserable. That is a miserable experience for players, for coaches, for executives,” Stearns said during a 33-minute news conference at Citi Field to wrap up the season.
“I think we have an extraordinarily motivated organization, from ownership on down, to ensure that never happens again.”
The absence of Alonso at first base was magnified when lineup mainstays Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor were both sidelined for long stretches because of calf injuries.
Soto finished with a .908 OPS, the second-lowest of his career, while Lindor set full-season career lows with 49 RBIs, three stolen bases, a .225 batting average and a .733 OPS.
Mets first basemen had 18 homers, 77 RBIs and a .667 OPS — the third-lowest OPS at the position, ahead of only Seattle and Arizona.
Alonso received standing ovations from Mets fans before every at-bat during the Orioles’ three-game sweep at Citi Field this month. He took a rare curtain call on the road Sept. 15, when his 300th career homer tied the score for Baltimore in the ninth inning and chants of “Fire Stearns!” rang out from the crowd of 28,097.
Last week, the Mets added former Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey to the front office when he was hired as senior adviser for baseball operations. Falvey will report directly to Stearns.
New York played better late in the season, going 27-22 after the Aug. 3 trade deadline despite a massive selloff and 40-41 overall under Andy Green, who took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired June 26.
Green was given the full-time gig and a three-year contract last week.
Part of the improvement was fueled by rookie outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, who combined for 31 homers and 47 stolen bases while playing strong defense. Rookie pitcher Nolan McLean went 12-10 with a 3.16 ERA in 31 starts.
But going into a critical offseason for Stearns, the Mets have major question marks at first base, second base, in the bullpen and the rotation.
“Over the second half of the season, last few months of the season, we saw some really encouraging signs and we saw some elements of our team take shape that gives us all great optimism for both the near- and long-term future,” Stearns said.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Baltimore Orioles Pete Alonso hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Baltimore Orioles' Pete Alonso, center, acknowledges the crowd after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Mets' Juan Soto (22) walks back to the dugout after he was hit by a pitch by Washington Nationals pitcher Richard Lovelady during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Andy Green, right, responds to question during a news conference where he was introduced as the New York Mets new manager as President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, left, looks on before a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Hawkins)
