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Google Partners With Agile Robots in Latest AI Robotics Push

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Google DeepMind has entered into a new partnership with humanoid robotics developer Agile Robots, marking the tech giant’s latest effort to embed advanced AI into physical systems.

Munich-based Agile Robots will integrate Google’s Gemini foundation models into its industrial robots at scale, reflecting a broader industry shift toward advancing AI deeper into the physical world

“The collaboration will bring cutting-edge AI into real-world robotic systems and enable adaptable, reasoning robots for industrial environments,” the partners said in a release

According to the companies, combining their technologies will help improve robotic performance using data collection, model training and iteration. 

This method will create a feedback loop in which the real-world operational data will be used to improve AI models, and the enhanced models will improve robotic capabilities, they said.

The partnership will initially focus on “high-value” industrial applications, including electronics manufacturing, automotive, logistics and data centers.

Related:Amazon Buys ‘Approachable’ Robot Maker, Fauna

“The huge opportunity ahead lies in autonomous, intelligent production systems that can transform entire industries,” Zhaopeng Chen, Agile Robots CEO and founder, said in the release.

Carolina Parada, senior director and head of robotics at Google DeepMind, said the partnership positions Google at the forefront of the next generation of AI-powered robots.

“We are excited to partner with Agile Robots as we develop more advanced AI models for the next generation of robots and scale their impact across sectors,” she said in the release. “This research partnership is an important step in bringing the impact of AI to the real world.”

Robotic partnerships are on the rise across the wider industry, with Google completing several deals over the past year alone. In mid-2025, the vendor introduced Gemini Robotics and Gemini Robotics-ER (extended reasoning), designed to translate generative AI capabilities into physical actions for robots. 

At the time, the vendor said it would partner with Texas-based Apptronik to build a new generation of humanoid robots powered by Gemini 2.0.

Earlier this year, Google DeepMind also formed a collaboration with Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics to develop advanced AI models for its Atlas robot.

 

 

Bitcoin ETFs Near YTD Flow Recovery Despite 40% Price Drop

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US spot Bitcoin ETFs are on the verge of fully reversing their year-to-date outflows, even after Bitcoin endured a roughly 40% drawdown over the past six months, a resilience that is beginning to stand out against historical precedent in other asset classes.

Data shared by Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas shows aggregate Bitcoin ETF flows turning sharply positive in recent weeks. While the group still sits at approximately -$140 million year-to-date, the pace of recent inflows suggests that deficit is close to being erased. Over the past month alone, Bitcoin ETFs have attracted roughly $2.59 billion, underscoring a notable shift in investor behavior.

BlackRock’s IBIT Leads Bitcoin ETF Rebound

At the center of the rebound is BlackRock’s IBIT, which has pulled in $1.32 billion in net inflows year-to-date, placing it in the top 2% of all ETFs by flows. Over the past month, IBIT alone has attracted $2.23 billion, with an additional $212 million over the last week, signaling persistent demand despite broader market volatility.

Other funds are contributing to the recovery, albeit at a smaller scale. Fidelity’s FBTC and ARK’s ARKB remain under pressure on a year-to-date basis, posting -$1.13 billion and -$193 million respectively. Grayscale’s GBTC is also in the red with outflows at -$730 million.

US Bitcoin ETF data
US Bitcoin ETF data | Source: X @EricBalchunas

Still, the broader picture has improved materially. Several mid-tier products, including BITB, BTC, and HODL, are showing positive inflows year-to-date, while smaller funds like EZBC and BRRR have quietly added tens of millions in net demand. The aggregate effect is a market that has absorbed significant selling pressure earlier in the year and is now approaching equilibrium.

Balchunas framed the development as unusual in historical context, particularly given the magnitude of Bitcoin’s recent correction. “Yeah bitcoin ETFs now $2.5b for month and one good day away from completely digging out of their YTD flow hole,” he wrote, adding that IBIT has already crossed that threshold. “Again, incredible fortitude in face of 40% 6mo price drop and widespread media pile on.”

He contrasted this behavior with gold during a comparable period of stress. “For context, when gold fell 40% in short time frame about 10yrs ago, it saw 1/3 of its investors bail (not that that’s bad either, that’s normal, btc is just abnormal).” The implication is not that Bitcoin is inherently more stable, but that its investor base—at least in ETF form—has demonstrated a higher tolerance for drawdowns.

That observation aligns with Balchunas’ broader view on how both assets function within portfolios. In a separate note, he emphasized that neither Bitcoin nor gold should be evaluated through short-term performance alone, particularly given their inconsistent correlation properties. “Bitcoin is similar but with more correlation (0.45) with stocks. Both unpredictable but valid asset classes and shouldn’t be judged based on short time frames.”

At press time BTC traded at $71,322.

Bitcoin price chart
BTC must break above $74,500 1-week chart | Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com

Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

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These 4 Bitcoin Onchain Metrics Point to ‘Weaker Demand’ for BTC

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Bitcoin (BTC) price struggled to break above $72,000, as several key onchain metrics highlighted weakening demand for BTC, casting doubts on its upside potential.

Key takeaways:

  • Bitcoin investors shift to distribution as whales and smaller cohorts aggressively sell under weak market conditions.

  • Bitcoin whale transaction count hits multi-year lows, as smart money waits for policy and geopolitical clarity.

  • Bitcoin’s hash rate fell sharply amid rising energy costs, increasing chances of miner capitulation.

Bitcoin investors “shift to distribution”

Bitcoin investors have are increasingly risk-off, distributing their BTC holdings amid the recent price weakness fueled by the US and Israel-Iran war and other macroeconomic headwinds.

Glassnode’s Accumulation Trend Score (ATS) is near zero (light yellow), indicating that the whales are distributing their BTC holdings or not accumulating. 

Related: Bitcoin retakes $71K as US sends Iran 15-point ceasefire plan

The drop in the trend score indicates a transition from accumulation to distribution across almost all cohorts. This shift mirrors a similar pattern observed in early 2025, which aligned with Bitcoin’s drop to $74,500 in April 2025. 

Bitcoin accumulation trend score. Source: Glassnode

Additional data from Glassnode shows a “shift toward distribution or inactivity” among small to mid-sized entities holding less than 1,000 BTC.

This is in contrast to “Q4 2024, where broad cohort accumulation preceded a sustained rally,” the onchain data provider said in a Tuesday post on X, adding:

“Heavy participation across wallet sizes remains a precondition for any durable recovery.”

Bitcoin accumulation trend score by cohort. Source: X/Glassnode

Bitcoin whale activity “historically quiet”

Reflecting this distribution or inactive accumulation trend is Bitcoin’s whale activity, which has become “historically quiet,” according to Santiment.

Last week, daily BTC transactions above $100,000 fell to just 6,417, the lowest since September 2023. Meanwhile, transfers exceeding $1 million dropped to 1,485, levels last seen in October 2024. 

The declining whale activity is largely due to market participants waiting for “clarity from the CLARITY Act,” as well as a long-term solution to the war, according to the data analytics company.

This indicates that “smart money is reluctant to make moves with so much policy and global uncertainty at play,” Santiment added.

Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Price Analysis, Market Analysis, Hashrate
Bitcoin whale activity. Source: X/Santiment

Declining Bitcoin network activity

Bitcoin’s inability to sustain the recovery is further evidenced by low network activity and less onchain demand. 

CryptoQuant’s Bitcoin network activity index, which tracks key indicators such as daily active addresses, total transactions count, and UTXO count, has been declining since August 2025.

This points to “weaker demand across the network,” CryptoQuant analyst Maartunn said in a recent post on X.

Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Price, Markets, Price Analysis, Market Analysis, Hashrate
Bitcoin network activity index. Source: CryptoQuant

This aligns with weak onchain fundamentals such as liquidity and network growth as tracked by Bitcoin Vector’s fundamental index.

This metric “keeps trending lower and remains well below the strengthening zone,” Bitcoin Vector said in a Tuesday X post. 

The onchain data provider described the current market conditions as “stability without support,” rather than a healthy consolidation, adding:

“As long as onchain conditions stay weak, upside looks increasingly dependent on flow, short covering, or external catalysts, not organic strength. If fundamentals don’t recover, this kind of divergence usually doesn’t support a sustained mid-term recovery.”

Bitcoin fundamental index. Source: X/Bitcoin Vector

Bitcoin mining hash rate drops 22%

Bitcoin’s hash rate, a metric that shows the level of mining activity, has dropped sharply over the last couple of weeks, meaning miners are shutting down machines.

The hash rate has fallen to 813 EH/s on Wednesday, from 1.2 ZH/s on March 5, representing a 22% decrease.

Bitcoin hash rate. Source: CryptoQuant

Rising energy costs, exacerbated by the US and Israel-Iran war, compressed the hash price below $34 per PH/s/day, which is below many miners’ breakeven levels. 

“Bitcoin miners are losing $19,000 on every coin they produce, and difficulty just dropped 7.8% as the miner exodus accelerates,” analysts at Token Metrics said in a recent post on X, adding:

“If difficulty drops another 5%+ within the next 7 days, miner capitulation is accelerating and spot sell pressure will intensify.”