Prox Industries Collaborates with ugo Co., Ltd. on Physical AI Research

Prox Industries and ugo Co., Ltd. Collaboration in Physical AI Research

Prox Industries, a Japanese startup focused on implementing Physical Intelligence, has announced a significant collaboration with ugo Co., Ltd., leveraging the domestically produced humanoid robot, ugo Pro, to develop the 'AI Robot Imitation Learning Kit.' Through this partnership, they aim to harness the capabilities of the open-source Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model 'π0.5', focusing on the fine-tuning process to demonstrate autonomous object manipulation tasks that adapt to various environments.

This initiative marks a pivotal step in applying VLA within real robotics tasks, utilizing motion data gathered from both actual and simulated environments. By validating this development approach, the team is uncovering potential pathways for robots to perform flexible and effective tasks in real-world settings.

During the NexTech Week's inaugural 'Humanoid Robot Expo [Spring]' held from April 15 to 17, 2026, at Tokyo Big Sight, Prox Industries showcased a live demonstration of this collaboration. Within a landscape where many foreign humanoid robots were featured, the ugo Pro captured considerable attention as a locally developed humanoid robot. Media coverage emphasized the innovative demonstrations incorporating Physical AI, highlighting Prox Industries as a rising software startup propelling Physical AI research and societal implementation from Japan.

Demonstration Overview

At the expo, the demonstration utilized ugo Pro alongside the VLA (π0.5) for a simulated packing task involving a two-arm operation. The robot autonomously executed a series of tasks, including opening a paper bag with one hand while using the other to pick up a stuffed toy for packing. This execution showcased the practical application of the 'AI Robot Imitation Learning Kit' provided by ugo, promoting a hands-on approach to learning based on real-world processes. This kit is designed to capture human task movements as data, accelerating research and development in Physical AI.

Significance of the Initiative

Object manipulation by robots often faces challenges due to slight variations in the target objects or surrounding environments, demanding high adaptability and versatility for practical implementations. By combining imitation learning with the fine-tuning of VLA, this project endeavors to validate the feasibility of autonomous operation tasks tailored to specific environments. Prox Industries is committed to researching and developing intelligent technologies to ensure that robots meet the demands of real-world environments. The company’s mission revolves around integrating robots with AI and data to accelerate development across industrial fields.

About Prox Industries

Prox Industries aims to implement Physical Intelligence from Japan, driven by a mission to fuse AI and robotics to empower physical labor, previously reliant solely on human entities. The startup consists of a dedicated team of researchers and engineers specializing in core Physical AI technologies, leading several projects within Japan's enterprise sector. Through diverse robots like humanoids, quadrupeds, collaborative robots, and mobile manipulators, Prox Industries tackles sophisticated technical challenges, including Sim2Real and Real2Sim integrations.

By bridging cutting-edge academic technologies with industry needs, Prox enhances the entire process, from developing robotic foundational models to establishing learning pipelines, evaluations, and improvements for practical implementation. Their dedication aims to advance Physical AI development and propel the formation of Japan’s next industrial framework.

About ugo Co., Ltd.

Company Name: ugo Co., Ltd.
Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 1-7-8 Higashikanda
CEO: Ken Matsui
Website: ugo.plus
Business Focus: Providing ugo solutions, developing and operating RaaS frameworks.