Edward Johns @ CoRL 2026

Today we’re out of stealth, and we’ve raised a $40m seed round co-led by @creandum and @usv, to bring Instant Robot Learning to life.

For the past few months, we‘ve been busy building a new company.

Machenta.

This follows results from a new kind of robot foundation model we’ve built, which I’m so excited to share with you today!

Usually, it takes hours/days of data collection and training to teach a robot.

We’ve built a model that learns tasks instantly: one demonstration, no further training.

A model trained entirely in simulation, without a single pixel of real-world data.

A model where teaching robots is so quick and easy, it feels like physical vibe coding.

A model for robots that learn like humans do, from someone like you.

Welcome to the era of Instant Robot Learning.

Thank you @Kathi_Wilhelm, @rebeccakaden, @hkanji, @jonno_evans and all of our angels for your support!

@Machenta_

Learn more: machenta.com/blog/instant-r…

See below for what you can do with Instant Robot Learning!

Anybody remember CoRL 2021 in London?

I was the Local Chair, and that year we introduced the demos/exhibition for the first time at CoRL.

It was just a small corridor with three tables. It felt very exciting at the time... 🤭

But fast forward to #CoRL2026, and life on the exhibition floor feels very different! So much to see, so much energy and buzz.

We’ve come a long way together at CoRL. Nicely done, everyone! 👏

@corl_conf

Yilong is presenting his new paper today at CoRL, on in-context learning for deformable objects…

Check it out below!

If you’re at #CoRL2026 and want to teach a robot something, instantly…

We @Machenta_ brought a robot to Austin!

Find us in the exhibition area (3rd floor), think of a task, and watch a robot learn.

Instant Robot Learning.

And we’re hiring! The entire Machenta team is here in Austin — come hang out with us 🙂

machenta.com/team

See you there!

Last week, we announced @Machenta_.

This week, we brought a robot to the middle of London's King’s Cross station.

Just to see what would happen.

For the first time, we let members of the public walk up with their own objects and teach a robot on the spot.

Instant Robot Learning IRL.

Here’s what we saw.