<p>New Delhi: Manual coffee picking is becoming more challenging due to labour shortage, especially in Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, but in the near future, it could be done with ease by robots. AI-enabled robots can make decisions of picking ripe cherries and they can even access inaccessible and steep terrain. Imagine robots accessing cold data centres and mining areas!</p>.<p>One of the several attractions in the India AI Impact Expo 2026 is NTT DATA’s robots. Called Fluffy, these robot dogs with arms can carry out all functions. The Japanese company has many engineers based out of India, especially in Bengaluru, and they are the ones who run the software behind these robots.</p>.<p>The company is planning to collaborate with startups and give Fluffy a robotic arm that can easily detect the maturity of coffee cherries and pick them. Santosh Krishna, VP — Innovation at NTT DATA, said these robots can even be deployed for surveillance purposes.</p>.<p>“We are working towards it (engaging robots for coffee ripe picking). Robots can be used for many agricultural purposes,” Krishna said. The cost of these robots are around Rs 15-20 lakh. Humanoid robotics and multilingual AI are among key highlights of the expo.</p>.<p>Another major attraction was Qualcomm’s humanoid systems. The company showcased its robotic technologies apart from its first robotics processor.</p>.Bill Gates' 'will or won't' at AI Summit leads to political mudslinging, Congress asks 'is PM scared' over Epstein row.<p>Many countries have also displayed their latest AI features and products at the expo. In the Italian Pavilion, eight startups from Italy have showcased their latest offerings. Oraigo is an Italian neurotech startup that specialises in the prevention of drowsiness and fatigue while driving. Michele Galetta, founder of the company told DH that they are looking for partners in India to deploy this solution. Oraigo offers a web-based analytics platform for fleets that aggregates data from multiple driving sessions. The 10 thematic pavilions comprising over 300 exhibitors from India and 30 countries highlight how AI is driving scientific advancement, industrial resilience, innovation, and the democratisation of digital resources.</p>.<p>Key areas showcased include:</p>.<p>- AI-driven protein engineering and drug discovery</p>.<p> -Neuroscience and cognitive systems research</p>.<p>- Use of advanced computing and quantum-centric methods to process large-scale biological and clinical data</p>.<p>- Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) for multilingual and secure applications</p>.<p>National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on the second day of the summit released FiMI (Finance Model for India), a domain-specific language model built for India’s payments ecosystem. Developed in-house by NPCI, FiMI currently powers NPCI’s UPI Help Assistant and is designed to address limitations observed in general-purpose large language models when applied to high-scale, high-trust payment workflows.</p>
<p>New Delhi: Manual coffee picking is becoming more challenging due to labour shortage, especially in Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, but in the near future, it could be done with ease by robots. AI-enabled robots can make decisions of picking ripe cherries and they can even access inaccessible and steep terrain. Imagine robots accessing cold data centres and mining areas!</p>.<p>One of the several attractions in the India AI Impact Expo 2026 is NTT DATA’s robots. Called Fluffy, these robot dogs with arms can carry out all functions. The Japanese company has many engineers based out of India, especially in Bengaluru, and they are the ones who run the software behind these robots.</p>.<p>The company is planning to collaborate with startups and give Fluffy a robotic arm that can easily detect the maturity of coffee cherries and pick them. Santosh Krishna, VP — Innovation at NTT DATA, said these robots can even be deployed for surveillance purposes.</p>.<p>“We are working towards it (engaging robots for coffee ripe picking). Robots can be used for many agricultural purposes,” Krishna said. The cost of these robots are around Rs 15-20 lakh. Humanoid robotics and multilingual AI are among key highlights of the expo.</p>.<p>Another major attraction was Qualcomm’s humanoid systems. The company showcased its robotic technologies apart from its first robotics processor.</p>.Bill Gates' 'will or won't' at AI Summit leads to political mudslinging, Congress asks 'is PM scared' over Epstein row.<p>Many countries have also displayed their latest AI features and products at the expo. In the Italian Pavilion, eight startups from Italy have showcased their latest offerings. Oraigo is an Italian neurotech startup that specialises in the prevention of drowsiness and fatigue while driving. Michele Galetta, founder of the company told DH that they are looking for partners in India to deploy this solution. Oraigo offers a web-based analytics platform for fleets that aggregates data from multiple driving sessions. The 10 thematic pavilions comprising over 300 exhibitors from India and 30 countries highlight how AI is driving scientific advancement, industrial resilience, innovation, and the democratisation of digital resources.</p>.<p>Key areas showcased include:</p>.<p>- AI-driven protein engineering and drug discovery</p>.<p> -Neuroscience and cognitive systems research</p>.<p>- Use of advanced computing and quantum-centric methods to process large-scale biological and clinical data</p>.<p>- Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) for multilingual and secure applications</p>.<p>National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on the second day of the summit released FiMI (Finance Model for India), a domain-specific language model built for India’s payments ecosystem. Developed in-house by NPCI, FiMI currently powers NPCI’s UPI Help Assistant and is designed to address limitations observed in general-purpose large language models when applied to high-scale, high-trust payment workflows.</p>