VicOne and California Robotics team up on Physical AI robot security

VicOne and California Robotics announced a collaboration on June 16, 2026, to build cybersecurity into mission-ready AI-driven robots as they move into defense, public safety, agriculture, fire and rescue, and other high-risk settings. The effort links pre-deployment risk assessment, simulation testing, and field monitoring to help make robotic systems safer and more resilient. Why it matters: - AI-driven robots are moving into environments where cyber weaknesses can affect safety, operations, and trust. - The collaboration is aimed at making cybersecurity part of mission readiness for robotic systems operating around people, infrastructure, and critical assets. - The work is designed to support safer deployment as robotic fleets scale across high-risk sectors. What happened: - VicOne announced a collaboration with California Robotics on June 16, 2026, in Detroit. - VicOne is an automotive and Physical AI cybersecurity company. - California Robotics builds mission-ready AI-driven robotic platforms for high-risk field environments. - The companies said the effort will help define a security foundation for Physical AI safety. - The partnership covers robotic platforms including quadrupeds and unmanned aerial systems. The details: - The joint approach is built around the full lifecycle of robotic systems. - Before deployment, VicOne’s Radeis platform assesses risks across firmware, AI models, connectivity protocols, and third-party components. - Simulation environments such as NVIDIA Isaac Sim can be used where applicable to test safety-related scenarios. - The pre-deployment work is intended to identify conditions where cyber or AI weaknesses could affect robotic behavior, decision-making, or mission execution. - After deployment, VicOne’s Rthena provides telemetry-driven visibility in the field. - Rthena includes anomaly detection, system integrity assurance, runtime protection, AI guardrails, and continuous monitoring through VicOne’s Robotics Security Operations Center, or R-SOC. - The field tools are designed to help operators spot compromised behavior, investigate unexpected actions, and preserve traceable records when robots operate outside expected parameters. - California Robotics develops modular, scalable robotic systems that integrate robotics, AI, and sensor platforms. - California Robotics says its platforms are designed for defense, public safety, agriculture, fire and rescue, and other high-risk operations. - VicOne said its approach supports compliance readiness across requirements including the EU Cyber Resilience Act, the EU AI Act, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, Software Bill of Materials lifecycle management, the IoT Cyber Trust Mark, and GB/T 45502-2025 service robot security baseline. - VicOne will support the Robotic Hacking Community at DEF CON 34 in Las Vegas, Aug. 6-9, 2026. - The program is described as vendor-neutral and focused on hands-on security research, capture-the-flag challenges, and research on robot cybersecurity, AI systems, autonomy, and connected robotic platforms. - VicOne’s LAB R7 research lab is extending the company’s automotive cybersecurity expertise into Physical AI. - VicOne said more information is available at VicOne LAB R7 . - California Robotics is headquartered in El Segundo, California. - California Robotics says its broader mission is to keep humans out of harm’s way while helping build safer, smarter, and more connected communities. Between the lines: - The collaboration shows robotics security is moving from a niche concern to a deployment requirement for real-world AI systems. - By combining pre-deployment assessment with post-deployment monitoring, the companies are pushing a “secure-by-design plus secure-in-use” model for Physical AI. - The compliance references suggest the companies are positioning the platform for both technical safety and regulatory readiness. What’s next: - VicOne and California Robotics aim to help organizations assess risks earlier, validate safety-related scenarios before deployment, and maintain field visibility once robots are operating. - The companies expect the collaboration to support operational resilience as robotic fleets expand into more critical missions. - VicOne’s continued robotics security research and DEF CON participation point to broader ecosystem-building beyond this partnership. The bottom line: - As AI robots leave the lab and enter critical missions, cybersecurity is becoming part of the safety stack, not an add-on.