Lister publishes U.S. physical AI company map covering 142 firms, 1,742 relationships and 429 activities

A dedicated website features 50 companies, and Lister is offering a free, detailed company database covering all 142 firms.

The database aims to make initial research more efficient for Japanese companies conducting market research or looking for potential partners, while offering a broad view of which parts of the physical AI sector are advancing toward real-world deployment.

The map comprises 12 categories: robot foundation models and robot brains; humanoids and general-purpose robots; industrial, collaborative and work robots; AMRs, logistics and material-handling robots; quadruped and special-purpose robots; service and health care robots; autonomous driving and unmanned mobility; drones and autonomous aircraft; robotic hands, actuators and components; sensors and machine vision; AI compute and edge; and simulation and development platforms. Examples of listed companies include Field AI, Skild AI, Physical Intelligence, Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, Figure AI, Apptronik, Tesla, Symbotic, Amazon Robotics, Waymo, Nuro, Skydio, Shield AI, Anduril Industries, RealSense, Cognex and Applied Intuition. Commercialization and deployment maturity is classified on a six-level scale from M0 (research or concept) to M5 (large-scale commercial or operational deployment). Companies' ties to the Japanese market are classified on a five-level scale from J0 (no confirmed connection) to J4 (paid sales or live operations in Japan). The database was last updated Sept. 1, 2026.

Lister designed the database with Japanese companies in mind, classifying each company's ties to the Japanese market on a five-level scale, J0 to J4. The effort provides a systematic way to assess how U.S. physical AI companies are expanding in Japan and a basis for Japanese companies to identify potential partners and competitors. In particular, the scale's stages—such as having a Japanese subsidiary or distributor (J2), conducting a domestic PoC (J3), and making paid sales or operating in production (J4)—are concrete indicators of market penetration and can help domestic robotics and AI companies assess the competitive landscape.