The AI trade has been one of the most powerful themes in markets over the past two years. First, it was the semiconductor sector and chips. Then it was the infrastructure, the cloud, the data centers, and the overall connectivity layer. AI agents have more recently emerged as the next evolution, with software beginning to think and act autonomously. But there is a compelling argument that the next major wave is something different entirely. Something more tangible. What happens when AI stops living purely in the digital world and starts operating in the physical one?
That is the robotics opportunity. And it is beginning to take shape in a way that is hard to ignore. Labor shortages, reshoring trends, and the rapid improvement of AI perception and reasoning are converging to create genuine demand for machines that can see, move, and act in the real world. The companies at the foundation of that buildout are still relatively early and largely under the radar. But that is exactly where some of the most interesting opportunities tend to sit, along with a heightened degree of speculation, of course. If the robotics theme attracts capital the way AI infrastructure did when it first started gaining serious attention, getting positioned ahead of that move could matter.
Here are five stocks worth watching if that next wave is beginning to build.
Ouster: The Eyes of the Robot
Ouster (NASDAQ: OUST) makes high-resolution digital lidar sensors, the technology that enables machines to see and map the world around them in 3D. Without lidar, autonomous robots cannot reliably navigate complex environments. It is a foundational enabling technology for everything from warehouse automation to autonomous vehicles to last-mile delivery robots. As AI improves what robots can do with that spatial data, the value of Ouster's sensors increases alongside it.
The stock is up close to 40% year to date, and the fundamentals are backing that move. Q1 2026 revenue of $49 million grew 49% year over year, beating the consensus estimate of $46.15 million. The recently completed acquisition of Stereolabs added AI vision and depth perception capabilities to Ouster's existing lidar portfolio, creating a more complete perception stack for robotics customers.
Management guided Q2 revenue of $49.5 million to $52.5 million, signaling continued growth. Following its most recent earnings release, the company now has a Moderate Buy rating based on five analyst ratings, and a consensus price target forecasting over 30% upside potential.
PROCEPT BioRobotics: AI-Guided Surgery at Scale
PROCEPT BioRobotics (NASDAQ: PRCT) represents one of the most compelling applications of robotics in healthcare. The company's AquaBeam Robotic System uses a high-velocity waterjet guided by real-time ultrasound imaging to remove prostate tissue with precision that traditional surgical methods cannot match. It is minimally invasive, reduces recovery time, and delivers outcomes that leading urology guidelines now formally recommend. The American Urological Association recently strengthened its recommendation for Aquablation therapy, a meaningful clinical endorsement that expands the addressable market.
The stock is down about 15% year to date and trades well below its 52-week high of $66.85. That pullback creates an interesting setup given the fundamental trajectory and small market capitalization of just $1.49 billion. However, given the underperformance and volatility in shares, it might be a name best suited for investors with a higher risk tolerance.
Q1 2026 revenue grew 20.1% year over year; however, earnings per share came in just below the consensus estimate. Over the prior 12 months, insiders have been net buyers with almost $10.48 million in buys versus $6.84 million in sales. Institutional ownership stands at 89.46%, with significant net inflows over the prior 12 months. The consensus price target of $41.45 across 14 analysts implies about 55% upside. The consensus is Hold, possibly reflecting near-term execution concerns rather than a dismissal of the long-term thesis.
Serve Robotics: Last-Mile Delivery on the Sidewalk
Serve Robotics (NASDAQ: SERV) is building the autonomous delivery robot network of the future, one sidewalk at a time. The company's Gen3 robots operate across 20 cities, delivering food and goods from restaurant partners and retailers directly to consumers via integrations with Uber Eats, DoorDash, and White Castle. It is a highly visible, consumer-facing application of physical AI, already operating at a meaningful scale with 2,000 robots deployed.
The stock has been under pressure, though, with shares down close to 20% year to date and slipping into small-cap territory. The stock’s elevated short interest of almost 29% reflects genuine skepticism about the pace of monetization and the path to profitability. Q1 revenue of $2.98 million was small but above the $2.83 million estimate, and management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $26 million.
The company also introduced Maggie, its first AI-powered conversational robot, expanding the platform beyond pure delivery. The consensus price target of $17.51 across nine analysts implies almost 120% upside, the largest of any name on this list. That extreme gap between the current price and the analyst target reflects both the risk and the potential embedded in the story. For investors comfortable with early-stage volatility and high speculation, it is a name worth watching closely.
Vishay Precision Group: The Sensor Behind the Robot
Vishay Precision Group (NYSE: VPG) is the most under-the-radar name on this list and arguably the one with the most immediate fundamental momentum. The company designs precision sensors, measurement systems, and weighing solutions used across semiconductor equipment, data centers, defense, avionics, and increasingly, humanoid robotics. Its sensors are the components that enable machines to measure force, weight, and torque with the precision required by physical AI applications.
The Q1 2026 results were a genuine surprise. Revenue of $84.4 million grew 17.6% year over year, beating the consensus of $77 million by a significant margin. Orders exceeded $100 million for the quarter, pushing the book-to-bill ratio to 1.21 and the backlog to approximately $125 million. Management guided Q2 revenue of $85 million to $90 million, again well above Street estimates.
The stock surged almost 50% on the back of those results, hitting an all-time high, and is now trading close to $100 per share. Only four analysts cover the stock, indicating that institutional and retail awareness of this name is still in its early stages. That is exactly the kind of setup that makes it worth watching as the humanoid robotics theme builds momentum. Overall, the stock has a consensus Buy rating and a consensus price target of $83.67.
RoboStrategy: A Single Stock for the Entire Robotics Ecosystem
RoboStrategy (NASDAQ: BOT) is the most novel name on this list by some distance. It just began trading on Nasdaq on May 11, 2026, and it is not a traditional operating company. It is a closed-end investment fund that provides public market investors with concentrated exposure to a portfolio of private, pre-IPO, and public robotics and physical AI companies. Its holdings include Figure AI, Apptronik, Dyna Robotics, Standard Bots, and Dexmate, names that are among the most closely watched in the humanoid and physical AI space but that are not yet accessible through public markets on their own.
The appeal is straightforward. Many of the most exciting robotics companies in the world remain private, and for most investors, that means no direct access. And that’s where BOT comes in. It is a single publicly traded vehicle that spans the robotics ecosystem, including private companies that could define the next decade of physical AI.
The fund recently announced that it entered a committed equity facility of up to $2 billion with Roth Principal Investments to support future investments.
But with all of that said, investors should approach this one with clear eyes. The stock listed just days ago and has already experienced significant volatility in its first week of trading. As a newly listed closed-end fund with limited history, it carries a very different risk profile than the other four names on this list. For investors with an extremely high risk tolerance and a genuine conviction in the long-term robotics theme, it might be a name to watch closely. But for those who prefer established fundamentals with less volatility and uncertainty, other names within the sector might be better suited.
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The article "5 Robotics Stocks to Watch as Physical AI Builds Momentum" first appeared on MarketBeat.
