Autonomous robots are coming to U.S. shipyards — and it could transform how the U.S. Navy builds warships.

In this episode of Mission Critical, we go inside the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space 2026 exhibition to explore how artificial intelligence, autonomous robotics, and human ingenuity are reshaping American naval production.

Host Ryan Robertson breaks down the new HYPR (High Yield Production Robotics) partnership announced in National Harbor, MD, between HII, Path Robotics, and GrayMatter Robotics — an ambitious effort to bring physical AI into one of the most complex manufacturing environments on Earth: shipbuilding.

Featuring interviews with:

• Sean Cassady, Director of Operations & Technology Strategy at HII
• Ariyan Kabir, Co-Founder & CEO of GrayMatter Robotics