# NXP CTO Lars Reger on Physical AI, Robots, Drones, and Trust > Source: > Published: 2026-11-11 20:23:13+00:00 A free online environment where users can create, edit, and share electrical schematics, or convert between popular file formats like Eagle, Altium, and OrCAD. schematics.io Find the IoT board you’ve been searching for using this interactive solution space to help you visualize the product selection process and showcase important trade-off decisions. transim.com/iot Transform your product pages with embeddable schematic, simulation, and 3D content modules while providing interactive user experiences for your customers. transim.com/Products/Engage AspenCore Network A worldwide innovation hub servicing component manufacturers and distributors with unique marketing solutions aspencore.com SiliconExpert provides engineers with the data and insight they need to remove risk from the supply chain. siliconexpert.com Transim powers many of the tools engineers use every day on manufacturers' websites and can develop solutions for any company. transim.com A free online environment where users can create, edit, and share electrical schematics, or convert between popular file formats like Eagle, Altium, and OrCAD. schematics.io Find the IoT board you’ve been searching for using this interactive solution space to help you visualize the product selection process and showcase important trade-off decisions. transim.com/iot Transform your product pages with embeddable schematic, simulation, and 3D content modules while providing interactive user experiences for your customers. transim.com/Products/Engage About A worldwide innovation hub servicing component manufacturers and distributors with unique marketing solutions aspencore.com SiliconExpert provides engineers with the data and insight they need to remove risk from the supply chain. siliconexpert.com Transim powers many of the tools engineers use every day on manufacturers' websites and can develop solutions for any company. transim.com At electronica 2026 in Munich, EE Times talks with Lars Reger, CTO of NXP Semiconductors, about the physical AI era and how it reaches far beyond humanoid robots. Lars introduces NXP’s new NavQ95 platform, built on the i.MX 95. It comes with reference designs, complete drone kits and robotics SDKs, so startups and newcomers can go from unboxing to a working robot or drone in about 30 minutes. He explains why most of the 50 billion smart connected devices expected by 2040 will be purpose-built machines rather than humanoids. Or, as he puts it, he won’t buy a humanoid to push his lawnmower. The conversation also covers: Why trust, security and functional safety matter in autonomous devices, from neonatal baby monitors to drones that can’t simply stop and reboot mid-flight. Lars’s long-running “fridge hacking” warning, and why it’s now coming true. How geopolitics is shaping NXP’s strategy: local-for-local security certifications, sourcing from two fabs on two continents, and RISC-V as an alternative architecture. Why AI at the edge will arrive gradually as people replace old appliances, not as the step change Wall Street expects. Nitin Dahad is executive editor of EE Times. An electronic engineering graduate from City University, he’s been an engineer, journalist and entrepreneur. He was part of ARC International’s startup team and took it public, and he co-founded a publication called The Chilli in the early 2000s. Nitin has also worked with National Semiconductor, GEC Plessey Semiconductors, Dialog Semiconductor, Marconi Instruments, Coresonic, Center for Integrated Photonics, IDENT Technology and Jennic. Nitin also held a role with government promoting U.K. technology globally in the U.S., Brazil, Middle East and Africa, and India. Follow Nitin on LinkedIn