Humanoid Robots

Latest news and articles about humanoid robots

Deep dive into ARM's physical AI and robotics strategies with Drew Henry

The Robot Report Podcast features an interview with Drew Henry, executive vice president of Arm Holdings' Physical AI Business Unit, discussing the company's strategy for computing and software technologies powering robotics, autonomous systems, and automotive applications. The episode covers industry news including Bear Robotics' acquisition of Kinisi Robotics, NVIDIA's release of Halos safety system for robotics, and a collaboration between Built Robotics and Penn xLAB on physical AI for construction.

Robotics Business Review12h ago

Bear Robotics acquires Kinisi Robotics to boost its physical AI capabilities

Bear Robotics has acquired Kinisi Robotics to integrate the KR1 humanoid robot and its physical AI manipulation capabilities into Bear's deployed service robot fleet. The acquisition combines Bear's commercial navigation platform and 16,000+ deployed robots with Kinisi's vision-language-action models and robotic manipulation technology, enabling Bear's robots to move beyond delivery and cleaning to handling physical tasks like picking and sorting.

The Robot Report1d ago

NVIDIA releases Halos, a full-stack safety system for robotics

NVIDIA launched Halos for Robotics, a comprehensive full-stack safety system designed to unify AI compute and safety for autonomous robots operating in factories, warehouses, and logistics. The system builds on NVIDIA's 18,600+ years of autonomous vehicle safety engineering and includes hardware (IGX Thor, Holoscan Sensor Bridge), software (Halos OS), and an accredited inspection lab, with early access available for developers and the open-source Halos Outside-In Safety Blueprint now on GitHub.

The Robot Report1d ago

Surface Finishing Shows Why Humanoids Won't Dominate Factory Floors

The robotics industry is discovering an uncomfortable truth: humanoid robots might be impressive demos, but they're terrible at most factory work. Two contrasting approaches to surface finishing reveal why purpose-built automation will continue to outperform human-shaped machines for industrial applications.

Creative Robotics3d agoOriginal

Car manufacturers are ditching Android Auto in 2026: Here's why

Car buyers love Android Auto. Automakers? Not so much.

Engadget3d ago

RealSense unveils AI-native D585 Pro depth camera for robots

Intel's RealSense unveils the D585 Pro AI-native depth camera designed for robotics applications, featuring on-device AI acceleration, a custom Gen 5 system-on-chip, and capabilities for humanoids, autonomous mobile robots, and industrial systems. The camera offers sub-15cm minimum range, 120×100° field of view at 60 FPS, IP65 protection, and is expected to ship in Q1 2027, with software-defined updates enabling new capabilities without hardware replacement.

The Robot Report5d ago

Richtech Robotics launches livestream for ADAM AI-powered humanoid

Richtech Robotics launched a round-the-clock interactive livestream platform featuring its ADAM AI-powered humanoid robot, allowing global audiences to interact with the robot in real time through chat and direct requests. The initiative demonstrates advances in embodied AI and natural human-robot interaction, with ADAM having previously served at the Kennedy Space Center and prepared noodles at a restaurant industry show, while the company expands its AI infrastructure with a new Las Vegas warehouse.

The Robot Report6d ago

Building And Testing A DIY Robot Actuator

A maker is developing a custom motor actuator designed for humanoid robotics applications, inspired by MIT research but incorporating a cycloidal gearbox instead of a planetary design to reduce backlash. Initial testing revealed the prototype achieved 7 Nm of torque (below the 20 Nm target) and exposed manufacturing tolerances issues, though CAD files are being shared publicly for refinement and iteration.

Hackaday Robotics6d ago

Physical AI Is Having Its Awkward Teenage Phase

From automotive suppliers to construction sites, physical AI platforms are finally leaving research labs and entering real factories. But the gap between impressive success rates and actual production deployment reveals an industry struggling with the messy reality of manufacturing.

Creative Robotics6d agoOriginal

SanDisk's new 8TB PS5 SSD costs more than three times as much as the PS5 Pro

The highest capacity Optimus GX Pro 850P drive for the PS5 almost tops the $3,000 mark.

Engadget6d ago

Evaluating humanoids for surface finishing applications

This article evaluates the suitability of humanoid robots for surface finishing manufacturing applications like sanding, polishing, and grinding. The analysis concludes that humanoids are not well-suited for factory floor operations because their legs, multi-fingered hands, and heads add unnecessary complexity and cost without providing manufacturing advantages—instead, traditional dual-arm industrial robot configurations mounted on fixed rails are more efficient for speed, precision, and economics of scale.

Robotics Business Review6d ago

Google launches 'bubble' multi-tasking and foldable gaming mode with Android 17

Google has started rolling out Android 17.

Engadget6/16/2026

Genesis AI launches Eno general-purpose robot

Genesis AI unveiled Eno, a general-purpose mobile manipulator robot powered by GENE, its robotics-native foundation model, designed with prioritized mobility and dexterity over human appearance. The company plans to begin production and targeted deployments by end of 2026, starting with industrial customers in manufacturing, logistics, and labs before expanding to service industries and consumer applications.

The Robot Report6/16/2026

Robotic rabbit learns users' voices on first greeting, enabling personalized elder care

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid have developed an AI-based voice recognition system for a robotic rabbit named Mía that can identify users on first greeting without requiring a setup phase. The on-device, privacy-preserving system uses only the robot's microphone and is being tested in Madrid day centers to provide personalized affective stimulation and social engagement for elderly people with cognitive decline.

Phys.org Robotics6/15/2026

Robotics Summit panel explores the state of humanoid robot design

Industry experts at the 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo discussed the current state of humanoid robot development, with Boston Dynamics' Alberto Rodriguez highlighting the company's strategy to build general-purpose Atlas robots for logistics and manufacturing applications, including plans to deploy 25,000 humanoids and reach 30,000 units per year by 2028. Panelists from Boston Dynamics, Agility Robotics, and other companies emphasized the challenges of designing bipedal robots that can work safely alongside human workers and adapt to diverse, one-of-a-kind jobs rather than single applications.

The Robot Report6/12/2026

Hello Robot is recognized by World Economic Forum as a tech pioneer

Hello Robot Inc. has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a 2026 Technology Pioneer for its Stretch mobile manipulator robot, which assists older adults and people with disabilities in performing daily tasks. The company, founded by MIT and Google robotics veterans, emphasizes practical, human-centered robot design over spectacle, with Stretch already deployed at hundreds of research institutions and being piloted with individuals with severe mobility impairments.

The Robot Report6/11/2026

Can Pepper the robot be a good playmate?

Researchers at NTNU conducted a controlled study with Pepper, a social humanoid robot, to evaluate its potential as a playmate in physical games like trash can basketball. The study found that robots can be good playmates when they exhibit natural, responsive, and flexible behavior aligned with human expectations, but poor pacing, overly competitive behavior, or stiff movements cause frustration and reduce engagement.

Phys.org Robotics6/11/2026

AI robot cleaners leave the lab for China's living rooms

Chinese household platform 58.com and robotics company X Square have launched a commercial cleaning service pairing human cleaners with AI-powered robots in Beijing and Shenzhen, charging $22 for three hours of service. The initiative, which has attracted around 200 bookings since March, serves as a real-world data-gathering exercise for embodied AI development, with the robots learning to perform tasks like folding clothes and identifying areas needing cleaning. Similar trials are underway across China, including humanoid robot deployments for home services and traffic direction, as companies leverage practical deployment to improve robot performance beyond laboratory settings.

Phys.org Robotics6/11/2026

NEURA Robotics to raise up to $1.4B in Series C funding for physical AI

NEURA Robotics announced a Series C funding round of up to $1.4 billion to accelerate development of physical AI and cognitive robots. The company is building an ecosystem called the Neuraverse that combines robotics, AI, sensors, and edge computing for manufacturing, logistics, and service applications, with strategic partnerships including Qualcomm, Amazon, NVIDIA, and Bosch.

The Robot Report6/10/2026

Robots are closing in on human-like judgments, addressing a key challenge in physical AI

KAIST researchers developed VOTP (Video-based Optimal TransPort Preference), an AI technology that learns human judgment criteria from just a few preference videos rather than thousands of data points, addressing a key challenge in physical AI commercialization. The breakthrough enables robots, autonomous vehicles, surgical systems, and other physical AI applications to understand human intentions more efficiently, significantly reducing development time and costs for applications across manufacturing, healthcare, and autonomous systems.

Phys.org Robotics6/10/2026

Struggling German auto supplier Bosch pivots to robots

German auto supplier Bosch is pivoting toward humanoid robotics and related sensor technology as its traditional auto parts business faces pressure from competition and weak demand. The company plans to expand production of MEMS sensors crucial for robotic dexterity and has partnered with robotics firm Neura, which recently raised $1.4 billion in funding from backers including Bosch, Nvidia, Amazon, and Tether to accelerate deployment of robots and physical AI systems.

Phys.org Robotics6/10/2026

Standard Bots raises $200M to expand U.S. manufacturing footprint

Standard Bots announced a $200 million Series C funding round at a $1 billion valuation, planning to expand its New York manufacturing facility to scale production of AI-native robot arms and industrial humanoids. The company focuses on robots that learn through demonstration without requiring code programming, targeting applications across machining, welding, palletizing, and assembly, and aims to deliver 10% of new U.S. industrial robot deployments by next year.

The Robot Report6/9/2026

MIT researchers channel AI to turn hand gestures into robot training data

MIT researchers developed an ultrasound wristband that captures detailed human hand and muscle movements to train humanoid robots in dexterous tasks. The device uses AI to decode muscle and tendon images into joint movements, enabling a robotic hand to mimic hand gestures including American Sign Language within 120 milliseconds, with potential applications in surgery and household tasks.

Phys.org Robotics6/9/2026

The Download: whole-body rejuvenation drugs and five things to know about AI

This technology newsletter digest covers multiple AI and robotics developments, including OpenAI's confidential IPO filing targeting up to $1 trillion valuation, the US Pentagon designating Chinese tech companies including humanoid firm Unitree as military-linked, and a report on humanoid robots being pursued by American and Chinese militaries. The newsletter also covers broader AI trends such as Apple's Siri AI overhaul, regulatory efforts to limit state AI laws, and various other AI-related news items.

MIT Technology Review AI6/9/2026

NVIDIA and LG Group Build an AI Factory to Advance Physical AI, Mobility and AI Infrastructure

NVIDIA and LG Group are partnering to build an AI factory that combines NVIDIA's AI infrastructure with LG's manufacturing expertise to accelerate physical AI, robotics, and autonomous systems development. The collaboration includes integrating NVIDIA's Isaac simulation frameworks and GR00T foundation models into LG's home robot development (like CLoiD), creating a physical AI data factory for synthetic training data, and establishing an autonomous manufacturing ecosystem with real-time data connectivity. Additionally, LG will expand AI factory infrastructure capabilities aligned with NVIDIA's DSX platform, including thermal management and modular deployment technologies.

NVIDIA Blog AI6/8/2026

NVIDIA and Doosan Group Collaborate to Advance Physical AI and AI Factory Infrastructure

NVIDIA and Doosan Group announced an expanded collaboration to advance physical AI and robotics across multiple business units. Doosan Robotics is integrating NVIDIA's Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab, Cosmos foundation models, and Jetson Thor into its Agentic Robot OS to develop more autonomous collaborative robots and humanoid platforms for industrial tasks like depalletizing and sanding. The partnership also includes exploring AI factory power solutions through Doosan Enerbility and advanced PCB materials for NVIDIA's MGX data center infrastructure.

NVIDIA Blog AI6/7/2026

AGIBOT holds World Challenge 2026 to see how AI models perform on real tasks

AGIBOT hosted the World Challenge 2026 competition with 526 teams from 27 countries competing in embodied AI tasks using real robots and standardized benchmarks. The competition evaluated two tracks—Reasoning to Action (task understanding and execution) and World Model (physical world prediction)—with finalists completing challenges using the AGIBOT G2 humanoid robot, marking a shift toward real-robot validation over simulation-only evaluation. The competition also introduced a supermarket benchmark track for end-to-end mobile manipulation in realistic retail environments.

The Robot Report6/7/2026

China can build humanoids at scale. The hard part is finding enough buyers

Chinese companies like Matrix Robotics and EngineAI are manufacturing humanoid robots at scale with capabilities ranging from coffee-making to security work, but experts warn that actual market demand lags production capacity. While China leads in manufacturing and hardware production for a projected $5 trillion global humanoid market, most robots remain limited to performative tasks rather than functional work in unpredictable real-world environments, raising concerns about an industry bubble.

Phys.org Robotics6/6/2026

GENISOM AI debuts deployable robotics platforms at ICRA 2026

GENISOM AI, a Beijing-based robotics startup founded in December 2023, unveiled its M1 industrial-grade quadruped robot and L1-series platforms at ICRA 2026, claiming to have delivered over 10,000 units and reached production scale in under three years. The company emphasizes real-world deployment with in-house actuators, advanced perception systems using BEV-based methods, and a full-stack software suite including the MATRiX simulation platform and RoamerX autonomy system, with the L1 EDU platform winning first place at the IROS 2025 Quadruped Robot Challenge.

The Robot Report6/5/2026

Can surgical robots fly? SS Innovations discusses challenges, solutions

SS Innovations is developing the Vimana Aero, a flying surgical drone designed to deliver remote robotic surgery capabilities to battlefield casualties, with a functional prototype expected by mid-2026. The system combines the company's SSi Mantra surgical robot technology with autonomous drone delivery to minimize time between injury and medical intervention, addressing hemorrhage as the leading cause of soldier deaths in war zones. Key technical challenges include payload capacity, battery life, and dust management during landing, which the company believes are solvable engineering problems.

The Robot Report6/4/2026

NVIDIA Enables the Next Era Of Physical AI Research With Agent Skills For Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics And Vision AI

NVIDIA unveiled new physical AI agent skills at CVPR designed to accelerate research in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and vision AI by automating workflows like scene reconstruction, synthetic scenario generation, and policy training. The announcement includes NVIDIA Cosmos 3, an open foundation model for physical AI, along with specialized tools like Neural Reconstruction skills, AlpaGym reinforcement learning framework, and Alpamayo 2 Super, a 32-billion-parameter vision-language-action model for autonomous driving development.

NVIDIA Blog AI6/3/2026

Global robotics technology roadmap

Professor Henrik Christensen of UC San Diego has released a comprehensive global robotics technology roadmap covering 2025–2035, synthesizing research from leading conferences, machine learning venues, and industry data across Asia, Europe, and North America. Key findings include the global robotics market projected to reach $178.7B by 2033, Vision-Language-Action models as the most significant algorithmic development, humanoid robots growing from $370M to $6.5B by 2030, and regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act reshaping global robotics design. The roadmap provides strategic guidance for policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders on embodied AI, soft robotics, regional technology strategies, and sector-specific applications across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and other domains.

Robohub6/3/2026

2026 Robotics Summit & Expo Recap

The Robot Report editorial team recaps the 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, highlighting keynotes from Brian Gerkey on open-source AI in robotics, Mikell Taylor on deploying reliable robots, and Noland Arbaugh discussing brain-computer interface technology via Neuralink. The event featured presentations on various robotics categories including mobile manipulators, quadrupeds, and humanoids, with discussions on PLC integration, automation efficiency, and the role of AI in modern robotics development.

The Robot Report6/2/2026

NVIDIA releases new and updated tools for physical AI developers

NVIDIA unveiled new open-source physical AI tools and skills at GTC Taipei and Computex designed to accelerate development of robots, autonomous vehicles, and industrial systems. The toolkit integrates NVIDIA's physical AI stack—including Cosmos 3 world foundation models, Omniverse, Isaac, Metropolis, and Jetson—into agent-callable tools that reduce costs and complexity of building AI workflows. These agent-ready skills target robotics, autonomous vehicles, vision AI, and industrial digital twins, enabling faster data generation, simulation, training, and deployment pipelines.

The Robot Report6/1/2026

Standardization Finally Comes for Humanoid Robots

NIST's new benchmark proposal marks a turning point for the humanoid robotics industry. After a decade of flashy demos and competing claims, we're finally getting serious about what these machines actually need to do.

Creative Robotics6/1/2026Original

Classically-named Argus Robot Is Terminator Meets Tumbleweed

Duke University researchers have developed Argus, a 20-limbed symmetric robot that uses dynamic symmetry to move omnidirectionally by extending and retracting its limbs, enabling parkour-like movements. The robot is funded by DARPA and features redundant actuators for fault tolerance; the team has released an open-source simulator on GitHub allowing exploration of variants with different numbers of limbs.

Hackaday Robotics6/1/2026

NIST proposes a baseline performance benchmark for humanoid robots

NIST has proposed the first standardized performance benchmark for humanoid robots since 2015, establishing a baseline set of locomotion and manipulation tasks to evaluate minimum capabilities across commercial humanoid platforms. The benchmark includes testing for mobility, dexterity, whole-body awareness, and decision-making, with NIST planning to distribute testing apparatus to manufacturers and research facilities while publishing designs for virtual testing.

The Robot Report5/29/2026

How humanoids learn to read the room

This article explores the technical challenges humanoid robots face when operating safely alongside humans, focusing on real-time sensor integration and environmental awareness. It discusses how humanoid robots must process vision and audio data with minimal latency to understand their surroundings and respond appropriately, using examples of technologies like GMSL for video transmission and multi-microphone audio systems to enable safe human-robot collaboration.

The Robot Report5/26/2026

Unitree GO-M8018-6 Motor Reverse Engineering

A researcher is reverse-engineering the proprietary motor driver firmware in Unitree's GO-M8018-6 motors used in the Go2 quadruped robot by extracting encryption keys from the bootloader and decrypting the firmware. The goal is to develop open-source firmware for these motors to make them available outside Unitree's ecosystem and address security vulnerabilities in the Go2's firmware.

Hackaday Robotics5/23/2026

IntBot and Certis Group partner to scale physical AI for enterprises across Singapore

IntBot and Certis Group announced a strategic partnership to develop and deploy socially intelligent humanoid robots in Singapore's enterprise and public-facing environments. The collaboration aims to integrate IntBot's General Social Intelligence technology with Certis' operational expertise to create humanoid concierge and assistance applications that can naturally interact with people in real-world settings like hotels, conferences, and campuses.

The Robot Report5/26/2026

A guide to everything happening at the 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo

The 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston will convene over 5,000 robotics experts and 200+ exhibitors across two days, featuring 50+ sessions and 70+ speakers covering AI, humanoids, healthcare, and logistics. Key sessions include keynotes on robot autonomy, the state of humanoids (with speakers from Boston Dynamics, Agility, and others), and presentations from major companies like Tesla, Toyota Research Institute, and Universal Robots.

The Robot Report5/26/2026

Open Source Humanoids Are About to Get Very Weird

The release of Asimov v1 at $15,000 marks a turning point for humanoid robotics — not because it's cheap, but because it's hackable. When thousands of developers can finally afford to experiment with bipedal platforms, the question isn't what companies will build, but what chaos independent builders will unleash.

Creative Robotics5/17/2026Original

The future of physical AI isn't humanoid; it's task-specific and cost-efficient

This article argues that the future of robotics lies in task-specific, cost-efficient robots powered by edge AI rather than general-purpose humanoids. The piece explains how physical AI systems require real-time on-device processing for safe real-world operation, with cloud infrastructure supporting training while edge computing handles immediate decision-making and action.

The Robot Report5/23/2026

Humanoid partners with Bosch, Schaeffler to scale robot production

Humanoid, a London-based robotics startup founded in 2024, has partnered with Bosch for manufacturing and distribution of its HMND humanoid robot platform in Europe following a successful proof of concept in March 2026. The company is also rolling out thousands of robots through a binding agreement with Schaeffler Technologies, with initial deployments in German manufacturing facilities by end of 2026, representing one of the largest humanoid robot deployments announced to date.

The Robot Report5/21/2026

Asimov is an Open Source Humanoid Robot For the Rest of Us

Asimov v1, an open-source humanoid robot kit, is now available with a target price of $15,000 USD, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for humanoid robotics development compared to corporate projects. The robot features 25 degrees of freedom, runs on Raspberry Pi 5 and Radaxa CM5 compute, and includes open-source hardware designs on GitHub to enable hobbyists and researchers to build and customize their own humanoid systems.

Hackaday Robotics5/17/2026

Faraday Future obtains $25M to ship 1,500 robots by year's end

Faraday Future raised $25 million in convertible note financing to support its humanoid and bionic robot business, bringing total funding to $70 million over two months. The company has shipped 68 robots since February 2026 and targets 1,500 units by year-end, while also partnering with RobotShop to expand distribution across North America and global markets.

The Robot Report5/18/2026

Fraunhofer IPA offers new test benchmark for humanoids

Fraunhofer IPA has developed a standardized benchmark to objectively evaluate humanoid robots like the Unitree G1, addressing the gap between media hype and actual capabilities. The modular benchmark assesses humanoids across six application-relevant criteria including technology, basic abilities, safety, and reliability, following established industrial standards such as ISO 10218 and ISO 14644.

The Robot Report5/17/2026

Engadget Podcast: Who needs Googlebooks?

We also dive into all the new features in Android 17.

Engadget5/15/2026

Havoc raises $100M to unify defense autonomy in the land, sea, and air

Havoc AI raised $100M in Series A funding to advance its collaborative autonomy software platform that enables military and commercial autonomous systems across air, sea, and ground domains to work together in contested environments. The company claims to have over 25,000 hours of autonomous testing experience, has deployed 30+ vehicles to the U.S. Department of Defense, and operates a software-defined architecture that enables one operator to supervise thousands of autonomous assets with real-time edge decision-making and minimal human supervision.

The Robot Report5/15/2026