50 articles found
From bronze giants of Greek mythology to backflipping robots powered by neural networks, humanity has spent 3,000 years trying to build itself a mirror. This is the full story of humanoid robotics — packed with surprising connections, spectacular failures, and the engineers who refused to stop.
This article reports on robotics highlights from CES 2026, with a focus on how physical AI and embodied intelligence have moved from experimental labs into mainstream consumer technology. The report covers emerging trends including humanoid robots from companies like Booster and Unitree, which are now commercially available, and discusses how consumer-facing robotics differs from academic research while remaining innovative in manufacturability and design.
This article is a curated roundup of the 10 most significant robotics developments from January 2026, spanning major announcements including Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid working with Google's DeepMind, Microsoft's Rho-alpha vision-language-action model for robots, Amazon's acquisition of Rightbot for logistics automation, and autonomous system debuts from companies like Doosan Bobcat and Neocis. The piece highlights the industry's shift from theoretical capabilities to real-world deployments across humanoids, industrial automation, AI models, and commercial applications.
NVIDIA announced a comprehensive suite of open physical AI models and frameworks at CES 2026 to accelerate robotics and autonomous systems development, including new tools for simulation, synthetic data generation, and edge deployment. The stack was demonstrated through real-world applications including Caterpillar's AI-assisted heavy equipment, LEM Surgical's FDA-cleared robotic surgical system, and NEURA Robotics' humanoid and service robots, all leveraging NVIDIA's Omniverse, Isaac, and foundation model technologies.
Tesla is discontinuing production of its Model S and X vehicles next quarter to convert the Fremont factory production space into manufacturing for Optimus humanoid robots, with CEO Elon Musk announcing a long-term goal of producing 1 million Optimus units. The company plans to begin selling Optimus to the public by the end of next year as part of its strategic shift toward autonomous robotics.
Gartner predicts that fewer than 20 companies will deploy humanoid robots in production for supply chain and manufacturing by 2028, despite nearly 200 humanoid companies existing today. The research firm cites technological limitations, high costs, integration challenges, and energy constraints as major barriers, and suggests that polyfunctional robots with wheels and alternative designs may be better suited for warehouse and logistics operations than humanoid form factors.
Fauna Robotics, a New York-based startup, has introduced Sprout, a humanoid development platform designed to democratize embodied AI research and applications. Standing 107 cm tall and weighing 22.7 kg, Sprout features 29 degrees of freedom, safety-focused design, and an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin processor to enable developers to build general-purpose robotics applications in everyday environments without specialized expertise.
Industry experts discuss the outlook for humanoid robots in 2026, examining both near-term deployment opportunities in households and the longer-term potential for general-purpose machines. The article explores the business case and development trajectory for humanoid robotics across various applications and market segments.
Fauna Robotics unveiled Sprout, a 3.5-foot tall humanoid robot designed to be approachable and friendly for homes, schools, and social spaces, marking a departure from industrial-focused humanoids like Tesla's Optimus and Boston Dynamics' Atlas. The robot functions as a software developer platform priced at $50,000 and has already attracted early customers including Disney and Boston Dynamics, positioning Fauna as the first American company actively shipping humanoid robots as a developer platform.
This report draws on reporting, interviews, and analysis from across the global robotics ecosystem, spanning industrial automation, mobile robots, humanoids, autonomous vehicles, investments, and emer...
Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology have unveiled GrowHR, a soft humanoid robot inspired by bone growth that can expand to 3x its size, shrink to 36% of its height, walk on water, and fly. The robot uses inflatable air chambers wrapped in tough fabric to achieve remarkable flexibility and adaptability while remaining lightweight (4.5 kg) and inherently safe for human interaction.
1X Technologies announced a new World Model AI update for its NEO humanoid robot that enables it to learn tasks by watching videos and generalizing to novel situations without prior examples. The system allows NEO to transform natural language prompts into autonomous actions using video-grounded physics understanding, and can perform tasks like packing, ironing, and opening doors without specific training data. The update represents progress toward robots that can teach themselves new capabilities by leveraging internet-scale video data combined with real-world robot experience.
Elon Musk announced at Davos that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot will be available for public sale by the end of 2027, though the article notes his history of unrealistic timelines and reports that previous Optimus demos relied on remote human operators rather than autonomous operation. The announcement drove Tesla's stock up 3%, but skepticism remains given the departure of the project's program head and lack of verified autonomous functionality.
Elon Musk made his first Davos appearance, announcing that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots will be available for public sale by the end of 2026 and will perform more complex tasks later this year. He also predicted AI models will surpass human intelligence by end of 2025 or early 2026, and collectively outmatch all of humanity by 2030-2031.
Microsoft Research announced Rho-alpha (ρα), a vision-language-action model derived from its Phi series that enables robots to perceive, reason, and act autonomously by integrating tactile sensing and learning from human feedback. The model translates natural language commands into control signals for bimanual manipulation tasks and is being evaluated on dual-arm cobots and humanoid robots, with training enhanced through simulation, physical demonstrations, and reinforcement learning.
Elon Musk responded to claims that Tesla will be remembered for Optimus robots rather than cars, agreeing that people may forget Tesla's automotive history. The article examines Tesla's ambitious but troubled efforts to develop and deploy its Optimus humanoid robot, noting significant technical challenges, missed production goals, and reliance on teleoperation despite Musk's claims of transforming Tesla into a $25 trillion robotics company.
Despite industry hype about an imminent robotics revolution, current humanoid robots are struggling with fundamental practical challenges, as evidenced by technical failures at CES 2024 where robots designed for laundry folding and kitchen tasks underperformed. The article highlights a growing gap between AI/robotics industry promises and reality, citing concerns from McKinsey and industry insiders about safety, battery limitations, and the difficulty of transitioning from controlled demonstrations to genuinely autonomous, useful robots.
NEURA Robotics announced a strategic partnership with Bosch to advance humanoid robotics and physical AI deployment in industrial settings, with plans to jointly collect real-world production data and co-develop AI software to improve robotic capabilities. The company also unveiled its new Quadruped and 4NE1 Mini robots at CES 2026, both integrated with NEURA's Neuraverse ecosystem, and expanded operations with a new Zurich hub for physical AI research and development.
A bipedal robot with an unusual design has demonstrated the ability to prevent itself from falling, showcasing advances in balance and stability control. The research highlights innovative mechanical design approaches that could improve the robustness and safety of humanoid robots.
The International Federation of Robotics identified the top five trends shaping the robotics industry in 2026, with the global industrial robot market reaching $16.7 billion. Key trends include AI-driven robot autonomy through analytical and generative AI, increased robot versatility via IT/OT convergence, humanoid robots moving from prototypes to real-world industrial deployment, and growing emphasis on safety and security as robots work alongside humans.
Humanoid and Siemens completed a proof of concept demonstrating the HMND 01 mobile manipulator robot performing autonomous tote-to-conveyor de-stacking tasks in industrial logistics at a Siemens facility in Germany. The robot met all performance targets including 60 tote moves per hour, >90% pick-and-place success rate, and 8+ hours of uptime, with the partners planning to expand the collaboration across Siemens' facility network.
Columbia Engineering researchers have developed a robot that learns realistic lip movements by observing its own reflection and studying human videos, enabling natural speech and singing without explicit programming. This breakthrough in facial motion control could help humanoid robots overcome the uncanny valley effect and communicate more convincingly with humans.
Humanoid and Siemens have completed a proof of concept for a logistics robot, demonstrating the application of autonomous mobile robots in industrial settings. The collaboration showcases the integration of robotics with manufacturing and logistics automation solutions.
This newsletter roundup covers multiple AI and robotics topics including debate over AI coding tools' actual productivity impact versus hype, biotech breakthroughs for 2026, AI trends to watch, and a report showing China dominates the global humanoid robot market with over 80% of deployments. The article also discusses AI safety concerns including chatbot misuse and AI detection of synthetic child abuse material.
The humanoid robot actuator market is projected to reach approximately $10 billion by 2031, driven by growing deployment of humanoid robots across various sectors. Increased demand for actuators reflects the acceleration in humanoid robot adoption in industrial and commercial applications.
Skild AI raised $1.4 billion to develop the Skild Brain, an omni-bodied robotics foundation model that can control diverse robot morphologies—including humanoids, quadrupeds, and manipulator arms—without prior knowledge of their specific design. The model uses in-context learning and training on human videos and simulations to adapt to different bodies and unpredictable scenarios in real-time, addressing the challenge of building general-purpose AI for robotics across multiple deployment contexts.
Columbia University researchers have developed a robot capable of learning realistic lip-syncing by observing its own reflection and watching YouTube videos of humans speaking and singing. The robot uses 26 facial motors and machine learning to naturally articulate words in multiple languages and even perform songs, overcoming the uncanny valley effect that plagues most humanoid robots with rigid facial expressions.
RoboCup trustee Alessandra Rossi discusses recent changes to the humanoid soccer leagues, including a merger between the Standard Platform League and KidSize Humanoid League to better advance toward the 2050 goal of autonomous humanoid robots defeating the FIFA World Cup champions. The RoboCup Federation is intensifying focus on humanoid robotics research and collaboration across leagues to achieve this ambitious vision.
CES 2026 featured major robotics announcements including Mobileye's $900 million acquisition of humanoid robot developer Mentee Robotics, Oshkosh's launch of an autonomous refuse collection robot (HARR-E), and Amazon's acquisition of Rightbot Technologies for truck unloading automation. Industry leaders discussed the critical role of vision, perception, and AI in robotics advancement, with Starship Technologies highlighting its fleet of over 2,700 autonomous delivery robots that have completed 9 million real-world deliveries.
Carnegie Mellon University alumni Aditya Sripada and Abhishek Warrier developed TARS3D, a shape-shifting robot inspired by the fictional TARS robot from Interstellar that combines wheels and legs for efficient locomotion across diverse terrains. The project was recognized as a finalist for the Mike Stilman Award at the 2025 IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robotics, and both creators now work at robotics startup Nimble Robotics in California.
Humanoid, a robotics startup founded in 2024, has announced a strategic partnership with Schaeffler Technologies to deploy hundreds of humanoid robots across Schaeffler's global manufacturing facilities over the next five years. Under the agreement, Schaeffler will serve as the preferred supplier of actuators for Humanoid's robotic platforms, with initial beta deployments scheduled for 2026-2027, followed by large-scale production integration to drive industrial automation.
TESOLLO Inc. launched the DG-5F-S, a new humanoid robotic hand featuring the company's proprietary actuators, achieving a more compact and lightweight design than its predecessor while maintaining 20 degrees-of-freedom and five-finger dexterity. Priced at approximately 60% of the previous DG-5F model, the sub-1kg hand is designed for compatibility with various humanoid platforms and targets research institutions, startups, and industrial applications ahead of its official launch in H1 2026.
At CES 2024, Chinese tech companies demonstrated a dominant presence with nearly a quarter of exhibitors, particularly in AI hardware and robotics sectors. The article highlights Chinese innovations in AI consumer electronics (educational devices, emotional support robots like Luka AI and Fuzozo), sophisticated household robotics (cleaning robots, home automation), and humanoid robots from companies like Unitree showcasing advanced capabilities like dancing and boxing demonstrations.
This opinion essay examines Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot and Elon Musk's ambitions to deploy a million such robots within a decade, exploring both the practical engineering advantages of the humanoid form and the deeper cultural and emotional implications of human-robot relationships. The author discusses how generative AI has made personal robot companions feel more feasible, while raising important questions about the societal trade-offs between convenience and human connection if we increasingly outsource tasks and companionship to machines.
This weekly tech roundup covers several robotics and AI developments, including Google DeepMind partnering with Boston Dynamics to enhance humanoid robots for factory automation, research showing AI models may converge on similar ways to encode reality, and industry analysis suggesting humanoid robots remain overhyped despite billions in startup funding. The article also touches on AI coding assistants reaching a quality plateau and Meta's nuclear power investments to fuel AI infrastructure.
University of Toronto PhD graduates Aaron Tan and Angus Fung co-founded Syncere, a home robotics startup that developed Lume, a robotic floor lamp disguised as a household appliance that folds laundry. The startup shifted from building traditional humanoid robots to creating furniture-integrated robots after learning that customers found industrial-looking robots too intrusive for home environments, using imitation and reinforcement learning with safety features to make the technology practical for domestic use.
IEEE Spectrum's Video Friday roundup highlights the latest robot demonstrations from CES 2026, featuring new developments from Boston Dynamics and other robotics companies showcasing advancements in humanoid and industrial robotics.
CES 2026 was dominated by physical AI and robotics innovations, marking a significant shift from screen-based AI applications to real-world robotic systems. The event showcased major developments including Boston Dynamics' redesigned Atlas humanoid robot alongside various AI-powered physical systems capable of manufacturing tasks, autonomous flight, and interactive demonstrations.
Humanoid robots competed in the Ultimate Fighting Bots (UFB) competition at CES in Las Vegas, where human pilots controlled robot combatants using motion-sensing controllers to exchange punches and kicks. The event showcases both entertainment value and research applications, as the matches generate body movement data to train robot software, with Boston Dynamics' Atlas project manager attending to observe the humanoid robots' characteristics.
Japan's Science and Technology Agency is developing AIREC (AI-Driven Robot for Embrace and Care), NVIDIA-powered humanoid robots designed to assist elderly care through tasks like cooking, cleaning, hygiene care, and patient repositioning. The Moonshot research program integrates NVIDIA GPUs and Isaac Sim simulation technology to train these robots, with recent research focusing on automating complex caregiving actions like repositioning patients to prevent bed sores while applying appropriate force levels.
The company's vision included humanoid robots, key partnerships and advanced automation goals.
The robotics industry is pushing beyond flashy demos toward practical humanoid robots that can perform real-world tasks in factories and warehouses, but experts caution that achieving true autonomy requires years of development and embodied AI training rather than just large language models. Companies like EngineAI, Robotera, and Boston Dynamics (partnering with Hyundai) are working on humanoid robots for industrial use, though many current systems remain teleoperated rather than fully autonomous, and researchers emphasize that robots need real-world training data to learn practical skills.
Boston Dynamics unveiled its humanoid robot Atlas at CES and announced a partnership with Google DeepMind to enhance the robot's cognitive capabilities. The collaboration aims to integrate advanced AI technology into Boston Dynamics' robotics platform.
The deal aims to support development of physical AI across the fields of autonomous driving and humanoid robotics.
Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics publicly demonstrated its humanoid robot Atlas for the first time at CES 2026, showcasing a robot capable of walking, moving autonomously, and performing various physical tasks. The company announced a production version will be deployed by 2028 at Hyundai's electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Georgia, and revealed a new partnership with Google DeepMind to supply AI technology for its robots.
When large language models hallucinate, they deliver incorrect statistics or problematic advice. But when LLMs are controlling humanoid robots, the problems they create could be worse.
Researchers have developed an advanced robotic skin technology that enables humanoid robots to sense pain and react with reflex-like speed, similar to how human nervous systems trigger immediate withdrawal responses. This breakthrough allows robots to protect themselves from harmful stimuli without requiring conscious computational processing, advancing the sensorimotor capabilities of humanoid platforms.
IEEE Spectrum's robotics editor highlights the six most significant robotics stories from 2025, including challenges in humanoid robot development, the closure of iRobot, and emerging applications in agricultural robotics for livestock management. The article provides a curated overview of major industry developments and trends that shaped the robotics landscape throughout the year.
Researchers at the University of Manchester are developing technology that enables robots to understand human intentions through a 'theory of mind,' combining motor and cognitive intelligence to create more socially aware and trustworthy machines. The PRIMI project aims to create autonomous systems that can anticipate user needs and adapt behaviors in real-time, with planned clinical pilot studies in stroke rehabilitation using humanoid robots.
The Humanoids Summit in Silicon Valley brought together robotics companies and investors to showcase humanoid robots capable of tasks like laundry folding and companion interactions. Venture capital investments in U.S. humanoid robotics companies reached $2.8 billion in 2025, up dramatically from $42.6 million in 2020, with companies like Figure raising over $1 billion and major tech firms positioning robots for manufacturing, household, and enterprise applications.
