A visit to Unitree's Hangzhou factory revealed that most actuator production still relies on human workers using traditional winding machines, with only one or two automated lines in operation. Unitree's own IPO prospectus describes its viral robot-assembly video as a pilot project, noting assembly is 'currently mainly manual.' Financial filings show the company's total machinery was valued at roughly $1.7 million despite producing nearly 32,000 robots in 2025, implying about $50 of equipment per robot.
josef.cn
· 2026-11-07
German startup Neura Robotics operates a Munich facility where up to 100 humanoid robots from various companies practice physical tasks like stacking boxes, picking up parts, and gripping objects, guided remotely by human trainers. The New York Times was given first-ever media access to the site, which Neura uses to generate real-world training data that doesn't exist in the volumes available to language models. Neura, which raised up to $1.4 billion from investors including Nvidia and Amazon in June, already runs a similar gym in Hangzhou, China, and plans five such facilities globally by the end of next year.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-31
Krafton, the maker of PUBG, says it plans to use its experience building AI game teammates to help humanoid robots better understand and interact with people. The move comes as investment pours into humanoid robotics, with companies like Figure and Skild AI recently raising over $1 billion each to develop machines capable of physical work.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-30
Speaking after GM's New York event unveiling its AI-driven 'intelligence-defined vehicle' strategy, chief product officer Sterling Anderson said he does not believe humanoid robots are the right tool for building cars. The broader roadmap centers on centralized computing, new battery chemistries, and virtualized engineering aimed at cutting vehicle development time roughly in half.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-27
Elon Musk said on SpaceX's latest earnings call that there is
theverge.com
· 2026-10-22
AGCO, maker of Massey Ferguson and Fendt farm equipment, is partnering with Agility Robotics to test humanoid robots at its Hesston, Kansas facility starting in 2027. The two-legged robot, Digit, will initially handle sorting, stacking parts and moving storage totes rather than assembling machinery. Neither company disclosed the number of robots involved, the deal's value, or plans for wider deployment.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-22
Agility Robotics, founded by Jonathan Hurst from his Oregon State robotics lab, has launched Digit 5, a humanoid robot built to perform warehouse tasks such as lifting 23-kilogram bins onto high shelves. The robot runs for 90 minutes per 9-minute charge and is designed for sustained, shift-long physical labor. Hurst notes the final design is bulkier and less graceful than earlier research robots like ATRIAS, reflecting commercial tradeoffs made to deliver a working product.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-10-19
The September 18 San Francisco event pitted influencer Frankie LaPenna against three remotely operated humanoid robots in MMA-style bouts, with LaPenna winning two of three matches. California officials have now said the event was held illegally, raising the possibility of legal consequences for organizers if they attempt to stage a repeat.
hardware.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-19
Beijing-based NeodraDynamics Robotics showcased Neo1, a 13-foot, 1.2-ton humanoid robot, at the China International Industry Fair. The company says its hydraulic-electric hybrid drive gives it 41 degrees of freedom, a lifting capacity over 1,100 pounds, and micrometer-level positioning accuracy, with resistance to underwater pressure and harsh conditions.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-16
South Korea's industry ministry approved a regulatory sandbox exemption allowing 20 bipedal robots from robotics firm Robros to operate alongside human workers without the barriers normally required under industrial safety rules. The robots will be deployed at Nepes, Sungwoo Hitech, HD Hyundai Samho, and Delivery Lab, performing tasks like cleaning semiconductor components, positioning car parts, stacking brackets, and moving logistics packaging. The trials will follow additional safety standards, and data from them will inform a broader revision of robot safety regulations.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-15
A research paper describes a new adaptive motion planning and tracking approach intended to help humanoid robots perform agile, sports-like movements. The work, shared via an industry research hub requiring registration, focuses on enabling robots to adjust their motion in real time to track dynamic targets, similar to a skilled athlete.
content.knowledgehub.wiley.com
· 2026-10-12
Nvidia introduced Halos for Robotics in 2026, a safety architecture designed to enable secure deployment of autonomous robots and humanoids. The system includes hardware like the IGX Thor module, which integrates safety functions directly into the silicon. This move expands Nvidia’s safety solutions beyond autonomous vehicles to broader physical AI applications.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-08
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