humanoid robots

Unitree soars in Shanghai debut as Europe sounds alarm on robotics gap

Germany's VDMA engineering association called on Wednesday for humanoid robotics and physical AI to be placed at the top of the political agenda in Germany and Europe, warning that a global race for leadership in the sector has begun —…

Unitree Robotics surges 460% in Shanghai debut

China's best-known humanoid robot maker, Unitree Robotics, exploded onto public markets Wednesday with shares surging as much as 629% on the Shanghai STAR Market, marking the largest first-day gain for a new listing in China this year and the first…

China opens World Robot Conference amid tech rivalry with U.S.

The 2026 World Robot Conference opened on Wednesday in Beijing, bringing together more than 300 companies and over 2,000 robotic exhibits in what has become one of the world's largest showcases of automation technology. The five-day event, running through August…

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LG and Nvidia sign deal on humanoid robots, AI factories

LG Corp and Nvidia signed a memorandum of understanding on August 13 at Nvidia's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, formalizing plans to collaborate on humanoid robotics, AI factory infrastructure, and autonomous vehicle technology. LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Nvidia CEO…

Unitree’s $904M robot IPO draws 8,000x oversubscription

Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics has priced its Shanghai Stock Exchange initial public offering at 150.80 yuan per share, seeking to raise 6.1 billion yuan (approximately $904 million) in a deal that makes it the first mainland-listed humanoid robot…

China holds 97% of humanoid robot shipments, report says

Chinese manufacturers commanded more than 97% of global humanoid robot shipments in the first half of 2026, according to new data from California-based research firm Smart Analytics Global, underscoring the country's overwhelming dominance in a sector projected to reshape global…

Unitree prices $904M Shanghai IPO as China’s first listed humanoid robot maker

Chinese humanoid robot maker Yushu Technology, known as Unitree, priced its Shanghai STAR Market initial public offering at 150.8 yuan ($22.34) per share on Thursday, seeking to raise 6.1 billion yuan ($903.86 million) in a deal that makes it China's…

BYD unveils humanoid robot to rival Tesla Optimus

BYD, China's largest electric vehicle maker, has confirmed it will debut its first humanoid robot in early August 2026 at its Di Space experience center in Zhengzhou, entering the rapidly growing robotics race just days after the United States moved…

Google DeepMind launches Gemini Robotics 2 for humanoid robots

Google DeepMind on Thursday unveiled Gemini Robotics 2, a next-generation AI system that extends robot control from the upper body to full whole-body movement, enabling humanoid machines to walk, crouch, manipulate objects, and collaborate with one another.

China says it now makes over half the world’s humanoid robots

China's exports jumped 27 percent year-on-year in June to $412.39 billion, the fastest pace in 53 months, as surging global demand for artificial intelligence hardware, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing lifted the country's trade performance well beyond market expectations.

Samsung creates robotics division reporting to CEO

Samsung Electronics announced on Tuesday the establishment of a new robotics division that will report directly to CEO Roh Tae-moon, marking the company's most aggressive structural move yet in its push to become a major player in AI-powered robots.

Hyundai workers set to escalate strike over humanoid robot plans

Thousands of unionized workers at Hyundai Motor in Ulsan, South Korea, staged a three-day partial strike from July 13 to 15, marking what The Wall Street Journal called the first factory stoppage in the automotive industry directly tied to humanoid…

Robot decapitated in world’s first humanoid combat tournament

A humanoid robot lost its head — literally — during the debut of the world's first freestyle combat tournament for full-sized humanoid robots in Shenzhen, China, on Thursday night. The machine kept fighting anyway.

Robotics CEO says weaponized humanoid tests could begin in 2027

The chief executive of US robotics firm Foundation Future Industries told Euronews Next he expects to begin testing weaponization use cases for his company's Phantom humanoid robots "as early as next year," building on pilot programmes already conducted in Ukraine.

Hyundai strike marks auto industry’s first stoppage over humanoid robots

Workers at Hyundai Motor's South Korean plants launched a three-day partial strike this week after wage negotiations collapsed, marking what The Wall Street Journal called the global auto industry's first factory stoppage tied to humanoid robots. The rolling action, which…

SoftBank’s Son predicts 1 billion humanoid robots by 2040

SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son predicted on Tuesday that one billion AI-powered humanoid robots will be in operation by 2040, as he dismissed concerns about an AI bubble as "absurd" and called for $5 trillion in annual global…

1X clashes with journalist over ‘creepy’ Neo robot hand video

A demonstration video of 1X Technologies' NEO humanoid robot performing delicate tasks with newly unveiled tendon-driven hands has gone viral, igniting a debate that cuts to the heart of how society perceives — and describes — robotic advancement.

Mitsubishi Motors to mass-produce humanoid robots at its Kyoto plant

Mitsubishi Motors announced on Wednesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Highlanders, a University of Tokyo-born robotics startup, to jointly develop humanoid robots and mass-produce them at the automaker's Kyoto Plant, with production targeted to begin as…

1X unveils 25-degree-of-freedom hands for NEO robot

Robotics company 1X Technologies has revealed a new generation of hands for its NEO humanoid robot, upgrading the platform from 22 to 25 degrees of freedom and bringing what the company says is near human-level dexterity to a consumer robot…

First 11-vs-11 humanoid robot soccer match held at RoboCup 2026

Tsinghua University's Hephaestus team successfully defended its humanoid robot soccer championship at RoboCup 2026, defeating fellow Chinese squad CAU Mountain & Sea from China Agricultural University in the Large Division final on Saturday in Incheon, South Korea. The victory came…

Atlas 2026 production fully committed as LG Energy locks in robot battery deals

Boston Dynamics has disclosed that its new electric Atlas humanoid robot features "almost an order of magnitude reduction in complexity" compared to its predecessor, a design philosophy aimed squarely at mass manufacturing and lower costs. Simultaneously, LG Energy Solution has…

Morgan Stanley nearly doubles China humanoid robot forecast to 50,000 units

Morgan Stanley raised its 2026 China humanoid robot shipment forecast for the second time this year on Tuesday, now expecting 50,000 units to ship — nearly double its previous projection of 28,000. The revision reflects accelerating commercial deployment across Chinese…

China’s Agibot livestreams humanoid robots on active factory line

Chinese robotics company Agibot launched a six-day global livestream on Tuesday showcasing its G2 humanoid robots autonomously performing quality inspection and sorting tasks on a live tablet assembly line at Longcheer Technology's factory in Nanchang, China. The broadcast, running June…

Figure AI now has more robots than human employees

Figure AI has crossed a threshold its founder calls a first: the humanoid robotics startup now employs more robots than people. CEO Brett Adcock announced on X this week that the company's robot headcount has surpassed its human staff, with…

China’s humanoid robot boom sparks EV-style price war fears

A wave of new companies flooding into China's humanoid robotics sector is raising alarm among founders and investors who fear the industry is heading toward the kind of destructive price competition that battered the country's electric vehicle market. Caixin reported…

Bosch targets 1 billion euros in humanoid robot revenue

German industrial giant Bosch announced on Wednesday that it is stepping up investment in humanoid robotics, targeting an additional one billion euros in annual revenue from the sector as its traditional automotive business continues to face competitive and pricing headwinds.

Neura Robotics raises $1.4B from Nvidia, Amazon, Tether

German humanoid robotics startup Neura Robotics announced on Wednesday a Series C financing round of up to $1.4 billion, marking one of the largest funding rounds for a European robotics company. The investment includes participation from Nvidia, Amazon Amazon.com, Inc.,…