Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Humanoids

Pioneering roboticist Rodney Brooks says humanoid robots matching human skills is ‘pure fantasy’

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Rodney Brooks, the renowned roboticist and co-founder of iRobot (maker of the Roomba), has published a lengthy critique of the current humanoid robotics wave, arguing that today’s approaches will not deliver human-level dexterity on useful timelines.

The essay, titled “Why Today’s Humanoids Won’t Learn Dexterity” was posted on his personal blog on September 26, 2025. In it, Brooks says the idea that humanoid robots will be able to do the manual things that humans do any time within decades is “pure fantasy thinking”.

Brooks frames dexterous manipulation as the core requirement for general-purpose humanoids to make economic sense. [Read more…] about Pioneering roboticist Rodney Brooks says humanoid robots matching human skills is ‘pure fantasy’

Kepler begins mass production of hybrid-architecture humanoid robot

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Shanghai-based Kepler Robotics has started mass production for its humanoid robot, the K2 “Bumblebee”, which the company describes as the world’s first commercially available humanoid built on a hybrid architecture.

The move signals a shift from research prototypes to large-scale deployment and is being billed as a milestone for the global humanoid robotics industry.

Kepler said it has already signed framework agreements covering several thousand units, with a total contract value in the hundreds of millions of yuan. [Read more…] about Kepler begins mass production of hybrid-architecture humanoid robot

AiMOGA humanoid robot becomes first to achieve European certification

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AiMOGA Robotics, a business unit of Chinese automotive company Chery, says its “Mornine” humanoid robot has become “the first to officially achieve three core EU certifications – CE-MD (Machinery Safety), CE-RED (Radio Equipment), and EN 18031 (Cybersecurity and Data Protection)”.

This makes Mornine “the world’s first humanoid robot certified in both hardware and software under the European Union framework”, says the company.

The certifications were conducted by TÜV Rheinland, a globally recognized independent testing organization. The CE-MD certificate covers mechanical, electrical, and functional safety across system design and development. [Read more…] about AiMOGA humanoid robot becomes first to achieve European certification

1X unveils humanoid robot for the home as it seeks to raise $1 billion in new funding

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1X, a pioneer in humanoid robotics, has unveiled its NEO Beta, a prototype of its bipedal humanoid designed for home use. The release came just before news emerged that the company is looking to raise $1 billion in new funding, according to The Information.

NEO Beta represents a significant advancement in robotics, moving beyond traditional, stiff robots to humanoids with bio-inspired designs that can safely work among people.

The NEO Beta launch marks a major milestone for 1X as the company transitions from conceptual development to bringing humanoid robots into consumer households. [Read more…] about 1X unveils humanoid robot for the home as it seeks to raise $1 billion in new funding

Nexcom to launch ‘safety-centric humanoid robot controller’

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Nexcom has unveiled the MARS400 T10, a humanoid robot controller designed with Nvidia Jetson Thor, at the recent Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robot Show.

The controller integrates AI computing, motion control, and Nexcom’s in-house functional safety system into a single modular platform.

By eliminating the latency and space demands of multi-platform architectures, the MARS400 T10 enables smaller footprints, smoother human-like movements, and longer operating times for humanoid robots. [Read more…] about Nexcom to launch ‘safety-centric humanoid robot controller’

PAL Robotics brings TIAGo Pro and Kangaroo to Asia

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PAL Robotics, a pioneer in humanoid and service robotics, is taking part in two of the most important robotics events in Asia this fall: the 8th Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL 2025) from September 27-30 in Seoul, South Korea, and the 24th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids 2025) from September 30 to October 2, also in Seoul.

These events are an opportunity to showcase TIAGo Pro, PAL Robotics’ versatile mobile manipulator, and Kangaroo, the company’s latest humanoid platform.

Advancing robotics research towards industry

PAL Robotics has spent over 20 years developing humanoid and mobile platforms that support researchers and companies worldwide.

Today, its robots are used to explore fields such as locomotion, grasping, human-robot interaction, and assistive robotics, bridging research and deployment across healthcare, industry, and education.

TIAGo Pro, the user-friendly mobile manipulator, is meant for Human-Robot interaction (HRI). Its advanced navigation and perception makes it an ideal platform for embodied AI and robot learning.

At the same time with Kangaroo, PAL Robotics introduces an agile humanoid robot designed as a legged manipulator for dynamic tasks and advanced locomotion research.

Showcasing innovation in Seoul

PAL Robotics will highlight how both TIAGo Pro and Kangaroo act as platforms for robot learning. Visitors will not only see but also try TIAGo Pro’s teleoperation demo, guiding the robot’s movements in real time.

This hands-on experience demonstrates how teleoperation enables intuitive control, provides valuable data for training robot learning algorithms, and connects AI models with real-world interaction.

At Humanoids 2025, under the global theme “Humanoids Moving Towards Industry”, Kangaroo will appear in live demonstrations, including the first edition of the Robot Fashion Show, walking the runway to showcase its unique design and architecture.

Expanding presence in Asia

By bringing these robots to Asia, PAL Robotics underlines its commitment to strengthening collaborations with researchers, universities, and businesses across the region.

These events are not only an opportunity to demonstrate technological progress, but also to connect with the local community.

After doing the laundry, Figure AI humanoid robot loads the dishwasher

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Helix, humanoid robotics specialist Figure AI’s Vision Language Action (VLA) model, has shown it can “adapt to dramatically different real-world challenges with nothing more than new data”.

After folding laundry and rearranging packages, Helix is now taking on another everyday task: loading a dishwasher.

At first glance, loading a dishwasher sounds like a simple task – just pick up each object and place it in the dishwasher. [Read more…] about After doing the laundry, Figure AI humanoid robot loads the dishwasher

Techman Robot unveils humanoid prototype, aims for 2026 launch

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Techman Robot, a maker of collaborative robotic arms and a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Quanta Computer, has unveiled its first humanoid robot prototype, the TM Xplore I, and plans to bring it to market in 2026.

The robot was introduced last week at the Taipei Automation Intelligence and Robot Show, where the company described it as a “next-generation humanoid platform” designed for industrial and service applications.

Unlike bipedal humanoids being developed by companies such as Tesla and Unitree, Techman’s robot uses a wheeled base for stability and efficiency in factory and warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Techman Robot unveils humanoid prototype, aims for 2026 launch

Unitree dominates inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games with four gold medals

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Unitree Robotics has emerged as the standout performer at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) in Beijing, taking home four gold medals across some of the event’s most competitive categories. (See video below.)

The Chinese robotics company clinched victories in the 1500 m race, 400 m race, 100 m obstacle course, and 4×100 m relay, marking a historic sweep at the debut competition.

A highlight of the Games was the speed milestone achieved by Unitree’s humanoids, which clocked 4.78 m/s during competition, with the company noting that its latest internal tests have already surpassed 5 m/s – a benchmark that sets a new pace for humanoid robotics. [Read more…] about Unitree dominates inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games with four gold medals

Galbot becomes first company ‘in the world’ to integrate Nvidia Jetson Thor into a humanoid robot

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Galbot has integrated Nvidia’s Jetson AGX Thor platform into its G1 Premium humanoid robot, aiming to accelerate performance and expand commercial deployment across retail, healthcare, and logistics. The company claims it is the “first in the world” to use the new Nvidia chip tech in a humanoid robot. 

Unveiled at the World Robotics Conference (WRC), the G1 Premium now delivers 7.5x the AI compute of Nvidia Jetson Orin and 3.5x greater energy efficiency. The upgrades enable faster, smoother motion, real-time reasoning, and higher-precision autonomy.

Professor Wang He, founder and CTO of Galbot, says: “Our G1 Premium, now running on Nvidia Jetson Thor, has already demonstrated remarkable advancements in speed and improved real-time reasoning capability. This early adoption empowers us to push our proprietary VLA models to new levels of real-world capability.” [Read more…] about Galbot becomes first company ‘in the world’ to integrate Nvidia Jetson Thor into a humanoid robot