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Agibot secures strategic investment from LG Electronics and Mirae Asset

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Chinese humanoid robot developer Agibot has completed a new round of strategic financing, drawing investment from South Korea’s LG Electronics and Mirae Asset, according to reports by Reuters and Yicai Global.

The investment marks LG’s first move into the “embodied intelligence” sector – an area encompassing humanoid robots and AI systems that interact physically with the real world.

It also represents the first global investment from the Mirae Asset-LG Electronics New Growth Fund, which focuses on emerging technologies. Agibot did not disclose the amount raised or the valuation implied by the funding round. [Read more…] about Agibot secures strategic investment from LG Electronics and Mirae Asset

LimX Dynamics debuts full‑size humanoid robot starting at $21,800

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Embodied AI robotics innovator LimX Dynamics has unveiled its flagship full-sized humanoid robot, LimX Oli (internally referred to during development as CL‑3), with base pricing beginning at RMB 158,000 (approximately $21,800).

Standing 1.65 m (5‑foot‑5) tall and weighing around 55 kg, Oli contains 31 degrees of freedom (not counting end-effectors) and is designed as a general-purpose research and integration platform for AI researchers, robotics developers, and solution integrators.

The robot’s modular hardware/software architecture and evolving development toolchain support the full pipeline from algorithm experimentation to system deployment. [Read more…] about LimX Dynamics debuts full‑size humanoid robot starting at $21,800

Midea unveils humanoid robot at AI event in China

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Midea, the home‑appliance giant and parent company of Kuka Robotics, unveiled a new humanoid robot prototype at the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, held in late July.

The introduction reflects Midea’s growing ambition in embodied intelligence – the convergence of robotics, AI and real‑world agency.

Industry reporting from South Korea and China indicates that Midea and other appliance titans are channeling “big” investments into household service robotics. Yicai Global estimates Midea has committed CNY 1.5 billion ($208 million) toward an embodied intelligence technology platform.

Analysts note that in early 2025, domestic embodied AI funding across China already equaled the total deployed in 2024 – signaling a pivotal moment in the sector. [Read more…] about Midea unveils humanoid robot at AI event in China

Galbot raises $151 million to scale embodied AI humanoid robots, partners with Bosch investment arm

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Chinese robotics startup Galaxy General Robot Co. – also known as Galbot – has raised $151 million in a funding round led by battery giant CATL and Puquan Capital, bringing its total investment to more than $330 million since its founding in 2023.

The company also announced a strategic joint venture with Boyuan Capital, the investment arm of Bosch Group, to accelerate the global commercialization of embodied AI robots.

Founded by Professor He Wang of Peking University – a Stanford-trained scientist – Galbot specializes in embodied artificial intelligence, which enables robots to perceive and interact with the physical world in a more human-like manner. The company’s technology has applications in retail, automotive, and industrial sectors. [Read more…] about Galbot raises $151 million to scale embodied AI humanoid robots, partners with Bosch investment arm

Can robots play football? Why AI still struggles with physical movement

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The world’s first AI robot football match shows how far we still have to go

At first glance, it looked like a slow-motion parody of the world’s most beloved sport. On a small indoor pitch in Beijing, teams of humanoid robots wobbled across the turf, scanning the field with glowing blue eyes, tripping over their own feet, and occasionally collapsing in awkward heaps. At one point, two machines had to be stretchered off after failing to stand up again.

Yet for the engineers behind the event, this wasn’t a failure – it was a breakthrough.

Staged in June 2025, China’s first fully autonomous robot football match marked a milestone in the development of embodied artificial intelligence. Each of the robots, including several built on the well-known Nao platform, played without any remote control or manual input. [Read more…] about Can robots play football? Why AI still struggles with physical movement

China hosts world’s first fully autonomous humanoid robot football match

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Beijing has hosted what is believed to be the world’s first fully autonomous football match between humanoid robots, marking a milestone in the development of embodied artificial intelligence.

Held on June 28 in the Yizhuang Development Zone, the match featured four teams of robots developed by Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University and China Agricultural University. In the final, the THU Robotics team beat the Mountain Sea team 5-3.

Each robot operated entirely without human control, using onboard cameras, sensors, and deep reinforcement learning algorithms to detect the ball, make tactical decisions, and navigate the field. Organizers say the event represents a breakthrough in real-time AI decision-making in dynamic physical environments. [Read more…] about China hosts world’s first fully autonomous humanoid robot football match

What is a robot? From mechanical helpers to intelligent agents

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This is the first in a series of articles in which we ask – and try and answer – the most frequently asked questions in robotics

Ask anyone what a robot is, and you’ll likely get a confident answer: “A machine that walks and talks like a human.”

Some people may offer something slightly more technical – perhaps “a programmable machine that can carry out tasks automatically”.

Both are right, to a point. But as we dig deeper, we find that the question “What is a robot?” quickly becomes more complicated than it first appears. [Read more…] about What is a robot? From mechanical helpers to intelligent agents

The rise of embodied AI: Robots that learn by doing

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By Laura Pérez, PAL Robotics

As robotics becomes more deeply integrated into society, a new paradigm is taking shape: embodied artificial intelligence (AI).

Unlike traditional AI, which operates in abstract digital environments, embodied AI enables robots to learn by doing; connecting perception, cognition, and action through direct physical interaction with the world.

This shift toward embodied intelligence is rapidly gaining traction in both academic and industrial fields, particularly since embodied AI has become more accessible and relevant. [Read more…] about The rise of embodied AI: Robots that learn by doing

Humanoid robots forecast to see ‘14-fold market expansion in five years’

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The global market for humanoid robots, widely categorized as “embodied AI”, is projected to grow rapidly over the next 10 years – and is expected to see a ‘14-fold market expansion in five years’ , according to IDTechEx. 

This surge is fueled by major players like Tesla and BYD, who plan to expand humanoid deployment in their factories more than tenfold between 2025 and 2026, aiming for over 25 percent cost reduction per humanoid robot.

With 2025 seen as the industry’s take-off year, IDTechEx anticipates the market for humanoid robot sensory components, including LiDAR, encoders, torque sensors, 6-axis sensors, IMUs, MEMS sensors, and cameras, to reach approximately $10 billion within 10 years. [Read more…] about Humanoid robots forecast to see ‘14-fold market expansion in five years’

AI² Robotics CEO talks up ‘better spatial intelligence’ of company’s robots on CNBC

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Shenzhen-based AI² Robotics – which has raised “hundreds of millions of yuan” in funding investment – is emerging as a notable player in the advanced automation space, focusing on what they term “embodied AI”.

This approach seeks to empower physical entities, like their innovative robots, to intelligently learn from and interact with their surroundings.

A compelling example of their work is the Alpha Bot, a sophisticated machine that integrates an autonomous mobile robot base with a dual-armed collaborative system, and a humanoid torso and head, designed for versatility in complex environments. [Read more…] about AI² Robotics CEO talks up ‘better spatial intelligence’ of company’s robots on CNBC