As 2026 rumbles into life, the humanoid robotics field has generated fresh headlines that underscore both the accelerating pace of innovation and the widening range of actors entering the race.
In Shanghai, robotics startup DroidUp unveiled Moya, billed as the world’s first biomimetic embodied intelligent robot, capable of walking with near-human gait, showing micro-expressions, and maintaining warm skin designed to support more natural interactions with people.
At the same time, a growing wave of Chinese industrial groups – including major automakers and tech conglomerates – has signalled their entry into humanoid robotics, expanding the field from research prototypes to platforms aimed at commercial use cases. [Read more…] about The state of humanoid robotics: From research labs to real-world potential