Robots and humanoids: news, videos and where things stand

Understanding the topic

Why everyone is talking about it now

For decades robots stayed inside factories, repeating the same movement behind a safety cage. What is new is that AI models, the same ones that learned to understand text and images, are now used to let a machine see, understand and act in places that were not prepared for it. That is why companies such as Tesla, Figure, Unitree and Boston Dynamics are showing humanoids that walk, grasp objects and carry out simple tasks.

Humanoids: between demos and reality

A polished video is not yet a product. The questions to ask about every announcement are always the same: is the robot acting on its own or being remotely controlled? How long does the battery last? What does it cost, and who is really using it outside the lab? For now the first concrete uses are in logistics and on production lines, where tasks are repetitive and the environment is controlled. The home, full of surprises, remains the hardest goal.

Not only humanoids

The robotics that already works often looks less spectacular: robotaxis carrying passengers without a driver in some cities, drones for deliveries and inspections, surgical robots guided by the doctor, arms in warehouses, rovers and satellites that decide for themselves because they are too far away to be steered. Following all of it together helps to see where the technology is mature and where it is still a promise.

What we follow

• new humanoid models and their first real uses in factories and warehouses
• autonomous driving: robotaxis, permits, accidents and rules
• drones, home robots and care robots
• robotics in space, at sea and in agriculture

Latest news on robots and humanoids

• Eka Robotics raises $150M to scale its vision-force-action model for robotsThe Robot Report · 24 Oct
• Hottest toy for Christmas? Nvidia CEO plays with adorable Microduck robots, 20,000 sellTechCrunch AI · 23 Oct
• Webinar to discuss how the FCC robotics ruling affects automation buyersThe Robot Report · 23 Oct
• Generative Bionics to launch Physical AI Data Factory in ItalyThe Robot Report · 23 Oct
• MIT scientists build a tiny robot that swims using living muscle cellsScienceDaily Robotics · 23 Oct
• A tiny defect in a crystal reveals a big quantum surpriseScienceDaily Robotics · 23 Oct
• Uber rival inDrive eyes 2027 robotaxi tests in Central Asia with Pony AI and NvidiaTechCrunch AI · 23 Oct
• Dream Labs raises $90M and launches Dream APIThe Robot Report · 22 Oct
• Eiliko maker says it’s hiring an ‘independent security firm’ after Verge report on its insecure robotsThe Verge AI · 22 Oct
• People are taking an unapproved weight-loss drug. AI found something surprisingScienceDaily Robotics · 22 Oct

Videos

Unitree Introducing: H2-X Kung Fu Legend GuardianUnitree Robotics · 21 Oct Cooking with Codex: Ep. 1OpenAI · 20 Oct Unitree Introducing: UniUni Intelligent Swarm Control SystemUnitree Robotics · 16 Oct

Timeline

The most widely covered story of each day, newest first. The list grows over time; each headline links to the original article.

• 24 Oct Schneller als die Weltmeister: Diese KI schlägt die besten Drohnenpiloten (t3n)
• 23 Oct Hottest toy for Christmas? Nvidia CEO plays with adorable Microduck robots, 20,000 sell (TechCrunch AI)
• 22 Oct Dream Labs raises $90M and launches Dream API (The Robot Report)
• 21 Oct Elon Musk erwägt Fusion von Tesla und SpaceX (Heise KI, 2 outlets)
• 20 Oct Amazon apre un secondo laboratorio di robotica in Europa e investe oltre 16 miliardi (Hardware Upgrade, 2 outlets)
• 19 Oct Unleash AI Innovation: The Power of NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition Fueled by PNY-Supplied GPUs (The Robot Report)
• 18 Oct How to choose a BLDC motor for robotic arms and mobile robots (The Robot Report)
• 17 Oct ADI explains the race to make AI physical (The Robot Report)
• 16 Oct MassRobotics opens applications for Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program (The Robot Report)
• 15 Oct Stryker invests $400M into CMR Surgical (The Robot Report)
• 14 Oct AI can act exactly like a human, but we still don't think it's conscious (ScienceDaily Robotics)
• 13 Oct Anthropic study warns that small AI models could soon replicate across everyday devices (The Decoder, 2 outlets)
• 12 Oct Closing the reality gap: Why real-time execution has become the new competitive advantage (The Robot Report)
• 11 Oct Will ‘boring’ robots win in the real world? Why robotic form should follow workflow (The Robot Report)
• 10 Oct Why dexterity is physical AI’s real bottleneck (The Robot Report)
• 9 Oct Why humanoid robot demos still fail the generalization test (The Robot Report)
• 8 Oct SafeWorld emerges from stealth to build, deploy robot safety simulation technologies (The Robot Report)
• 7 Oct PTC acquisition positions Schneider Electric to challenge Siemens (The Robot Report)
• 6 Oct Boston Dynamics appoints former Amazon exec Rohit Prasad as new CEO (The Robot Report)
• 5 Oct FCC robot restrictions could accelerate shift to local AI (The Robot Report)
• 4 Oct How robotics and physical AI can responsibly tackle key physical security challenges (The Robot Report)
• 3 Oct Google manda l’IA nello spazio: in orbita il primo prototipo di Suncatcher (AGI Innovazione)
• 2 Oct Eli Lilly, Purdue to share field learnings on human robot interaction at RoboBusiness (The Robot Report)
• 1 Oct This light-powered AI can spot deepfakes with nearly 98% accuracy (ScienceDaily Robotics)
• 30 Sept The Robot Report parent Arrowfly launches AI for Engineers platform, events for engineers navigating AI (The Robot Report)
• 29 Sept ForceN to give a crash course on force and torque sensing for humanoids at RoboBusiness (The Robot Report)
• 28 Sept Gecko Robotics works with NVIDIA to add AI agent security and control (The Robot Report)
• 25 Sept ‘Concerning’ low sea ice persists as Antarctic hits third-lowest winter peak (Carbon Brief)
• 22 Sept MIT’s tiny flying robot gets 450% faster with AI (ScienceDaily Robotics)
• 19 Sept This tiny organism can shrink to one quarter its size in milliseconds (ScienceDaily Robotics)

Frequently asked questions

What is a humanoid robot?

It is a robot shaped roughly like a person, usually with two legs, two arms and hands able to grasp objects. The idea is that it can move and work in places built for people, without having to change them.

Are humanoid robots already on sale?

Some models can be bought by companies and research centres, and a few makers have announced versions for the public. For the most part, though, these are still pilot projects in factories and warehouses: prices, battery life and reliability vary a lot from one announcement to the next, which is why it pays to follow the news with the source.

What is the difference between a robot and artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is the software that recognises, predicts and decides; the robot is the machine that acts in the physical world. A robot can work without AI by repeating programmed movements; AI lets it adapt to situations nobody planned for.

Do self-driving cars really exist?

Yes: in some cities around the world, robotaxi services run with no driver on board, within set areas and conditions. Fully autonomous driving everywhere and in any weather is not yet a reality.

Will robots take people's jobs?

They mainly automate repetitive, tiring or dangerous tasks, which changes jobs more than it wipes them all out at once. The effects depend on the sector and on how fast robots are adopted: FAIND also follows this on its AI and work page.

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