Archives - September 2026

SUTD’s ALBATROSS robot uses the same wings to slow its fall and sail across water, demonstrating aerial deployment and autonomous navigation in reservoir trials.

Anthropic’s new study finds a wide gap between robot capabilities and affordable deployment, with cost scenarios pointing to decades before broad physical automation.

Eni and Generative Bionics will assess GENE.01 humanoids for industrial applications, linking robotics development with materials expertise and computing capacity.

Figure retires most of its F.02 fleet in a Finnish foundry, with Arnold Schwarzenegger joining the film as newer humanoids take over.

NEURA HealthTech launches with autonomous empty-bed transport, a monthly service model and plans to expand physical AI into hospital logistics and assistance.

Flourish Robots has emerged from stealth with Flourish 1, a $3,555 home robot that learns household tasks in 30 minutes through mobile app demonstration, handling chores including picking up items, loading the dishwasher, wiping tables, and watering plants, with the first 50 pre-orders opening September 29 for December delivery.

Boston Dynamics has launched the Robotics Metaplant Application Center inside Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America near Savannah, Georgia, as the dedicated training hub for Atlas factory deployment, with Hyundai planning 25,000 units across its global plants and a 30,000-unit annual production facility under construction.

The IFR’s annual World Robotics report shows the global industrial robot operational stock rose 9% to 5.08 million units in 2025 with 603,000 new installations, while separately confirming only 7,000 humanoid robots were sold, as Boston Dynamics shelves a listing and Chinese regulators slow humanoid IPOs following Unitree’s post-debut collapse.

Yanxi Technology’s Yansyn-X2 robot demonstrated crying on command at the 2026 Inclusion Conference in Shanghai, using a three-layer system combining conversational AI emotion detection, bionic facial actuators, and a microfluidic tear-dispensing mechanism, as part of a broader affective computing push in Chinese consumer humanoids priced from 400,000 yuan.

Tesla has reached hundreds of Optimus robots per week in production – a tenfold increase from Q2 2026 levels – and is on track for 1,000 units weekly by year-end, but reports acknowledge that task generalization, hand durability, and supplier issues mean production volume is no longer the primary bottleneck.

Emirates Group is developing next-generation airport robots capable of completing passenger check-in via facial recognition and passport scanning, receiving and tagging luggage, and transporting bags autonomously, with a formal launch planned for Q1 2027 through the airline’s in-house robotics laboratory.

NASA’s Dexterous Robotics Team is testing humanoids, robotic arms and control software to support future Moon and Mars missions, with iMETRO trials focused on practical tasks.

Unitree says 19 humanoid robots performed alongside 120 dancers at the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 opening ceremony. The company’s video showcases coordinated movement in a live production before an audience it puts at more than 10,000.

Vesoma says it built walking humanoid prototypes within six months and has grown to more than 60 people in Munich and Limassol. The startup is developing robots that learn through interaction, with manufacturing and logistics as its initial focus.

The International Federation of Robotics has published its first-ever humanoid robot count, placing global 2025 sales at approximately 7,000 units for industrial and professional service use, with most going to research institutions and AI training programs rather than productive factory deployment.