Gartner has predicted that fewer than 20 organizations worldwide will deploy humanoid robots at scale by 2028, despite heightened investment and media attention. The research firm attributes the slow adoption curve to unresolved challenges around cost, reliability, safety, and integration into existing workflows.
According to Gartner, most current humanoid projects remain in pilot or demonstration phases, with limited evidence of sustained, high-volume operation. The firm notes that humanoids face higher complexity than task-specific robots, requiring advanced perception, manipulation, balance, and autonomy to function reliably in real-world environments. These requirements significantly increase development and deployment costs.
The outlook highlights a growing gap between expectations and near-term reality in humanoid robotics. While interest in general-purpose robots continues to rise, Gartner’s forecast suggests that scalable deployment will likely remain concentrated among a small number of well-capitalized companies with tightly defined use cases and strong operational controls.