Neura Robotics has closed a Series C round of up to $1.4 billion led by Tether, the stablecoin issuer behind USDT, with Tether also planning to integrate its Wallet Development Kit directly into Neura’s robotic systems as the companies argue autonomous robots need financial tools.
Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng has assumed direct leadership of the company’s robotics business, effective immediately, as the EV maker targets mass production of its IRON humanoid robot by the end of 2026 and commercial customer delivery from 2027.
BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li has confirmed the company is developing humanoid robots in-house, with its own EV and battery factories as the first deployment target before a planned consumer rollout through BYD’s existing auto dealer network.
LG Group and NVIDIA have signed a broad strategic partnership covering physical AI and robotics, AI data center infrastructure, and autonomous vehicle systems, with Jensen Huang and LG Chairman Kwang Mo Koo meeting in Seoul to formalize the expanded cooperation.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced a dedicated robotics division tasked with developing hardware, controls, and machine learning for humanoid robots, starting with skilled labor on infrastructure projects and scaling toward a personal robot for everyone.
NVIDIA has announced the Isaac GR00T Reference Humanoid Robot, an open hardware and software platform combining a Unitree H2 Plus chassis, Sharpa dexterous hands, and Jetson Thor onboard compute, targeting frontier humanoid robotics research at institutions including Stanford, ETH Zurich, and UC San Diego.
Tesla is converting its Fremont Model S and Model X line to produce one million Optimus robots annually, but with no consumer sales until late 2027 at the earliest and a $20,000-$30,000 retail price, the company faces a significant unresolved demand question as its automotive gross margins turn negative.
Figure AI has signed a commercial agreement with Catalyst Brands to deploy humanoid robots at the retailer’s Reno, Nevada distribution center, marking Figure’s first commercial deployment with a major multi-brand retail portfolio operator.
Hyundai Motor Group has released a video showing Atlas analyzing and learning soccer movements ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, where the company plans to feature Atlas and Spot at the tournament in roles that may include a ceremonial kickoff.
Across delivery, medicine, construction, agriculture, and defense, robots are moving from controlled pilots into real-world operations at the same time – a convergence economist Richard Baldwin has called “Globotics”, the combined force of globalization and robotics reshaping how work gets done.
UK-based Humanoid has signed a manufacturing agreement with Bosch following a successful proof of concept at Bosch’s logistics facility in Bühl, Germany, with Bosch to serve as contract manufacturer for the HMND 01 humanoid robot for the European market.
Hyundai Motor Group has outlined plans to deploy more than 25,000 Atlas humanoid robots across Hyundai and Kia manufacturing facilities, targeting 30,000-unit annual production capacity by 2028 and domestic U.S. actuator manufacturing at 300,000 units per year.
Unitree Robotics has unveiled the GD01, a manned mecha the company describes as the world’s first production-ready civilian mecha vehicle, weighing approximately 500 kilograms including the driver and starting at 3.9 million yuan ($650,000).
Tesla built its last Model S and Model X at Fremont on May 9, ending a combined 14-year production run as the company converts the assembly space to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots, targeting one million units per year.
Despite record investment, viral demonstrations, and bold commercial timelines, the gap between what humanoid robots can do on camera and what they can reliably deliver in real industrial environments remains significant – and is being increasingly acknowledged by the people building them.