The humanoid robotics market is heating up. By all accounts, this is just the beginning.
Governments, major corporations and investors are pouring funding into a growing array of robotic startups. Humanoid robots are starting to enter the workforce as confidence in their potential grows. As China races to mass produce humanoids, roboticists are making huge breakthroughs that used to be confined to science fiction.
The market is so dynamic it’s nearly impossible for anyone to keep up. The following are just some notable recent humanoid robot developments.
Tesla Optimus Gen 2
Tesla has deployed two Optimus humanoid robots to perform tasks in its factory.
The automaker casually announced the news about the AI-driven robots on Elon Musk’s X platform in a post chronicling its notable achievements in history. According to Tesla, the Optimus design has undergone three major revisions in the past two years. Its hand design has been revised four times.
Optimus was announced in 2021 during a Tesla artificial intelligence day event. The humanoid robot is engineered to handle dangerous, repetitive, or boring tasks and to coexist safely alongside humans in daily life.
Elon Musk claims Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot could boost its value to $25 trillion.
“I think everyone in the world is going to want one. Tesla would basically make about a trillion dollars of profit a year from that,” he said during the 2024 Tesla shareholder meeting.
He didn’t specify when Tesla could meet that market cap, and the prediction was met with skepticism. Musk confirmed Tesla plans to start selling the robots in 2025 on his X platform. He said they’ll be offered as rentals before they’re available for sale.
Figure 01 at BMW
This humanoid robot named Figure 01 is shown here working at the BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The AI robot was developed by Figure, which describes itself as a first-of-its-kind AI robotics company bringing a general-purpose humanoid to life.
The Figure 01 is 5’6″ and weighs 130 lbs. It can lift up to 45 lbs. It’s designed to automate difficult and unsafe industrial tasks. Figure released the footage as an update to its partnership announcement with the German automaker earlier this year.
GXO Logistics Deploys Apollo
A humanoid robot named Apollo is being deployed in warehouses for one of the world’s largest logistics companies as a proof of concept for wider use.
GXO Logistics is teaming up with Apptronik to test using the robot to work alongside humans lifting heavy boxes and crates. The Apollo humanoid robot stands 5’8″ and weighs 160 lbs. It can lift up to 55 lbs and is intended for tasks like moving boxes, totes, and crates within warehouses. GXO Logistics operates 869 warehouses across 27 countries, employing nearly 100,000 people.
Brain-on-Chip Integration
Chinese scientists say they’ve created a robot with a brain made from human stem cells. It’s a step toward human hybrid robotics. The brain-on-chip technology developed by researchers at Tsinghua University enables the artificial brain to learn tasks like gripping objects.
According to the South China Morning Post, the team used neural stem cells to construct the brain for the humanoid robot. The researchers said integrating human stem cells into robotic minds can empower machines to perform more complex tasks like living organisms.
3D Printed Robot Face Model with Human Tissue
This smiling 3D face model is made with living human cells. Scientists from the University of Tokyo and Harvard 3D printed tiny anchor holes inspired by human skin to attach the living tissue to the robot. The design helps the skin stick better and keeps it from over-shrinking. The technique could make way for humanoid robots with lifelike self-healing skin. The findings were reported in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
XBot L Climbs Great Wall of China
Robot Era just announced the achievement with a video showcasing the humanoid robot’s advanced mobility and problem-solving skills. Climbing sections of the Great Wall, the robot handled uneven terrain, winding stairs, and dark archways. Possible applications for the robot are in construction and disaster relief. Robot Era, also known as Beijing Kingdong Era Technology, develops and commercializes humanoid robots and embedded intelligence technologies.
Sanctuary AI Secures Funding for AGI Robotics
Sanctuary AI has secured another round of funding from Canadian investors to bring artificial general intelligence into the physical world. The Vancouver-based company announced new investments from BDC Capital’s Thrive Venture Fund and InBC Investment Corp, bringing the startup’s total funding to more than $140 million.
Sanctuary says Generation 7 of its Phoenix robots have improved human-like movements, visual perception, and tactile sensing, allowing them to perform complex tasks for longer periods. The speed of automating new tasks has accelerated 50-fold.
HumanPlus Boxing Robot
The HumanPlus robot can learn to box by shadowing and mimicking fast complex human motions. The humanoid robot developed at the Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Lab can also play table tennis and fold laundry by copying human actions observed with cameras and sensors.
It requires 40 hours of human motion data for training. Just under 6 ft tall, the Human Plus robot is equipped with two RGB cameras and has 33 degrees of freedom.
It’s powered by motors that generate up to 360 Nm of torque. Its battery life lasts about 2 hours. In a new research paper, the Human Plus team said they plan to improve the robot’s abilities and fix issues with its movement and pose estimation.