Hate it or love it, humanoid robots are here.
Amid an international technological arms race, a truly staggering number of AI-powered machines are emerging basically every day. Depending on who you ask, they could usher in an age of abundance or a dystopian future. Or they could become something investors look back on and cringe.
Regardless, the following are the humanoid robots that could one day be your coworker, your companion, or the robocop that hauls you off to jail.
Realbotix’s Hyper-realistic Androids
The year kicked off as CES 2025 in Las Vegas, where Realbotix Corp. stole the show with what it calls the m ost lifelike fake humans money can buy.
During the show, the Nevada-based AI and robotics firm showcased its flagship humanoid, Aria, and its latest service robot named Melody. Their booth was packed with visitors including Howie Mandel, who said, “Wow, this is a good robot!”
Though born out of Abyss Creations, which made the life-sized doll in the 2007 indie comedy Lars and the Real Girl, Realbotix insists its robots today are for business applications.
Realbotix sells its robots for prices ranging from $20K for an AI-enabled bust to more than $175K for a full-bodied variant. According to Realbotix, Melody uses upgraded Dynamixel servomotors and can be easily disassembled to fit into a suitcase. Realbotix says its upgraded platform is LLM agnostic, integrating with AI models like ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama, Google DeepMind’s Gemini, and DeepSeek.
Mirokai by Enchanted Tools
A more family friendly CES favorite, Mirokai from Enchanted Tools, debuted an enhanced design.
Around 80 percent of the social robot’s parts changed, giving it a sleeker look and smoother mobility. In early 2025, DeepMind selected the French startup as one of only five trusted partners for integrating its Gemini Robotics AI model with its humanoids.
In a recent demo, an anime-inspired Mirokai robot helps a woman find her lost glsases by scanning the room with its Gemini-powered vision system.
Apptronik’s Google-Powered Apollo
DeepMind introduced its Gemini AI model for robotics in March with a demo featuring Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot understanding voice commands and solving real-world tasks on its own.
Google is a strategic advisor in Texas-based Apptronik, contributing to its nearly $400 million Series A funding round. Apollo humanoids are currently training for industrial tasks for Mercedes-Benz. According to Reuters, the German automaker has invested between $10 million and $14 million into the robotics startup.
Apptronik plans to eventually employe Apollo humanoids to manufacture other Apollo humanoids. If that happens, the hands that are used on the production could be from another Texas startup, PSYONIC, which finds itself uniquely situated within two rapidly expanding and increasingly competitive niches.
Figure’s Autonomous Robots
While Apptronik counts on Google’s artificial intelligence to supercharge Apollo’s robot brain, the Silicon Valley unicorn Figure AI decided to build its own AI, saying only inhouse tech could make its humanoid truly smart and useful.
Figure unveiled its Helix AI model after cutting ties with OpenAI in February 2025, a year after first announcing its partnership to explore end-to-end robot intelligence together. The Helix vision-language-action (VLA) model has a dual system. One system handles slow thinking, interpreting vision and language, while the other handles fast motor control in the robot’s arms and toros.
Figure says it has two commercial clients: BMW and unnamed logistics company. Figure founder Brett Adcock has said he was so confident in Helix that he plans to test Figure’s next-generation Figure 03 humanoids at homes two years earlier than initially planned.
Figure is building out a manufacturing facility called BotQ to scale production of its AI-powered humanoid. It will be the second facility for mass producing humanoids in the United States. Agility Robotics opened the first plant in late 2024 in Salem, OR, where the company plans to scale to 10,000 units a year.
During a recent appearance on Herbert Ong’s podcast, Adcock said next-gen bots are being built at the plant now. As the startup aims to scale to thousands of robots, the founder claims Figure has no major supply chain bottlenecks. Figure is targeting 100,000 humanoids manufactured within the next four years.
1X’s NEO for Homes
While Figure focuses on industrial applications for initial deployments, another well-funded startup, 1X Technologies, is targeting everyday life.
By the end of 2025, the startup plans to test its NEO Gamma humanoids in a few hundred to a few thousand homes as part of an early access program. Participants are required to sign an NDA.
1X, which was founded in Norway in 2014 and is now headquartered in Sunnyvale, says the latest iteration of its NEO robot has a home-friendly design and upgraded body control so it can walk, pick up objects, open doors, and much more.
The startup developed its own Redwood AI model using a vision-language transformer that helps NEO understand and interact with people and objects even in unfamiliar homes. Founder Bernt Bornich has said NEO robots will eventually cost about the same as a non-luxury car.
Clone’s Freakish Androids
While 1X’s robots give some people the creeps, it’s nothing compared to Clone Robotics, whose synthetic human prototypes have been compared to the host drones in the HBO show Westworld.
The startup’s Protoclone android is built with a full set of polymer bones and fully articulated joints linked by artificial ligaments. Clone describes the android as faceless and anatomically accurate. According to Clone, more than a thousand myofiber artificial muscles deliver lifelike movements, contracting quicker than human muscles. Its heart is a 500W pump that circulates hydraulic fluid at up to 40L a minute to mimic blood flow and power muscles.
Protoclone perceives its surroundings with four depth cameras in its skull, 70 inertial sensors, and 320 pressure sensors. It has more than 200 degrees of freedom (DoF), 164 in its upper torso, for highly humanlike mannerisms.
Clone, which operates out of the US and Poland, has almost 50 employees and plans to expand its presence in the Bay Area to push AI training on its fake humans.
China’s Westworld: EX Robots
Another startup that leans into the Westworld comparisons, China’s EX Robots, is apparently enhancing the mobility of its ultrarealistic humanoids.
The Dalian-based firm is executing on an aggressive growth strategy it says is already delivering returns. Launched in 2016, EX Robots says its algorithms emphasize emotional perception and expression.
According to China’s National Business Daily, EX has standardized a half-body service robot priced around $110K. The humanoid is tailored for roles like corporate greeters and museum guides.
EX says its fake humans are used in science and tech museums across China. The company opened its first EX Future Science and Technology Museum in 2021 and a dedicated production facility in 2024. EX has also expanded its scope to the animal kingdom, recently sharing a video of a hyper-realistic robotic horse.
China’s Synthetic Human Market
EX is among a growing group of Chinese firms focused on developing robots that look, talk and act like real people.
AheadForm, launched in 2024 by Columbia PhD Yuhang Hu, has gone viral for its lifelike robotic heads that can predict people’s emotions. Earlier this year, the startup introduced its Real Elf series of robotic humanoid heads that feature up to 30 artificial muscles as well as a hyper-realistic monk android.
AnyWit Robotics, which was spun of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei in December 2023, is racing to commercialize its desktop androids. Its flagship humanoid, Anni, bears a striking resemblance to the world-famous Ameca from Engineered Arts, a British company that recently restructured as a US entity to scale production of its robots.
Chinese humanoids with humanlike skin are entering the business world. The automotive manufacturer Chery, China’s largest exporter of passenger vehicles, collaborated with the tech firm Aimoga on its Mornine android. According to reports, more than 220 of the robots have been deployed at Chery dealerships to greet customers, offer multilingual sales consultations, recommend vehicles, conduct showroom tours, and serve refreshments.
In Shenzhen, the startup DIGIT recently introduced its flagship hyper-realistic humanoid robot named Xiao Lan. Chinese robotics leader UBTECH also recently unveiled its first ultrarealistic humanoid robot, named Una, at the LEAP 2025 tech conference in Saudi Arabia.
UBTECH’s Industrial Humanoids
UBTECH shocked the world in March 2025 with footage of a so-called intelligent swarm of its industrial humanoids working at a Zeekr EV factory.
UBTECH recently established a dedicated manufacturing facility to produce robots from its Walker line. The company expects to deliver between 500 and 1,000 of its Walker Series humanoids, including its next-generation Walker S2 model expected later in 2025.
According to UBTECH, the second-generation Walker S robot will be lighter, stronger, and equipped with a better vision system. UBTech says its BrainNet Swarm intelligent framework enables multiple robots to collaborate on tasks using cloud-assisted artificial intelligence.
Shenzhen’s Humanoid Army
UBTECH was founded back in 2012 in the high-tech city of Shenzhen, which is often called the Silicon Valley of China. The city is home to tech giants like Huawei, drone manufacturer DJI, Tecent, BYD, and the EV maker Xpeng, which plans to start mass producing its IRON general-purpose robots in 2026 while investing as much as $14 billion in humanoid tech over the next two decades.
Shenzhen’s government is actively supporting the humanoid robotics sector, aiming to build a nearly $14 billion industry by 2027.
Among the major players is Pudu Robotics, which recently shipped its 100,000th service robot. Pudu is commercializing its wheeled and bipedal humanoids using its sizable client base. Its flagship is the PUDU D9, a full-sized bipedal robot that’s built to serve in places like warehouses, stores, and hotels. According to reports, it’s priced between $20K and $30K.
Pudu Robotics is in the same lane as Shanghai-based Keenon Robotics, which has also manufactured more than 100,000 mobile robots. Keenon is developing its XMan humanoid robot designed to work alongside the firm’s wheeled delivery and cleaning bots. The humanoid on wheels has a reported 36 DoF and arms with dexterous hands for tasks like picking up luggage and bartending. Priced around $100K, Keenon’s XMan is positioned as a premium humanoid helper.
kenan is developing its X-Man humanoid robot designed to work alongside the firm’s wheel delivery and cleaning bots the humanoid on wheels has a reported 36° of freedom and arms with dextrous hands for tasks like picking up luggage and bartending priced around a h 100red grand Kenan’s X-Man is positioned as a premium humanoid helper.
A new Shenzhen firmed called AI² recently closed a funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan to push its AlphaBot 2 general-purpose humanoid to commercialization. Founded in 2023, AI² says its so-called global and omnibody VLA model combines slow reasoning and fast motion planning so its robots can talk, plan, and move in real-time with 360° spatial sensing. With more than 34 joints and 6 hours of battery life, the AlphaBot is intended for complex continuous work in places like factories.
A newer Shenzhen firm, Lumos Robotics, has reportedly raised nearly $28 million in angel funding to develop a full-stack humanoid robotics platform. The first Lumos prototype, called the LUS1, debuted in early 2025. The second-generation iteration emerged in June, demonstrating the ability to get up from the ground in just 1 second.
According to Lumos, the next-gen bot features upgraded actuators and sensors for athletic-level dexterity. Lumos develops its own hardware inhouse as well as its embodied AI brain that merges vision, language, action and touch for end-to-end robot reasoning and control. Lumos says it’s partnering with Damon Technology to co-develop robot components and build an application ecosystem for smart factories and logistics.
Shenzhen Dobot, which began as Kickstarter campaign and grew into a nearly $3 billion company is rushing to mass produce its first full-sized humanoid robot. Dobot launched the Atom humanoid in March 2025, priced around $27K. Standing 1.5 meters, Atom features a straight-knee gait, which the robotics firm says cuts energy use by about 42 percent.
EngineAI’s Sci-Fi Inspired Robots
The one Shenzhen firm that’s gotten the most attention outside the usual tech echo chambers is EngineAI.
The startup has become known for its acrobatic robots that walk, talk, and dance eerily like real people. Behind the theatrics, however, lies a much deeper ambition. Within five years, EnigneAI wants its AI-powered humanoids to have soul.
EngineAI rocked the robotics world in fall 2024 when it emerged from seemingly out of nowhere with its flagship humanoid, the SE01. The full-sized general-purpose humanoid’s shockingly realistic walking gait immediately set a new benchmark for lifelike bipedal locomotion. The breakthrough was thanks to a novel end-to-end neural network that continuously adapts and optimizes movements in real-time.
Their visibility reached new levels in April 2025 when the popular streamer IShowSpeed paid the firm a visit during a livestream from Shenzhen. It was a high-stakes moment for the startup as the demo wasn’t in a controlled environment and there was no option to edit. The robot stumbled at one point but the crew played it off and swiftly brought out a replacement.
NEURA’s German Approach
Though Shenzhen has a reputation for rapid technological innovation, it’s not for everyone.
Neura Robotics, which originated in Shenzhen as Han’s Robot, moved from mainland China to founder David Reger’s homeland of Germany in 2019. The company premiered the third iteration of its 4NE1 humanoid robot at Automatica 2025 in Much. According to Neura, the robot features 360° omnidirectional perception skin sensors to detect touch, dual batteries for 24/7 uptime, and joints powerful enough to lift up to 100 kg.
China’s Short Humanoids
When EngineAI released its short humanoid, the PM01, in December 2024, it was particularly disruptive for its starting price below $14K, which undercut Unitree’s then record-low price for its G1 humanoid robot.
Like the Hangzhou-based firm’s quadrupeds, Unitree’s short king has become a popular platform for researchers, developers, and hobbyists.
Humanoid robots about the height of fifth graders are exploding in popularity thanks to their lower costs, faster development cycles, and rising demand in research, education, and service industries. China has an early advantage in th emerging niche market.
The Lingxi X2 by Shanghai-startup AgiBot went viral for its ability to ride a bicycle, a scooter, and a hoverboard. It sports a flexible impact-resistant shell and 28 DoF. According to AgiBot, the humanoid uses a multimodal interaction model called Silicon Light Motion Language to read facial expressions and emotions and adjust its gestures and tone accordingly.
It processes commands and situational information through AgiBot’s Go-1 AI model, which also powers the firm’s other humanoids, including its full-sized A2 general-purpose robot that serves as PepsiCo’s first Chinese robotic brand ambassador. AgiBot, which says it started mass producing humanoids back in late 2024, launched three versions of the Lingxi, ranging in price from around $14K to more than $55K.
Meanwhile, the T1 by Beijing-based Booster Robotics is becoming popular in robot competitions thanks to its agility and durability. Booster Robotics entered the market as the French company Aldebaran Robotics, maker of the popular humanoid NAO, was winding down, making them the new go-to platform for robot competitions.
Open-Source Humanoids
Also in Beijing, an innovation hub known as X-Humanoid has open-sourced its full-sized humanoid robot, Tiangong. An upgraded version, called Tiangong Ultra, easily won the world’s first humanoid robot half marathon in Beijing in April 2025.
The growing ubiquity and affordability of China’s humanoids has supercharged a push in the West for open-sourced alternatives to robots that cost in the six figures.
Hugging Face says it plans to bring the entry price into humanoid robots to a record low. The highly influential AI company collaborated with The Robot Studio, a French firm founded by Rob Knight in 2006 that specializes in biologically inspired robotic hardware.
The full-sized robotic humanoid called HopeJR is entirely open sourced. It’s built with off-the-shelf components and 3D-printed parts. The robot has a reported 66 DoF for complex movements, bipedal locomotion, and object manipulation. Outfitted with dexterous hands, HopeJR can be controlled remotely using specialized gloves that replicate the wearer’s hand movements.
Hugging Face has also unveiled Reachy Mini, a compact desktop-friendly humanoid robot. The Reachy Mini is a scaled-down version of the $70K full-sized version developed by Pollen Robotics, Bordeaux startup Hugging Face acquired earlier this year. Pricing is estimated between $250 and $300, depending on tariffs.
Hugging Face plans to start shipping both robots by the end of 2025.
Hugging Faces the robot platform which offers AI models and data sets for robotics development hugging Face also unveiled Reichi Mini a compact desktop friendly humanoid robot reachi Mini is a scaledown version of the $70,000 full-size version developed by Pollen Robotics the Bordeaux startup Hugging Face acquired earlier this year pricing is estimated between $250 and $300 depending on tariffs hugging Face plans to start shipping both robots by the end of 2025.
K-Scale Labs’ Disruptive Tech
Just a year after its launch, Palo Alto-based K-Scale Labs is already ruffling feathers in the robotics world. Founder Benjamin Bolte, an engineer who’s worked on robotics for Tesla and Meta, came out swinging like 50 Cent in early 2025, causing tension in Silicon Valley with veiled jabs at unicorn rivals, especially Figure AI.
Bolte insists that making robots open and affordable is the only wat to get billions of them into the real world. When he criticized Figure’s philosophy about doing everything in-house and questioned its transparency, founder Brett Adcock called him an “idiot.”
“I, personally, am very excited about the world’s best humanoid robot being open source and shared by everyone and built for developers by developers,” Bolte said with a smirk during a recent K-Scale webinar.
Bolte founded K-Scale in 2024 after leaving Meta, where he worked on the AI research team teaching robots and computer systems to learn from the world around them. He previously worked at Tesla as a senior autopilot engineer, writing the CUDA code behind a 3D vision system that served as the first perception model for the EV maker’s Optimus humanoid robot.
K-Scale has open-sourced its simulation to reality pipeline as it takes preorders for two budget humanoid robots. Z-Bot is priced just under $1K, stands 46 cm, and its geared toward students and developers. Its full-sized humanoid, the K-Bot, is priced at $9K.
Unitree’s Unicorn Status
Back in China, Unitree Robotics recently achieved unicorn status with a valuation of $1.3 billion after a late June 2025 funding round like by tech giants like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent.
The company recently opened an expanded manufacturing facility in Hangzhou and is building out satellite locations throughout China. Unitree touched off a dance off of sorts in early 2025 when 16 of its full-sized H1 humanoid robots captivated the world during the Spring Gala festivities aired on primetime Chinese television.
Unitree spent early 2025 sharing clips of its shorter humanoid, the G1, performing increasingly impressive dance and martial arts moves. According to Unitree, the improved precision and fluidity was thanks to an algorithm update.
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas Still Has It
China’s viral robot videos seemingly inspired other developers to put their humanoids to the test.
The leading Massachusetts robotics firm Boston Dynamics joined in showing the world its world-famous Atlas humanoid robot still had it. The robot can now pull off somersaults, cartwheels, handstands, and even breakdancing moves.
Boston Dynamics unveiled the newly updated Atlas in April 2024 with a fully electric design for quieter, sleeker, and more agile performance. Atlas now boasts superhuman vision that combines 3D spatial awareness and real-time object tracking to sense dynamic environments thanks to a partnership with LG Innotek.
Boston Dynamics is owned by Hyundai, which is reportedly trialing the robots at its plants in the US for tasks like sorting car parts and maneuvering heavy loads as part of a large-scale robotics plan. The South Korean automaker plans to purchase tens of thousands of robots, including Atlas, to integrate into its manufacturing operations.
Persona AI’s Shipbuilding Humanoids
Hyundai is also working with Houston-based Persona AI to transform the future of shipbuilding.
Founded in 2024, Persona AI is led by Nic Radford, the former lead of NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid robot program and founder of Nauticus Robotics. Jerry Pratt, formerly of Figure AI, serves as chief technology officer.
The team recently secured $27 million in pre-seed funding to build rugged humanoids for heavy industry applications. Persona AI has already struck a memorandum of understanding with HD Hyundai, the global shipbuilding giant, and others to deploy humanoid welding bots in shipyards. They plan to deliver functional prototypes by late 2025 and start deployments beginning in 2027.
Foundation’s Humanoids for War
While Persona AI plans to develop its robots for very specific use cases, another rising startup hopes to eventually deploy its autonomous humanoids onto the battlefield.
Sankeat Pathak, the former CEO of the fintech firm Synapse, launched Foundation in May 2023. Its flagship robot is known as the Phantom MK1. They’re developing the general-purpose robotic humanoid for applications in manufacturing, logistics, as well as defense.
While other leading humanoid developers like Boston Dynamics and Unitree have pledged to not build robots for lethal applications, Foundation is notably eager. Phantom is wheeled for now but Pathan recently said Foundation will move to only bipedal locomotion by the end of 2024.
According to The Information, Foundation is trying to raise $100 million for a valuation of $1 billion.
Ray Kurzweil’s Humanoid
If successful, the fundraising round would put Foundation in the same league as Ray Kurzweil’s startup, Beyond Imagination, which recently raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Gauntlet Ventures.
According to Reuters, the investment elevates the company’s valuation to $500 million, positioning it as a significant player in the humanoid robotics industry. It’s the same amount that 1X Technologies used in 2024 to advance the development and market introduction of its second-generation robot NEO.
Kurzweil and scientist Harry Kloor founded Beyond Imagination in Burbank in 2018. They introduced its flagship humanoid, Beomni, at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. The company originally pitched Beomni as a robotic avatar with evolving capabilities.
Hexagon’s AEON
The race to integrate humanoids into smart manufacturing is heating up as the Swedish industrial automation powerhouse Hexagon fast tracks its AEON into the workforce.
Hexagon launched a dedicated robotics division in March 2025 to accelerate investments in autonomy and AI-powered systems. Hexagon has a huge advantage going to market with its 40,000 customers across manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, construction, logistics, and other sectors.
Their hardware and software are deeply embedded into complex workflows at some of the world’s largest customers. Customers use Hexagon solutions for tasks like quality inspection, machine calibration, factory automation, digital twin creation, surveying, and autonomous navigation. With around 24,000 employees in 50 countries, Hexagon already has the infrastructure to support global deployment, training, and servicing.
Hexagon says it incorporated feedback from customers directly to develop its humanoid. Standing 165 cm, the humanoid has a hybrid bipedal and wheeled locomotion system so it can walk when needed and roll fast across factory floors. According to Hexagon, AEON uses next-gen actuators from Swiss manufacturer Maxon for strong, smooth, and energy-efficient movements.
Humanoids Run on NVIDIA
Hexagon developed AEON in collaboration with NVIDIA, which is positioning itself as the backbone of next-gen robotics.
At Computex 2025, NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang announced an upgraded foundational model for humanoid robots. The Isaac GR00T model helps humanoids reason, adapt, and perform complex tasks using a mix of real-world and synthetic data. The technology can extract training data from a single still image.
Also at Computex, NVIDIA highlighted Nurabot, a healthcare robot developed by Foxconn and Kawasaki to assist nurses in hospitals. Nurabot reportedly reduces workload by up to 30 percent, delivering medicine, carrying samples, and retrieving supplies.
Vietnam’s Industrial Humanoid
Vietnams are also entering Vietnam’s industrial workforce. VinMotion, a subsidiary of Vingroup, recently introduced its first bipedal humanoid robot, called the Motion1.
Designed for light-duty industrial tasks, Motion1 is designed to fit into existing workflows. Backed by $39 million in initial funding, VinMotion says it developed the first prototype in just three months. This marks the Bamboo Nation’s first major humanoid robotics effort since the Topio series of the late 2000s, which focused more on entertainment and research.
Renault’s Headless Humanoid
In France, Renault Group is taking a similar approach as it integrates humanoids into its manufacturing processes.
The automotive manufacturer has invested in Wandercraft, a Paris startup known for its self-balancing exoskeletons. Wandercraft played a key role in the Paris 2024 Olympics torch relay with a paraplegic athlete walking hands-free. Renault led the startup’s $75 million Series D funding round.
Togther, they developed Calvin-40, a headless humanoid built in just 40 days. Calvin uses dynamic balancing algorithms, motorized joints, and gait planning for dangerous factory jobs. Its voice-controlled design supports dexterous hands, grippers, or suction cups.
Renault says it will soon roll out Calvin robots across its factory floors and apply cost-reduction techniques to mass produce Calvin humanoids and Wandercraft exoskeletons.
UK’s Humanoid
The United Kingdom has joined the humanoid craze with the aptly named Humanoid, which is developing a modular flagship robot named HMND01.
Artem Sokolov founded the London based startup, aptly called Humanoid, in 2024. Humanoid has a staff of more than 70 employees. The team includes engineers from Agility Robotics, Sanctuary AI, Boston Dynamics, Apple, and Dyson.
“At Humanoid, our team believes in a future where humans and machines work side-by-side, not in competition, but in harmony,” the founder said in a press release. “This societal shift will address social issues such as workforce shortages and aging population while giving people more freedom to focus on more creative and meaningful work.”
Israel’s MenteeBot
In Israel, Mentee Robotics teased the third version of its MentneeBot in early 2025. The robot features 360° vision and custom actuators that deliver three times the power of its rivals.
The robotics firm, launched in 2022, says the third iteration of its flagship humanoid, the Mentee Bot, features custom-built actuators with three times more power than its predecessor. The humanoid also has enhanced torso mobility and up to 30 NM of pinch force per finger.
Standing 175 cm, the V3 MenteeBot has a reported payload capacity of 25 kg and 40 DoF. The promo also boasts the MenteeBot’s fisheye side camera for 360-degree views and hot-swappable battery packs.
India’s SpaceO Robot
In India, Muks Robotics calls its flagship robot, SpaceO, the nation’s first mass-produced industrial humanoid. The robot boasts a 200 kg payload capacity and an adjustable reach of nearly 2.5 meters, suitable for industrial and domestic use.
The startup, based in Pune, calls the Spaceo Pro the “ultimate partner for flawless industrial operations.” The industrial humanoid is designed for heavy-duty operations with its 200 kg payload capacity. Each arm, with 7 degrees of freedom (DoF), can lift up to 10 kg. Muks touts the wheeled robot’s strength and adaptability.
A variant intended for service tasks, the Spaceo M1, is described as an “autonomous intelligent social humanoid robot” capable of engaging in long conversations in multiple languages.
Japan’s Unique Robot Culture
In Japan, robotics is deeply tied to human well-being. With a median age over 48, and nearly 30 percent of the population over the age of 65, Japan’s Industry 5.0 initiative emphasizes AI, robotics, and big data to tackle labor shortages and help citizens stay connected.
The startup H2L recently introduced its Capsule Interface, an immersive control pod that turns a user’s body into a remote controller. The system captures muscle tension and force, providing haptic realism for what H2L calls true telepresence. Priced from $210K, it’s aimed at enterprise and research markets.
Another Japanese firm gaining attention for its inclusive technology is OryLab, based in Tokyo. Its OriHime robots are designed to empower disabled or ill individuals to participate in social and professional activities. These humanoid robots can be controlled remotely using a smartphone or tablet.
One OriHime model stands just 20 cm tall and allows users to be present in places like classrooms, workplaces, and family gatherings. A larger 120 cm version features movable arms with 14 joints and is mounted on a wheeled base. This larger robot can perform physical tasks such as serving customers and carrying objects.
OriHime robots have connected hospitalized children with their classrooms, enabling them to participate in lessons and interact with classmates despite their absence. At OryLab’s Experimental Avatar Robot Café in Tokyo, individuals with severe physical disabilities remotely serve customers using these robots. The company plans to open a second café in Denmark in fall 2025.
Tesla Bot + Neuralink?
Looking ahead, Elon Musk’s Neuralink is actively working on integrating its brain-computer interface technology with Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. Musk envisions a future where people who have lost a limb, such as an arm or leg, could regain functionality by attaching Optimus robotic limbs.
Tesla says its flagship humanoid robot is learning more like a real human every day. A recent breakthrough enabled Optimus to learn complex tasks directly from internet videos of humans performing them—initially focusing on first-person perspectives. This approach means a single AI robot brain can master many tasks without needing manual step-by-step teaching.