10 Ways Humanoid Robots Are About To Change Everyday Life - Forbes
InnovationEnterprise Tech # 10 Ways Humanoid Robots Are About To Change Everyday Life ByBernard Marr, Humanoid robots are starting to look less like science fiction props and more like the next major workforce technology.
Key takeaways
The most recent developments show a rapid expansion of commercial and research‑focused humanoid robots. In late May, NVIDIA unveiled the Isaac GR00T reference humanoid, built on a Unitree H2 Plus body, equipped with Sharpa five‑fingered hands and the new Jetson Thor compute module, and made available through an open software stack for academic labs such as Stanford, ETH Zurich and UC San Diego. A day later, NVIDIA announced that it will also partner with U.S., European and South Korean makers to broaden the platform, while confirming that the Unitree‑based system will begin sales to researchers later this year. Parallel to these research advances, production is scaling: 1X Technologies started full‑scale manufacturing of its NEO humanoid in Hayward, California, and has secured 10,000 pre‑orders with the first shipments expected before year‑end. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Optimus line has been shifted to the Fremont factory, with plans to reach a capacity of one million units annually, and Figure AI demonstrated three of its humanoids running continuously for over 24 hours in a package‑sorting test, underscoring growing reliability in logistics settings. Industry analysts note that these moves are occurring as the global humanoid market is projected to reach $38 billion by 2035, driven by demand for flexible automation in factories, warehouses, airports and eventually homes.
InnovationEnterprise Tech
10 Ways Humanoid Robots Are About To Change Everyday Life
ByBernard Marr,
Humanoid robots are starting to look less like science fiction props and more like the next major workforce technology.
For decades, the idea of machines shaped like us belonged mostly in movies, research labs and carefully staged tech demos. Now, advances in AI, sensors, batteries and robotics are turning that idea into something far more practical. The goal is simple: build machines that can operate in a world designed for human bodies, using our tools, moving through our buildings and taking on tasks that are physically demanding, repetitive or dangerous. ## Baggage Handling
Loading baggage on and off planes is a physically demanding and repetitive job, and just the sort of thing that humanoid robots should excel at. At Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Japan Airlines is trialing humanoids in this role, in response to the labor shortage the country is currently facing. If proven to work at scale, this could greatly improve airport efficiency and reduce waiting times for customers.
Delivery
Amazon is developing humanoid robots designed for last-mile deliveries. They can be transported close to their final destination in vans, before springing out and delivering their packages across built environments such as housing developments and residential complexes that are hard for vehicles to access.
Care And Companionship Traditional robots are built around specific tasks. Humanoid robots are being designed for a world built around people. That makes them harder to build, but potentially far more flexible once they work well.
The early use cases will likely appear in areas where the business case is strongest: factories, logistics, hazardous work, construction and care. Over time, as costs fall and capabilities improve, humanoid robots could become more common in shops, hotels, schools and homes.
There are still big challenges ahead. Safety, reliability, affordability, regulation and public trust will all shape how quickly these machines are adopted. Businesses will also need to think carefully about workforce impact, job design and the ethical use of human-shaped machines.
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