Apptronik Scores $935 Million, Hits Top 3 For Humanoid Robotics Funding - Forbes

Humanoid robots have moved from laboratory demos to real‑world deployments in early 2026. At CES 2026, a wave of announcements highlighted production‑ready machines: Figure AI’s Figure 02 units ran ten‑hour shifts on BMW’s X3 line, handling tens of thousands of parts; Boston Dynamics unveiled a field‑oriented Atlas model and, together with Hyundai, pledged to manufacture tens of thousands of units annually by 2028; Tesla began training its Optimus robots at the Austin Gigafactory using imitation learning, while Qualcomm and NVIDIA introduced new compute platforms and simulation tools for autonomous motion. Commercial roll‑outs are accelerating—Apptronik secured a $520 million round that valued the company at $5 billion and is scaling its Apollo humanoid for factory and warehouse use with partners such as Mercedes‑Benz and GXO, aiming for high‑volume production and pricing around $80 000 per unit by 2027; Hyundai’s Atlas units are slated for shipment to its Robotics Metaplant and Google DeepMind in 2026, with precision sequencing tasks planned for 2028 and complex assembly by 2030. Smaller, safety‑focused designs are also emerging: Fauna Robotics introduced Sprout, a compact humanoid built to operate safely around people in homes, schools and retail spaces. In China, Unitree and other startups showcased full‑size humanoids in the CCTV Lunar New Year gala, and firms like Agibot are preparing IPOs after extensive public performances. Meanwhile, research breakthroughs such as the neural‑blueprint for human‑like intelligence in soft robots from NUS and SMART promise more adaptable, gentle manipulators for assistive and medical applications. Collectively, these developments indicate that humanoid robots are transitioning from novelty prototypes to scalable industrial, commercial and service platforms.

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