Chinese 'robot brain' startup sees ChatGPT-style breakthrough as soon as next year
BEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Humanoid robots will be able to complete most general-purpose tasks from verbal instructions as soon as next year, although becoming useful around the house will take much longer, said the head of a leading Chinese company deve...
Key takeaways
- The most recent coverage shows a rapid expansion of both hardware and software capabilities for humanoid robots.
- In September 2026 Boston Dynamics inaugurated the Robotics Metaplant Application Center at Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant America, where multiple Atlas units are being trained for complex manufacturing tasks.
- Around the same time, Chinese startup Spirit AI announced that its embodied‑AI “robot brain” could enable humanoid robots to follow verbal instructions for most general‑purpose tasks as early as next year, after a series of breakthroughs that now let its Moz1 robots operate across large spaces and execute continuous workflows.
- Reuters also reported that the International Federation of Robotics recorded sales of about 7,000 humanoid units in 2025—far fewer than the 90,000 projected for 2026 and the 1.2 million expected by 2030—highlighting the still‑nascent market.
- XPeng demonstrated its Iron humanoid robot walking autonomously off the assembly line immediately after being built, signalling a move toward volume production slated for 2027.
BEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Humanoid robots will be able to complete most general-purpose tasks from verbal instructions as soon as next year, although becoming useful around the house will take much longer, said the head of a leading Chinese company developing robot brains.
After impressive hardware advances allowing Chinese humanoids to sprint, dance and do backflips on command, robot firms are increasingly focusing on the software that determines robots' intelligence and enables them to do more economically productive tasks, a field known as "embodied AI".
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"The brain is indeed the weakest linkv in the complete robotics stack," Gao Yang, co-founder and chief scientist of Spirit AI, told Reuters at its Beijing offices on Thursday. ## FOCUSED ON BRAINS
Spirit AI currently has tens of its own Moz1 wheeled humanoid robots deployed on production lines at battery maker CATL and retailer JD.com, which is also an investor.
The 300-person startup has raised over $670 million since its 2024 founding, making it one of China's most rapidly capitalised embodied intelligence firms. It is currently valued at 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion). Gao declined to comment on any plans for an initial public offering.
"Progress is extremely fast. When Spirit AI was founded, a robot could perform only one isolated task well, like pouring water or folding a piece of clothing," said Gao.
"Today, robots operate across large spatial areas and execute continuous complex workflows."
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