From iCub to humanoids: Generative Bionics raises $81M - The Robot Report
For the last few years, humanoids have dominated conversations in robotics. Every week, new humanoid companies are popping up around the world, and established companies are bringing in large funding rounds.
Key takeaways
In early December 2025, several major developments signaled rapid progress in the humanoid‑robot sector. AGIBOT announced the rollout of its 5,000th mass‑produced humanoid robot, highlighting improvements in stability, reliability and durability that aim to meet a broader range of industrial needs. A contemporaneous intelligence report warned that China is poised to dominate the global humanoid‑robot race, citing its leadership in patent filings and projecting eventual deployments of hundreds of millions of units to offset demographic decline. In the United States, Google DeepMind partnered with Apptronik to showcase a home‑use humanoid capable of performing everyday chores such as loading a dishwasher and storing groceries, demonstrating the fusion of high‑quality hardware with foundation‑model AI for general‑purpose tasks. Chinese firm Unitree released dramatic footage of its larger H2 humanoid engaging in kick‑boxing‑style combat, revealing new teleoperation capabilities and advanced hands that broaden functional scope. Meanwhile, startup 1X secured a partnership with EQT to supply up to 10,000 “Neo” home‑type humanoids to the investor’s portfolio companies for manufacturing and logistics applications beginning in 2026. In Europe, Italy’s Generative Bionics raised €70 million ($81 million) to fund its first production plant and to prepare a full‑scale humanoid for a CES 2026 debut, reinforcing expectations that the humanoid market could exceed €200 billion by 2035. Together, these announcements underscore accelerating commercialization, expanding applications from factories to households, and intensifying geopolitical competition in the race to deploy billions of humanoid robots in coming decades.
For the last few years, humanoids have dominated conversations in robotics. Every week, new humanoid companies are popping up around the world, and established companies are bringing in large funding rounds. “Our mission is to build a future where intelligent humanoid robots collaborate daily with people, amplifying human cognitive and physical potential,” said Daniele Pucci, CEO and co-founder of Generative Bionics. “Our Physical AI enables us to design and manufacture human-inspired robots that create tangible value across multiple applications. According to leading international analyses, the humanoid robotics market will exceed €200 billion by 2035 and could surpass $5 trillion by 2050. This is Generative Bionics, an Italian humanoid robot developer, raised €70 million ($81.2 million) in funding. The company said the new funding will help it develop its product, train physical AI systems, and construct its first production plant. Generative Bionics said it is also finalizing its first industrial deployment contracts, which it will announce in early 2026.
The company plans to unveil the complete version of its first humanoid at CES in Las Vegas.
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