Humanoid Robots: 18 Companies Racing To Build The Next Big Thing In AI
MORE FOR YOU ### Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Spangram, Answers: Friday, June 19 (Look To The West)") ### Thursday, June 18. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine ### Former Red Sox, New York World Series Champion, Dies After Controversia...
Key takeaways
- Humanoid robots are moving from laboratory demos into commercial reality.
- Forbes reported on June 19 that a wave of companies—including 1X Technologies, Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Tesla, and Samsung—are racing to ship robots that can operate in human environments, with 1X’s Neo already demonstrating chores such as laundry folding and dish‑unloading and slated for home delivery later this year.
- The same outlet noted that while the market remains expensive and enterprise‑focused, models like Unitree’s G1 ($16,000) and 1X’s Neo Gamma (pre‑orders at $20,000 or $499 per month) are now purchasable online, and dozens of thousands of units are being shipped to factories.
- Boston Dynamics confirmed at a Robotics Summit that Atlas will be produced at a scale of up to 30,000 units per year by 2028 after securing enough customers, including Hyundai, for a planned deployment of roughly 25,000 robots in factories.
- Agility Robotics’ Digit is already in service with Amazon, GXO and other logistics firms, and Genesis AI unveiled a non‑humanoid, wheeled robot called Eno, arguing that functional designs may outpace the humanoid trend.
MORE FOR YOU
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Spangram, Answers: Friday, June 19 (Look To The West)")
Thursday, June 18. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine
Former Red Sox, New York World Series Champion, Dies After Controversial Career
1X Technologies
1X Technologies has attracted attention because of its backing from OpenAI and its focus on humanoid robots for the home.
The company has shifted from wheeled industrial robots toward domestic humanoids designed to live and work around people. Its Neo robot is being marketed as a home assistant, which, in demonstrations, has been seen to perform everyday chores such as folding laundry, unloading dishwashers and tidying up clutter. ByBernard Marr,
Contributor.
Summary
Humanoid robots are rapidly transitioning from science fiction to practical applications, attracting significant investment from tech giants and startups. Their appeal lies in operating in human environments and adapting to diverse tasks, promising solutions for labor shortages and hazardous work. Global momentum is accelerating, with China's ecosystem expanding and major players like 1X Technologies, Agility Robotics, Apptronik, Tesla, and Samsung driving commercial deployment. While still nascent, the focus is on developing safe, reliable, and affordable robots for industrial use, with domestic roles emerging later. This shift, integrating AI, advanced sensors, and manufacturing, marks AI's crucial expansion into the physical world. Humanoid robots are having their ChatGPT moment.
PROMOTED
For decades, they belonged in science fiction, glossy lab demos and viral videos. Now they are starting to appear in factories, warehouses and test homes, with some of the world’s biggest technology companies racing against ambitious startups to build robots that can work safely alongside people.
The appeal is easy to understand. Most robots are designed for one specific task. A humanoid robot, in theory, can operate in spaces built for humans, use tools designed for humans and move between different jobs without the need to rebuild the environment around the machine.
Mentioned in this article