Humanoid Robots: Major Developments for XPeng and Unitree

Footnotes:

1XPeng, XPENG REPORTS Q2 2026 RESULTS: GROSS MARGIN REACHES 20.7%, OVERSEAS MARKET DRIVES 25% OF H1 REVENUE, as of August 26, 2026

2XPeng, IRON, THE FIRST GENERAL-PURPOSE HUMANOID ROBOT, ROLLS OFF XPENG'S NEW PRODUCTION LINE, as of September 8, 2026

3BBC, Chinese robotics giant Unitree soars in stock market debut, as of 19 August 2026

4Interesting Engineering, Video: Unitree’s humanoid claims to outrun Usain Bolt and jump 6.5 feet vertically, as of August 18, 2026

Article by Edward Sheldon

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Author is a contractor of Leverage Shares LLC, a U.S. affiliate of Themes Management Company LLC. Leverage Shares LLC provides certain services to Themes under an intercompany services agreement.

Latest Research Insights Note that on September 8, XPeng officially commissioned its humanoid robot production line2, manufacturing its first advanced humanoid. This resulted in an IRON humanoid autonomously walking off the production line, marking a critical leap from R&D prototyping to production-line manufacturing.

Looking ahead, management believes that the launch of its IRON humanoids will generate meaningful gross profit growth for the company. This will support continued R&D investment in physical AI.

Unitree Completes IPO and Launches “Superman” Model

Elsewhere in the humanoid robotics space, Unitree Robotics completed its highly-anticipated IPO in August. This saw the Chinese company – which delivered 5,500 humanoids in 20253 – raise approximately $905 million3. 2x Long Anthropic

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Article by Edward Sheldon

September 11, 2026 | Research

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While generative AI apps like ChatGPT and Claude continue to capture the public spotlight, physical AI is quietly gaining momentum in the background. The humanoid robotics sector, in particular, is seeing rapid, tangible breakthroughs with many manufacturers getting close to mass production.

Here, we are going to highlight some recent developments within the humanoid robotics field. As the technology moves towards commercialization, these companies are worth watching.

XPeng is Nearing Mass Production