Humanoid takes seven-month path to HMND 01 Alpha - The Robot Report
The Robot Report # Humanoid takes seven-month path to HMND 01 Alpha By Mike Oitzman | Humanoid follows a simulation-first approach using NVIDIA Isaac Lab and Isaac Sim.
Key takeaways
The most recent development in humanoid robotics comes from a proof‑of‑concept completed on 15 January 2026, in which Humanoid’s wheeled HMND 01 Alpha robot was deployed in live operations at Siemens’ Electronics Factory in Erlangen, achieving the target throughput of 60 tote moves per hour, handling two tote sizes, running autonomously for over 30 minutes and maintaining more than eight hours of uptime. This marks the first real‑world industrial test of Humanoid robots and paves the way for a broader partnership aimed at scaling deployment in logistics environments. At the same time, CES 2026 in Las Vegas showcased a wave of new humanoid prototypes—from generative‑AI‑driven models like Italy’s Gene.01 and LG’s CLOiD to Chinese units such as Unitree’s T800 and a high‑speed humanoid claimed to run 11 mph—but observers noted frequent reliability issues, with several bots stumbling, losing balance or failing to perform tasks without human assistance, underscoring that while commercial interest and investment are surging, practical, autonomous performance remains a work in progress.
The Robot Report
Humanoid takes seven-month path to HMND 01 Alpha
By Mike Oitzman |
Humanoid follows a simulation-first approach using NVIDIA Isaac Lab and Isaac Sim. | Credit: Humanoid
By moving from concept to a functional alpha prototype of its HMND 01 system in seven months, London-based startup Humanoid is attempting to compress the traditional robotics hardware development cycle of 18 to 24 months.
The company’s HMND 01 Alpha robots, which include both wheeled industrial and bipedal research platforms, are currently undergoing field tests and proof-of-concept demonstrations.
Central to this development speed is an integrated software and hardware stack provided by NVIDIA.
Edge compute and foundation models cut complexity “We’re currently working closely with NVIDIA and other partners on a new robotics networking system built on Jetson Thor and the Holoscan Sensor Bridge,” he added. “We believe this co-developed open network standard for AI-enabled robots could make a big impact across the industry. Together, we can open the way for software-defined robots.”
Organization scales with HMND 01 deployment
Founded in 2024 by Artem Sokolov, Humanoid now employs over 200 engineers and researchers across offices in London, Boston, and Vancouver. While the bipedal robot remains a research and development tool for future household applications, the wheeled HMND 01 variant is intended for immediate industrial use. Home News Technologies
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