Humanoids dance and thread needles as Japanese robotics developers look to outdo Chinese - AP News
1 of 5 | Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, right, of Osaka University talks to android robot Geminoid at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026.
Key takeaways
The most recent headlines show that humanoid robotics is moving from research prototypes toward large‑scale manufacturing and commercial deployment. In late May, NVIDIA announced an open reference design built on its Isaac GR00T platform that pairs a Unitree H2 Plus body, Sharpa five‑fingered hands and the new Jetson Thor board with Blackwell‑class GPUs, and the company said sales to research labs such as Stanford and ETH Zurich will begin later this year. At the same time, NVIDIA confirmed the partnership with Unitree in a CNBC report, noting that the combined system is intended to make “physical AI” accessible to any university or startup. Also in May, EngineAI unveiled its Shenzhen Intelligent Manufacturing base and rolled out the first batch of T800 full‑size humanoids, announcing a 10,000‑unit delivery capability that marks a shift to mass production. Figure AI reported a dramatic acceleration of its BotQ line, increasing output of the Figure 03 robot from one unit per day to one per hour within 120 days and achieving first‑pass yields above 80 percent, while also launching fleet‑management tools such as OTA updates and fault‑recovery “fallback ladders.” The Robot Report highlighted several industry moves, including London‑based Humanoid partnering with Bosch and Schaeffler to scale production, 1X Technologies beginning full‑scale production of its low‑noise NEO robot in California, and Fraunhofer IPA releasing a new benchmark for evaluating humanoid performance. Complementing these commercial advances, NIST has proposed its first standardized performance benchmark for humanoids since the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge, aiming to give the market a common way to measure capability. Finally, the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo showcased a range of demonstrations—from dancing robots and needle‑threading to bipedal platforms handling everyday objects—underscoring both the rapid technical progress and the growing interest from academia, industry and the media in deploying humanoid robots across factories, warehouses and eventually public spaces.
1 of 5 |
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, right, of Osaka University talks to android robot Geminoid at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
2 of 5 |
A humanoid robot poses for photo at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
3 of 5 |
High Torque’s Mini Pi bipedal robot is operated at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
4 of 5 |
A robot demonstrates picking up a pair of socks at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
5 of 5 |
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University talks to android robot Geminoid at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill) 2 of 5
A humanoid robot poses for photo at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
Share
Facebook Copy
Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit
3 of 5 |
High Torque’s Mini Pi bipedal robot is operated at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
3 of 5
High Torque’s Mini Pi bipedal robot is operated at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
Share
Facebook Copy
Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit
4 of 5 |
A robot demonstrates picking up a pair of socks at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
4 of 5 4 of 5
A robot demonstrates picking up a pair of socks at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
Share
Facebook Copy
Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit
5 of 5 |
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University talks to android robot Geminoid at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
5 of 5
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University talks to android robot Geminoid at the Humanoids Summit 2026 in Tokyo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ayaka McGill)
Share
Facebook Copy
Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit
By YURI KAGEYAMA
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]
Mentioned in this article