Interview with Columbia professor and co-founder of SceniX Yuhnzu Li: ‘Simulation is central’ - Robotics & Automation News
He also explains why warehouses, factories, laboratories, and retail environments are likely to see widespread robotic deployment before ordinary homes, and what still needs to happen before robots can operate reliably in truly unstructured environments.
Key takeaways
- The most recent developments show a rapid shift from prototype demonstrations toward large‑scale manufacturing and commercial deployment of humanoid robots. In China, Lingyi iTech’s new Beijing factory has already built 300 units and is targeting 10,000 this year, with a long‑term goal of 500,000 annually by 2030, a scale that could cut the typical $30,000 price tag dramatically. Meanwhile, the Chinese market shipped more than 13,000 humanoids in 2025, and analysts expect sales to more than double to around 28,000 units in 2026, with a possible million‑unit annual volume by the early 2030s, although demand still trails production capacity.
- Outside China, Standard Bots secured a $200 million Series C round that lifted its valuation to $1 billion, underscoring investor confidence in mass‑producing humanoids. Figure AI announced an accelerated manufacturing line and a logistics partnership with Catalyst Brands to field its humanoid platforms in distribution centers.
- On the technology front, Sharpa integrated its Wave tactile robot hands into Unitree’s H2 Plus humanoid reference design, creating the first dexterous humanoid built on Nvidia’s Isaac GR00T framework. This move highlights a broader industry emphasis on manipulation and tactile sensing rather than just locomotion.
- In Europe, the UK‑based company Humanoid sealed a proof‑of‑concept partnership with Bosch, positioning the venture for scaled production, while Agile Robots unveiled its AgileONE humanoid and a suite of force‑control systems at the Robot Technology Japan event, demonstrating advanced embodied AI and collaborative capabilities.
- Academic research is also progressing: MIT researchers introduced a wearable ultrasound wristband that captures fine hand‑muscle movements in real time, providing a new source of training data that could help future humanoids achieve human‑level dexterity.
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He also explains why warehouses, factories, laboratories, and retail environments are likely to see widespread robotic deployment before ordinary homes, and what still needs to happen before robots can operate reliably in truly unstructured environments.
Interview with Yunzhu Li
Robotics & Automation News: There has been enormous attention around humanoid robots recently, particularly around manufacturing scale and deployment targets. Do you think the industry is becoming overly focused on locomotion rather than real-world manipulation capability?
Yunzhu Li: I would not say the industry is ignoring manipulation. People understand that manipulation is critical for unlocking the real commercial potential of humanoid robots. R&AN: There is currently a huge amount of investment flowing into humanoid robotics. From your perspective, where do you think expectations are realistic, and where might the industry be overestimating near-term progress?
YL: Expectations around hardware, manufacturing, and locomotion are relatively realistic. We will continue to see humanoids become more capable, reliable, and easier to produce at scale.
Where I think expectations may be too aggressive is general-purpose manipulation in fully unstructured environments. I expect faster progress first in semi-structured settings, such as warehouses, factories, labs, or retail backrooms, where the environment can be partially standardized and the task distribution is clearer. Skip to primary navigation Skip to primary sidebar Skip to secondary sidebar
Robotics & Automation News
Where Innovation Meets Imagination
Interview with Columbia professor and co-founder of SceniX Yunzhu Li: ‘Simulation is central’
by Sam Francis
The robotics industry is enjoying a surge of investment, media attention, and ambitious promises about the future of humanoid machines.
Companies are announcing plans to manufacture thousands of robots, while advances in artificial intelligence have fueled expectations that general-purpose robots may soon become commonplace in factories, warehouses, workplaces, and even homes.
Yet beneath the excitement lies a fundamental technical challenge that many researchers believe remains far from solved.
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