Robotics for good: Startups tackling social and environmental challenges - Robotics & Automation News
Social robots also play a role. SoftBank Robotics has explored educational and care-oriented deployments of its humanoid platforms, particularly in settings where companionship and engagement matter as much as functionality.
Key takeaways
LG is set to unveil its newest service robot, the CLOiD humanoid, at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, presenting a fully humanoid form with dual seven‑degree‑of‑freedom arms and five‑fingered hands. The company will showcase the robot at Booth 15004 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, highlighting its integration of AI safety research through recent investments in firms such as Figure AI, Agibot and Dyna Robotics. In parallel, the Chinese market continues to accelerate, with Unitree’s latest humanoid model, the H2, demonstrated this year and drawing attention for its dancing capabilities, while analysts note that China is currently outpacing the United States in early commercialisation of humanoid robots. Industry observers also point out that despite a surge of venture funding—$4.6 billion invested in 2025—the commercial availability of fully autonomous, safely operable humanoids remains a few years away, and the sector is experiencing a wave of reality‑check scrutiny at events like CES and the Humanoids Summit.
Social robots also play a role. SoftBank Robotics has explored educational and care-oriented deployments of its humanoid platforms, particularly in settings where companionship and engagement matter as much as functionality.
While the commercial models are still evolving, the broader lesson is clear: in assistive robotics, adoption hinges on human-centred design rather than raw technical capability.
Fragile planet: Environmental and conservation robotics Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
Mentioned in this article