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Aaron Saunders, former chief technology officer at Boston Dynamics, announced on LinkedIn that he has joined Google DeepMind‘s robotics group. He had worked at Boston Dynamics from September 2003 to July 2025.
Key takeaways
The most recent headlines on humanoid robots focus on two high‑profile demonstrations. On Nov. 14, 2025, Russia’s first AI‑driven humanoid, AIDOL, stumbled and fell onstage during a Moscow technology forum while the “Rocky” theme played, prompting widespread media coverage of the mishap and highlighting the prototype’s 77 % Russian‑made components and expressive silicon skin. In parallel, Chinese electric‑vehicle maker Xpeng Motors unveiled its IRON humanoid at its AI Day in Guangzhou, showcasing a robot with 82 degrees of freedom—including 22 in each hand—and fluid, human‑like movement; the company plans to begin limited deployments by 2026 and has already released a feminine edition that emphasizes a natural gait on a balance beam. Both events underscore the rapid progress and remaining technical challenges in bringing commercially viable, lifelike humanoid robots to market.
Aaron Saunders, former chief technology officer at Boston Dynamics, announced on LinkedIn that he has joined Google DeepMind‘s robotics group. He had worked at Boston Dynamics from September 2003 to July 2025.
XPENG unveils feminine edition of IRON humanoid
Xpeng unveiled the latest edition of its IRON humanoid robot this week. The robot has distinct female features, albeit with a generic head/face, so it’s not intended to be hyper-realistic. Most notable is the gait of the robot, which Xpeng claimed is the smoothest, most natural of any humanoid released thus far. In a video, the robot appears to walk a balance beam or tight rope with one foot in front of the other.
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