Thomas Pilz on innovation and safety in robotics
Microsoft said it is looking to work with robotics manufacturers, integrators, and end users to see how Rho-alpha and associated tooling can help them train, deploy, and adapt cloud-hosted physical AI with their own data.
Key takeaways
- Humanoid robots are entering a critical phase of commercial rollout in early 2026, with several major players announcing concrete deployment plans and new capabilities.
- At the Davos robotics panel, experts emphasized that moving beyond flashy demos will require better sensors and AI models that can handle novel situations, noting that cost remains a barrier to household adoption.
- Tesla’s Optimus robot is slated to shift from factory prototypes to consumer sales by the end of 2026, with Elon Musk promising high reliability and potential applications in elder‑care and domestic chores.
- Chinese startup LimX Dynamics unveiled an agentic‑AI operating system called COSA that lets its robots adjust motions in real time, and it aims to ship several thousand units to the Middle East this year while exploring U.S. collaborations after a CES showcase.
- Hyundai, in partnership with Boston Dynamics, plans to introduce up to 30,000 Atlas humanoids annually beginning in 2028, starting at its Georgia EV Metaplant, though its labor union has warned that deployment cannot proceed without agreement.
Microsoft said it is looking to work with robotics manufacturers, integrators, and end users to see how Rho-alpha and associated tooling can help them train, deploy, and adapt cloud-hosted physical AI with their own data.
Hyundai Motor’s Korean union warns of humanoid robot plan, sees threat to jobs
While South Korea is a leading adopter of industrial and service robots, fears of job displacement exist there as well as in other regions. Hyundai Motor Group‘s labor union warned the automaker not to deploy humanoid robots without its approval because of concerns about “employment shocks,” reported Reuters. Home
News
Technologies
- Batteries / Power Supplies
- Cameras / Imaging / Vision
- Controllers
- End Effectors
- Microprocessors / SoCs
- Motion Control
- Sensors
- Soft Robotics
- Software / Simulation
Development
- Artificial Intelligence
- Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
- Mobility / Navigation
- Research
Robots
- AGVs
- AMRs
- Consumer
- Collaborative Robots
- Drones
- Humanoids
- Industrial
- Self-Driving Vehicles
- Unmanned Maritime Systems
Business
- Financial
- Investments
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Earnings
- Markets
- Agriculture
- Healthcare
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Security
- RBR50
- RBR50 Winners 2025
- RBR50 Winners 2024
- RBR50 Winners 2023 Hyundai is the owner of Boston Dynamics and has said it plans to buy “tens of thousands” of robots in the coming years. Boston Dynamics is also testing its Atlas humanoid with Hyundai.
About The Author
Mike Oitzman
Mike Oitzman is Senior Editor of WTWH's Robotics Group and founder of the Mobile Robot Guide. Oitzman is a robotics industry veteran with 25-plus years of experience at various high-tech companies in the roles of marketing, sales and product management. Mike has a BS in Systems Engineering from UCSD and an MBA from Golden Gate University. He can be reached at moitzman@wtwhmedia.com.
Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Mentioned in this article