US school pauses plan for humanoid robot after concerns about sexbot sister company - ABC News
Topic:Science and Technology Posted Wed 29 Jul 2026 at 11:57am, updated Wed 29 Jul 2026 at 12:06pm A female humanoid robot wearing a white shirt and holding a book entering a classroom.
Key takeaways
- The most recent developments show that humanoid robots are becoming both a commercial focus and a geopolitical flashpoint.
- In the United States, the federal government announced a ban on imports of foreign‑made humanoid and quadruped robots, specifically targeting Chinese manufacturers on national‑security grounds, a move that will cut off the dominant Chinese market share—estimated at roughly 85%—from its largest export market (U.S. ban reported in late July 2026).
- At the same time, major U.S. airlines have tightened safety rules: Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have joined Southwest in prohibiting human‑ or animal‑like robotic devices from cabin or checked‑baggage areas, citing battery‑safety concerns (policy updates issued in June and July 2026).
- In China, electric‑vehicle giant BYD confirmed it will unveil its first commercial humanoid robot in August at its Di Space experience centres, planning to place two or three robots in every BYD store within the next few years (announcement made July 28‑29, 2026).
- Meanwhile, Google DeepMind released Gemini Robotics 2, a vision‑language‑action model that can control an entire humanoid body—including walking, balancing and dexterous hand manipulation—using Apptronik’s Apollo 2 platform, highlighting a shift toward foundation‑model intelligence across diverse robot hardware (demo unveiled July 30, 2026).
Topic:Science and Technology
Posted
Wed 29 Jul 2026 at 11:57am, updated
Wed 29 Jul 2026 at 12:06pm
A female humanoid robot wearing a white shirt and holding a book entering a classroom.
A US school has paused its plan to introduce a Realbotix M-Series humanoid robot named "Sally".(X: Realbotix)
In short:
A school district in rural upstate New York has paused its plans for an AI-powered, humanoid robot called "Sally" in the classroom. Parents and teachers raised concerns about the maker, Realbotix, having ties to a company, Realdoll, that produces hyper-realistic sexbots, privacy and data worries and the robot's role in the classroom.
The company pushed back at suggestions that "Sally" was simply a repurposed sex doll, saying it was a "newly manufactured, purpose-built educational unit".
A school district in a rural corner of Upstate New York is hitting pause on plans to deploy an AI-powered, humanoid robot in the classroom due to concerns about the maker's ties to a company that produces hyper-realistic sexbots. An X post showing a human-looking female robot and Innovating today empowering tomorrow in red and blue colours.
Salamanca schools has posted "Sally" will not be collecting students' personal information.(X: Salamanca CCSD)
Last year, a San Diego charter school rolled out two AI-powered robots purchased from Engineered Arts, a robotics company based in the United Kingdom, for $US500,000.
Salamanca Schools, in social media posts, stressed that "Sally" would not be collecting students' personal information, recording audio or video of its interactions or sending data back to Realbotix.
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