Humanoid robot AgiBot A2 just made history, walking 106 kilometers from Suzhou to Shanghai fully autonomously. No remote control, no human guidance—just balance, perception, and endurance over 56 hours. It’s less a stunt than a signal: humanoids are moving from demos toward real-world reliability, step by step, in public space.

LimX Dynamics has raised $200M to accelerate development of embodied intelligence for humanoid robots. Its COSA software and modular Tron 2 platform aim to deliver more adaptive, general-purpose robots capable of learning through real-world interaction.

Phoenix Motor is expanding beyond EVs into commercial robotics with a U.S.-manufactured robotic dog platform from its subsidiary EdisonFuture Motor. Delivered via a Robot Fleet as a Service model, the modular quadruped targets logistics, security, and industrial inspection with recurring, fleet-based deployment.

LG Electronics is betting on robotics as its next growth engine as TVs and appliances slow. Its CLOiD home robot embodies a vision of the “zero labor home,” where AI automates domestic tasks. The move signals a broader shift from hardware products to embodied intelligence—and a new battle to own the future of household automation.

China’s Ant Group has open-sourced its first robotics AI models, signaling a major push into embodied intelligence. With vision-language-action models and world simulations, Ant aims to build scalable robotic “brains.” The move highlights a global shift from flashy robots to practical, general-purpose machine intelligence.

ABB Robotics is leading an effort to create a global standard for measuring industrial robots’ energy consumption, addressing a long-standing gap in automation. With millions of robots operating worldwide, the initiative could transform how efficiency is compared, support sustainability goals, and give manufacturers transparent data to reduce carbon footprints and make smarter automation choices.

New York Robotics has officially launched, uniting a fast-growing ecosystem of 160+ robotics startups, major enterprises, universities, investors, and labs across the Tri-State region. As robotics and embodied AI accelerate into real-world deployment, New York is emerging as a serious global hub where technology, capital, and industry converge.

Scottish researchers have developed a £50 sensor glove that captures ultra-precise hand movements, offering a breakthrough in robot dexterity. With over 99% accuracy, the technology could help robots learn human-like manipulation, accelerating advances in humanoids, surgery, prosthetics, and physical AI by delivering the high-fidelity gesture data robotics has long lacked.

In South Korea, robotic factories are transforming how houses are built, shifting construction from unpredictable job sites to automated production lines. Companies like Gonggan Jaejakso are using robots to assemble modular wooden homes, reigniting debates about speed, cost, quality, and the future of jobs in construction.

Micropolis Robotics unveiled its Autonomous Logistics Platform at UMEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi, showcasing a heavy-duty autonomous system designed for industrial logistics. Built on the M01 platform, the robot targets controlled environments such as factories and logistics corridors, highlighting the growing role of autonomous systems in scalable, high-throughput industrial operations.

NC State researchers are developing Marvel-inspired agricultural robots to automate labor-intensive vegetable farming tasks, from staking plants to harvesting tomatoes. Using AI, sensors, and modular robotic tools, the project aims to reduce labor shortages and improve efficiency in specialty crops—signaling a broader shift toward intelligent, data-driven automation in agriculture.

Argentina has launched Latin America’s first fully robotic parcel sorting hub, tripling throughput with 240 autonomous robots capable of processing 9,000 parcels per hour. Built by Libiao Robotics for Correo Argentino, the facility highlights how AI-driven logistics can modernize national postal systems and accelerate the region’s e-commerce and automation transformation.

Saga Robotics is accelerating its U.S. vineyard expansion with new leadership, fresh funding, and rapid growth in autonomous UV-C crop treatment. Its Thorvald robots helped drive a tenfold increase in treated acreage in 2025, signaling rising demand for chemical-free, data-driven agriculture and the growing maturity of robotics-as-a-service in viticulture.

Beijing has launched a pilot, skills-based credentialing system for robotics engineers, recognizing robotics as a standalone engineering discipline. Focused on real-world outcomes, commercialization, and standards contributions, the policy reflects China’s broader industrial strategy to align workforce governance with fast-moving robotics and AI markets.

DEWALT and August Robotics have launched an autonomous drilling robot designed to accelerate data center construction. Capable of drilling up to 10× faster with near-perfect accuracy, the system has already reduced project timelines by as much as 80 weeks, signaling a major shift in how large-scale infrastructure for AI is built.

Chinese humanoid robot maker UBTech Robotics has signed a deal with Airbus to deploy its Walker S2 humanoid robots in aviation manufacturing. The partnership highlights China’s accelerating push to commercialize humanoids globally and move them from demos into real industrial workflows.

JLG Industries has acquired San Francisco–based construction robotics firm Canvas to accelerate automation in interior finishing. The deal brings Canvas’ 1200CX drywall robotics platform and team into JLG, strengthening its roadmap for robotics and autonomy in construction. The move signals growing momentum behind equipment-assisted, labor-augmenting workflows on modern job sites.

MassRobotics has launched its fourth annual Form and Function Robotics Challenge, inviting university teams worldwide to build robots that balance strong design with real-world functionality. Finalists will compete for a $10,000 grand prize through live demonstrations at the 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston. Applications close February 2, 2026.

Multiply Labs is integrating NVIDIA’s Isaac and GR00T robotics technologies to scale production of cell and gene therapies, targeting up to 100x more patient doses per square foot. The move signals a shift away from manual, artisanal biomanufacturing toward robotics-first systems designed for consistency, traceability, and large-scale patient impact.

Locus Robotics and Radial have surpassed 25 million picks at Radial’s Shepherdsville fulfillment center, highlighting how autonomous mobile robots are reshaping high-volume eCommerce operations. The milestone underscores the growing role of flexible, data-driven automation in scaling throughput, managing peak demand, and improving consistency without heavy capital investment.