Boston Dynamics retires the hydraulic Atlas, and the symbolism is bigger than the spec sheet

The hydraulic Atlas is the most-watched robot on the internet. Its electric replacement signals where the whole industry is going, and why.

Beatrice Lin · 23 May · 3 min

Inside Toyota's quiet humanoid programme

Toyota has been making humanoids since 2004 and almost never talks about them. The strategy is finally starting to make sense.

Kenji Watanabe · 23 May · 3 min

The "humanoid valley" is closing faster than anyone predicted

Three years ago, commercial humanoid robotics felt a decade away. New data from pilot programmes suggests the deployment curve has bent sharply.

Maya Ellison · 23 May · 3 min

Agility has the rare position of running humanoids inside real customer warehouses today. Its careful approach to scale is the opposite of the rest of the industry.

Beatrice Lin · 23 May · 3 min

Every humanoid company on the planet uses the word "general purpose". Researchers say that framing hides where the real value is going to land.

Priya Nair · 23 May · 3 min

Honda retired Asimo in 2018 to a wave of nostalgia. The company's new humanoid programme, announced this week, is unmistakably the same culture starting again.

Kenji Watanabe · 17 May · 3 min

A small Chinese humanoid maker has signed its first European manufacturing deal. The customer is not who the industry predicted.

Maya Ellison · 4 May · 3 min

Locomotion gets the demos. Manipulation gets the contracts. The gap between the two is almost entirely about hands.

Beatrice Lin · 3 May · 3 min

The Austin-based humanoid maker is pivoting from broad ambitions to a single vertical. The move is more interesting than it sounds.

Maya Ellison · 2 May · 3 min

Japan's third humanoid programme announcement in six months signals a cultural shift in how the country's manufacturers view the category.

Kenji Watanabe · 1 May · 3 min

Current lithium cells give humanoids roughly four hours of useful work. The industry needs eight. Three approaches are being tested.

Beatrice Lin · 30 Apr · 3 min

The Canadian humanoid maker has narrowed its target market. Healthcare customers are responding.

Maya Ellison · 29 Apr · 3 min