Chinese smartphone maker Honor unveiled its first consumer humanoid robot and a motorized camera Robot Phone at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, backed by a $10 billion AI investment as part of its ALPHA PLAN initiative.
Google pulled Alphabet's Intrinsic robotics software from Other Bets into the main company, pairing it with Gemini AI and DeepMind to create a common software platform for industrial robots.
At CES on January 5, 2026, NVIDIA introduced new AI foundation models under Cosmos and launched DGX Spark and DGX Station. The announcement links synthetic world modeling for robotics with desktop-to-datacenter AI compute.
On 2026-02-25, Google announced that Intrinsic is joining Google, and Intrinsic said it will operate as a distinct group inside Google. The companies positioned the move as a way to combine Intrinsic robotics software with Gemini models, Google Cloud, and close work with Google DeepMind for faster industrial deployment.
Google DeepMind has opened applications for a Europe-focused robotics accelerator. The three-month program combines technical mentorship, product support, and potential cloud credits up to $350k for eligible startups.
A new MIT Technology Review investigation reveals that humanoid robot companies routinely obscure the scale of human teleoperation and data collection labor behind their demos, risking a repeat of AI's early automation-washing scandals.
Unitree released a cinematic bullet-time video showcasing the fluid movement and agility of its humanoid robots, going viral across social media.
Unitree, Galbot, Noetix, and MagicLab showcased advanced humanoid robots at the world's most-watched TV event, performing world-first acrobatics including 3m aerial flips, parkour sequences, and kung fu routines — a dramatic leap from last year.
Figure.AI shared a striking comparison of its headquarters 1 year and 3 months apart, demonstrating explosive growth. Its humanoid robots now operate autonomously 24/7 with unit swapping and 2kW wireless charging docks.
At China's 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala on February 17, humanoid robots from Unitree, MagicLab, Noetix, and Beijing Galbot performed martial arts, acrobatics, and household tasks, showcasing rapid advances in motion control and embodied AI.
Unitree founder Wang Xingxing disclosed plans to ship between 10,000 and 20,000 G1 humanoid robots in 2026, nearly quadrupling last year's ~5,500 units. Morgan Stanley doubled its China humanoid sales forecast to 28,000 units, reflecting the sector's rapid shift from research to commercial scale.
Unitree, MagicLab, Noetix, and Galbot showcased humanoid robots performing martial arts, flips, and parkour at China's 2026 Spring Festival Gala on February 17, marking dramatic progress from 2025.