Physical AI & robotics news
- · Deployment & production
Nikkei Business Digital reports plan to mass-produce 1,000 Japanese-made humanoids a month
Nikkei Business Digital reported a plan to mass-produce 1,000 Japanese-made humanoids a month. The article presented the view that Japan is on the brink in international competition and raised the argument that its strength lies in “muscle.” See the original article for details.
- · Product launches
Boston Dynamics releases Spot 5.2
Boston Dynamics has released Spot 5.2, a software update that expands its Spot quadruped robot and Orbit fleet management software. The update adds features to strengthen integration with enterprise AI platforms and various systems. It also includes features designed to make Spot inspections easier to automate.
- · Product launches
Boston Dynamics Unveils New Hand for Atlas
Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new hand for its humanoid robot, Atlas. It has four fingers, 13 degrees of freedom and a direct-drive design. The company said it was designed with ease of mass production and repair in mind.
- · Deployment & production
Three ugo mini Robots Deployed at Renesas’ Naka Factory
ugo announced the full deployment of its ugo mini inspection robots at Renesas Semiconductor Manufacturing’s Naka Factory.
- · Product launches
Panasonic Holdings to Develop Humanoid Robots, Nikkei Reports
Nikkei reported on September 30, 2026, that Panasonic Holdings will begin developing humanoid robots. The article said the company is confident it can achieve a high level of safety, but readers should consult the original report for details. Public information alone does not yet make clear how development will be organized or when the robots might be commercialized.
- · Industry
Nikkei Business Reports on Huawei’s Humanoid Robot Development Platform
Nikkei Business Digital reported on Huawei’s humanoid robot development platform on September 30, 2026. The article also touched on a market structure in which China’s three leading companies are said to account for 80% of global market share. Viewed alongside [Nikkei Automotive’s September 2026 issue focuses on Huawei’s approach to Japanese automakers](/news/nikkei-automotive-2026-nen-9-gatsugou-faauei-no-shasai-jigyo-71fa51), the report suggests the company’s ambitions extend beyond automotive applications to robotics platforms.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Innodata Opens Motion-Capture Research Lab for Humanoids in Collaboration With Vicon
Innodata said September 30 that it had opened a new R&D lab to generate training data for humanoids and verify their performance. Designed in collaboration with Vicon, the lab directly captures 3D motion using infrared optical tracking with submillimeter accuracy. The facility brings together data sales, commissioned projects and robot evaluations, connecting different stages of physical AI development.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Report: ASI and SoftBank partner on autonomous vehicle fleets for construction
The Robot Report reported on September 30, 2026, that Autonomous Solutions Inc. (ASI) and SoftBank Group Corp. announced a joint venture to commercialize fleets of autonomous heavy equipment. The brand-agnostic autonomous equipment is aimed at addressing labor shortages in construction and speeding up infrastructure projects, the report said. The original article should be consulted for detailed technical requirements and business arrangements.
- · Product launches
Nikkei Reports Kawasaki Heavy Industries Plans Robot Heavy Equipment for Disaster Sites and Infrastructure Maintenance
The Nikkei reported Sept. 30 that Kawasaki Heavy Industries plans to put robot heavy equipment for disaster sites and infrastructure maintenance into practical use in 2028. The report is the primary source; the key point is which applications Kawasaki Heavy Industries will extend its heavy equipment’s autonomous and remote-control capabilities to. See the original article for details.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Hitachi and FANUC to Launch Physical AI Joint Business in FY2027
The Nikkei reported that Hitachi, Ltd. and FANUC agreed to form a joint business to implement physical AI.
- · Industry
Humanoid robots’ 100-meter run highlights control challenges after the finish, The Nikkei reports
The Nikkei reported on Sept. 29 that a humanoid robot made contact with a wall after completing a 100-meter run. The issue appears to be less about speed than about controlling posture and direction after the run. Competitive demonstrations are increasing, but designing movement that includes stopping, slowing down and recovering in real-world settings is becoming a focus.
- · Product launches
IHMC Unveils Research Humanoid Alex With 29 Degrees of Freedom, Two-Hour Runtime
IHMC has unveiled Alex, a research humanoid. It stands 175 centimeters tall, weighs 85 kilograms and has 29 degrees of freedom. It features wired and wireless teleoperation, stereo vision and five-finger hands, and has a stated top speed of 3 kph. The platform is positioned for supervised research in hazardous environments and field work.
- · Deployment & production
AGIBOT and ASD to Deploy 100 AGIBOT X2 Humanoid Robots Across 100 Stores
AGIBOT announced that it will deploy 100 AGIBOT X2 humanoid robots with ASD across 100 retail stores. The primary source identifies retail stores as the deployment sites, with a plan to match each robot to one store. The public information indicates the scale of the rollout but does not provide details on its timing or operating conditions.
- · Research & technology
KAIST Team Develops Artificial Material That Grasps Objects With Light
A KAIST research team has developed an ionic soft material called “Ionograsper” that detects approaching objects and bends to grasp them under ultraviolet light. The material can retain its deformed shape for more than 10 minutes and could reduce the number of components and wires in soft robotic hands. The key question is how close a design that combines sensing and grasping in a single material has come to meeting practical requirements.
- · Industry
Review of Robotics Trends in Manufacturing
The Robot Report published an article reviewing the growing use of robots in manufacturing.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Hitachi develops ‘brains’ for AI robots on production lines with German startup
Nikkei reported that Hitachi Ltd. will develop the ‘brains’ for AI robots used on production lines with a German startup. The project targets production-line applications and appears to be part of Hitachi’s efforts to expand its physical AI-related business for the manufacturing industry. Details of the project should be confirmed in the original report.
- · Research & technology
36Kr introduces edge-side inference engine, touts reduced latency for large models on robots
36Kr introduced an open-source edge-side inference engine that it says lets robots run large models on the robots themselves without lag. The focus is software innovation, specifically optimizing the execution platform rather than adding hardware. The original article should be consulted for detailed specifications and performance conditions.
- · Product launches
Walker II Introduced
humanoid.guide introduced Walker II, a humanoid developed by DroidUp and Shanghai Zhuoyide Robotics.
- · Product launches
humanoid.guide introduces Daimon Robotics’ DM Hand1
humanoid.guide introduced Daimon Robotics’ DM Hand1 on September 29, 2026. The article describes the DM Hand1 as a five-finger robotic hand. It places the product at the development stage and characterizes it as intended for research and development in dexterous manipulation.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Hitachi and Agile Robots Reach Basic Agreement on Collaboration
Hitachi Ltd. announced Sept. 29 that it had reached a basic agreement with Agile Robots SE on a co-creation partnership to develop the “brains” of AI robotics.
- · Product launches
Introducing LinkerBot’s humanoid manipulation platform, LinkerArm A7
humanoid.guide introduced LinkerBot’s LinkerArm A7 on September 29, 2026. The article positions it as a humanoid manipulation platform combining a seven-axis arm with the Linker Hand series. We refer readers to the original source for details.
- · Deployment & production
ugo mini to be tested at Seibu Railway substation
ugo announced it will begin a demonstration of its inspection AI robot, ugo mini, at Seibu Railway’s Ikebukuro Substation.
- · Industry
The Nikkei reports on FANUC’s U.S. shift in the AI era and parts supply chain
The Nikkei reported on Sept. 28 that FANUC is shifting toward the United States and faces challenges involving its parts supply chain. The article said that while the company is moving to center its business operations on the United States in the AI era, securing its parts supply chain has become a key issue. Details are limited to the excerpt from the main source, but it suggests that supply chain constraints are a prerequisite shaping the company’s strategy.
- · Partnerships & M&A
AMD to acquire U.S. startup for ¥1.3 trillion, report says, to bolster physical AI development
The Nikkei reported that AMD will acquire a U.S. startup for about ¥1.3 trillion. The report says the deal is aimed at strengthening development related to physical AI. Refer to the original source for details.
- · Product launches
Be Able to Launch AI Robots for Nuclear Plant Decommissioning
The Nikkei reported that Be Able plans to launch AI robots for nuclear plant decommissioning around 2027.
- · Product launches
MW Demonstrates Household Chores With Dual-Arm Robot, Report Says It Aims to Sell Homes as Early as 2028
The Nikkei reported that MW demonstrated household chores using a dual-arm robot and aims to sell homes as early as 2028. The source is an interview/report and does not provide primary information on detailed specifications or sales terms. This article focuses on links to earlier coverage and issues involved in integrating homes and robots.
- · Research & technology
Takenaka Civil Engineering & Construction and Jinki Ittai develop technology to remotely load explosives for mountain tunnel construction, report says
Nikkei reported that Takenaka Civil Engineering & Construction and Jinki Ittai have developed technology to remotely load explosives during mountain tunnel construction.
- · Deployment & production
Tesla’s Optimus output grows nearly 10-fold, with manual assembly becoming a bottleneck
Reports say output of Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, has increased nearly 10-fold. At the same time, assembly of the robot’s hands is said to still rely on human labor, highlighting a bottleneck in mass production. The focus is not so much on the production increase itself as on constraints in the final assembly process.
- · Industry
Reports on Tesla Robotaxi Crash Rates
U.S. tech outlet Engadget reported that the way Tesla robotaxi crashes compare with human-driven vehicles requires careful interpretation.
- · Product launches
FANUC Demonstrates AI Welding Agent
ITmedia reported that FANUC demonstrated an AI welding agent at the 2026 International Welding Show.