China’s AGIBOT ranked first globally in humanoid robot shipments and revenue in the first half of 2026, as the global market extended explosive growth, according to a new report from IDC. Global humanoid robot shipments approached 25,000 units in H1 2026, up 432.1% year on year, IDC said, as the industry accelerates from technology validation to commercial application. China’s shipments exceeded 19,000 units, accounting for about 77.9% of the global total. AGIBOT shipped more than 8,600 units, giving it a runaway lead globally. The company is deploying flagship projects in factories, cultural tourism and retail, backed by its fully self-developed, full-stack “Three Intelligences in One” technology framework and large-scale mass production and delivery capabilities, IDC said. IDC’s H1 2026 humanoid...
A robotic hand developed by Chinese firm AGILINK has been taught foundational Suzhou embroidery techniques by master craftswoman Fu Xianghong, including separating silk threads, threading a needle, stretching fabric on an embroidery hoop and stitching. The demonstration puts a robotic hand to work with one of the most delicate and deformable materials it can encounter: silk. A silk thread can bend, slip and change shape with slight changes in contact. Splitting silk requires one finger to separate individual strands while others maintain support and tension; twisting thread requires opposing fingertips to maintain contact while allowing the thread to turn. Threading a needle and stitching add further demands on positioning, force and coordination. The OmniHand 3 Ultra combines 21 active degrees...
SHANGHAI, Sept 23 – Maniformer Chairman and CEO Yao Maoqing launched Mifengpai, which the company calls the world’s first full-category, high-quality physical AI data crowdsourcing service platform, at a global launch event in Shanghai. Mifengpai opens physical AI data collection tasks to the public. Users take tasks through the Mifengpai app, wear MEgo devices to perform designated operations in real scenarios such as retail, warehousing, manufacturing and homes, and receive payment based on the duration of validated effective data, becoming “robot trainers.” “The best teacher of physical AI is everyone who lives life earnestly,” Yao said. Mifengpai aims to turn real operating experience scattered across daily life and industries into data that robots can learn, train on and reuse, he...
During the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo, Shenzhen-based embodied intelligence firm ASTRALL Dynamics emerged as one of the most talked-about exhibitors in the artificial intelligence pavilion. The company globally launched its new general-purpose medium-sized intelligent quadruped robot, the Hypertron-SW01, alongside an upgraded integrated solution combining robot hardware, self-developed AI software and ecosystem support. With a delivery standard of “deploy out of the box and operate upon site setup”, ASTRALL demonstrated a new commercial paradigm for Chinese embodied AI enterprises, moving beyond product exports toward full solution exports. Expanded product portfolio unlocks broad cross-industry potential The newly launched Hypertron-SW01 is positioned as a medium-sized intelligent quadruped robot with class-leading power performance. It delivers a 40-kilogram all-terrain payload and up to six hours of...
Toyota Motor Corp is launching a sweeping global factory upgrade that will put 400,000 robots to work, including a semi-humanoid model designed to learn tasks alongside humans, as the automaker seeks to build plants where people and machines coexist. The push includes ELEY, short for Embodied Learning robot for Enhanced Yield, a Toyota-developed semi-humanoid robot. ELEY has two fingers on each robotic hand, weighs about 50 kg, runs on battery or external power and moves on a wheeled base, according to Toyota’s website. Toyota said ELEY’s joints are designed on the same principles as human joints, with all dimensions based on the average Japanese adult male. The aim is to use large-model-based physical AI to let the robot directly imitate...
AGIBOT released a video showcasing real-world commercial deployments of its Expedition A3 Ultra humanoid robot across 4S dealerships, hotels and convenience stores, highlighting multi-robot and human-robot collaboration and autonomous operations as the full-size humanoid moves from technical validation toward scaled commercial use. At 4S dealerships, multiple A3 Ultra units work in coordination to handle greeting, beverage delivery, vehicle walkthroughs and delivery ceremonies, as well as flower presentation, photo sessions, confetti launches, daily report generation and livestream sales, providing intelligent services spanning store visits, purchasing, delivery and marketing operations. At hotels, the robots coordinate on bed-making, room tidying, towel folding, check-in, elevator guidance and nighttime patrols. At retail convenience stores, they perform shelf stocking, patrols, replenishment, bulky-item handling and customer service,...
Agility Robotics unveiled Digit 5, its latest humanoid robot, as the firm advances plans to go public via a proposed SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp. XI. Digit 5 features new legs, upgraded batteries and a more comprehensive safety architecture, and can work in close proximity to people without physical safety barriers, Agility said. CEO Peggy Johnson said“a major barrier to scaling humanoid robots in industrial environments,” adding that the market has responded with more than $300 million in multi-year orders across manufacturing, warehousing and logistics. Agility reported $1.8 million in net sales in 2025, according to a recent SEC filing. The company expects early access to Digit 5 in the first half of 2027 and general availability for manufacturing,...
Maniformer will hold its largest launch event since its founding in Shanghai on Sept 23, unveiling “Maniformer Pai” globally and formally launching a body-free embodied data crowdsourcing platform for the general public. Maniformer Pai converts everyday human actions into training data for robots, the company said, allowing ordinary people without professional backgrounds to use spare time to participate in embodied intelligence data collection and earn income. The platform is intended to move robot training data collection from specialized work to broader social collaboration, the company said.
BlueWorm Embodied Intelligence, a technology commercialization enterprise of Xi’an Jiaotong University, today unveiled its next-generation modular humanoid robot, the Mantis Standard “Xiaobai,” priced from 9,800 yuan. The company said the product is not merely a “humanoid robot,” but an embodied intelligence platform that can transform into various forms. The Mantis Standard “Xiaobai” features standard modules for its chassis, arms, waist and head, with mechanical and electrical connections completed between modules via quick-install interfaces. In terms of specifications, the robot has 22 total degrees of freedom, a single-arm payload of 7kg, an arm span of 663mm and teleoperation latency of less than 10ms; its waist has a lifting range of 550mm, while the chassis supports 3-DOF omnidirectional movement, a forward speed...
Chinese robot maker Unitree has unveiled the G1+, an upgraded version of its G1 humanoid robot, delivering six improvements across motion performance, perception and interaction while retaining the G1’s affordability at 95,000 yuan including tax. The G1+ gains two extra degrees of freedom in the neck, giving a pitch range of -25 to 36 degrees and a yaw range of plus or minus 110 degrees for flexible head movement, the company said. Motors across the robot have been comprehensively upgraded: peak torque of the shoulder and waist motors rose 110%, with heat generation down 72% at the same torque; arm motors saw peak torque up 43% and heat reduced 30%; and thigh motors cut heat generation by 28% at the...
