Tech companies are collectively spending billions to turn the age old sci-fi trope of humanoid, general-purpose robots into reality. So far, that momentous effort has mostly produced staged performances,

Boston Dynamics latest Atlas humanoid robot is big, strong, and increasingly smart, thanks to Google. The company has plans to ship up to 30,000 per year.

If 2025 proved anything, it’s that humanoid robots are no longer content to stand still. This was the year they learned to walk like us, flexed synthetic muscles, clocked factory hours, and stared back at us with eerily expressive faces.

For several decades, Boston Dynamics has pioneered the development of advanced robots, including humanoids and four-legged systems tested by the military as a way to carry supplies over rough terrain. The company was sold to Google in 2013 and was bought by SoftBank in 2017. In 2021, Hyundai acquired a controlling stake.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I explore humans, technologies, and what’s next. Dec 01, 2025, 01:14pm EST As factories finalize 2026 budgets, a costly choice looms: invest in human-shaped machines (humanoid robots ...

Imagine a world where your morning coffee is brewed by a robot that remembers your exact preferences, your home is cleaned by a machine with human-like dexterity, and factories are staffed by tireless humanoids capable of performing intricate tasks with ...

What’s keeping them off the street is a challenge robotics researchers have circled for decades. Building robots is easier than making them function in the real world. A robot can repeat a TikTok routine on a flat surface, but the world has uneven ...

Inc. takes a retrospective look at this year's most notable, albeit funny, failures in the business and innovation space.

Humanoid robots have come on leaps and bounds in recent times, and much is expected of the advanced machines in the coming year. The process of training humanoid robots can take various forms. Unitree’s G1 robot for example,