Overview
- Xpeng unveiled its new IRON humanoid with a 2026 mass‑production goal focused on in‑house commercial sites, then published an uncut video to rebut claims a human was inside the robot during the demo.
- UBTech’s Jiao Jichao projected a staged rollout timeline, with industrial use first, broader commercial roles in roughly 3–5 years, and practical household robots in about 8–10 years.
- Vendors emphasized safety as the entry ticket for physical AI, highlighting redundant systems, full‑solid‑state batteries, and an indoor AEB‑style collision‑avoidance capability for home environments.
- Unitree showcased a full‑body teleoperation platform that mirrors human motion for tasks like dishwashing and tidying, following prior demonstrations of its H2 humanoid with expanded joint flexibility.
- New entrants are lining up production and platform strategies as Star Dynamics announced a 2026 manufacturing plan and modular, configurable robots, while Microsoft formed an MAI team to lessen reliance on OpenAI under an updated pact running to 2032, Sam Altman rejected financial‑strain claims, and Tim Berners‑Lee warned generative AI could upend the ad‑funded web model.