Figure AI announced a new partnership with BMW to deploy its humanoid robots in BMW’s Spartanburg, SC plant for logistics and material handling, with initial units expected in early 2026.
NVIDIA collaborates with Opentrons to integrate NVIDIA Isaac robotics and Cosmos simulation into wet-lab workflows, enabling AI to design and execute biological experiments.
Unitree-built dancing robots performed a choreographed show at the Web Summit Qatar 2026 opening ceremony, highlighting advances in embodied AI.
Microsoft and OpenAI discuss investing up to $500 million in Figure AI’s humanoid robots, valuing the company at $1.9 billion.
Kennesaw State researcher Lingfeng Tao receives NSF $300K and NVIDIA $40K grants to develop multi-finger robotic hands with AI for human-like dexterity in manipulation, targeting surgery, space, and disaster response.
Google DeepMind CEO stated robotics is nearing a physical AI breakthrough.
Konnex secured $15 million in funding to develop a decentralized framework for autonomous robots handling physical labor, enabling onchain contracting, verification, and payment.[2]
Mobileye acquires humanoid robot startup Mentee Robotics for $900M.
Mytra raises $120 million Series C to scale supply chain robotics amid industry boom.
'Physical AI' enters the hype machine in transportation and robotics developments.
Rise of humanoid robots highlighted at CES 2026 with major advancements.