Humanoid

• French startup Genesis AI, backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, unveiled its first general-purpose robot on Tuesday. • The company is differentiating itself in the competitive AI robotics market by opting for a non-humanoid design. • This launch coincides with a broader surge in AI investment, following SpaceX's record $75 billion IPO and the introduction of new AI-linked exchange-traded funds.

• China is actively exploring humanoid robotics development, leveraging the world's largest installed base of industrial robots and rapidly localizing hardware supply chains previously dependent on Nvidia's AI chips and software ecosystem. • Xi Jinping's policy framework has created national funds and support programs to promote robotics R&D and assist startups, with ambitions to diffuse AI technologies throughout Chinese society across economic, social, and governance sectors. • China's established EV manufacturing supply chains—containing batteries, sensors, and mechanical components—give the country an competitive edge in developing embodied AI, with major EV makers adding robotics to their product portfolios.

• Meta acquired ARI, a US-based robotics AI startup, to bolster its efforts in humanoid robots and physical artificial general intelligence. • The deal focuses on developing software for real-world machine control and agentic systems. • This acquisition positions Meta as a leader in embodied AI, competing with rivals in robotics hardware and software.

Japan Airlines will introduce the robots for trial run at a Tokyo airport amid country’s surge in inbound tourism and worsening labour shortagesJapan’s famously conscientious but overburdened baggage handlers will soon be joined by extra staff at Tokyo’s Haneda airport – although their new colleagues will need to take regular recharging breaks.Japan Airlines will introduce humanoid robots on a trial basis from the beginning of May, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the country’s chronic labour shortage. Continue reading...

Winning robot records faster time than Jacob Kiplimo’s world record More than 100 robots run in parallel tracks to avoid collisions with humansDozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, having lagged far behind a year earlier.The race’s inaugural edition last year was riddled with mishaps, as many robots struggled to get off the starting line, and most were unable to finish. Continue reading...

• First Lady Melania Trump appeared with Figure AI's Figure 03 humanoid robot at a White House education and technology summit on March 25, 2026. • The Sunnyvale-based startup's third-generation robot is designed for household tasks like laundry, cleaning, and dishwashing. • CEO Brett Adcock hailed it as the first humanoid robot in the White House, spotlighting AI's role in education and innovation.