With stats like that, one can’t help but suspect that the first country to have a million humanoids will be China.

Humanoid robots have been in development for years, but it may feel like they will never be accessible to regular users. There are a few reasons for that.

Humans are desperate to put the robots to work. The only problem is, the robots don’t “work” to any degree. These humanoid bots are interesting. Some are even cute. Few, if any, are anywhere close to prime time. It was a dour scene at CES 2026, so much so I can’t help but wonder if they ever will be.

Airbus ordered UBTech’s Walker S2, a full-size humanoid that stands 176 cm tall (5’9"), weighs 70 kg (154 lbs), and walks at about two meters/second (4.5 mph). It has dextrous hands with 11 degrees of freedom and tactile sensors, and can hold 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs) in each hand and 1 kg (2.2 lbs) with each finger.

Many researchers agree that there has been a step change in humanoid capability over the past five years, owing to cheaper parts as well as innovations such as improved battery power and artificial-intelligence algorithms, which allow for better perception and autonomy.

Early demos relied heavily on remote human operators for Neo, but the man behind the machine says Neo is getting better at doing things on its own.

Tesla gained 3% after Musk said Optimus humanoid robots will be sold to consumers by end of 2026 following safety testing.

Hyundai Motors’ Korean labor union strongly opposed the company’s plans to deploy humanoid robots