Humanoid robots from Figure, Unitree, Tesla Optimus and others, plus robot arms, embodied AI and self-driving cars.
1X just introduced the 1X World Model (1XWM), an action-controllable system that forecasts future video frames and task success directly from precise robot trajectories. It allows 1X to rigorously evaluate humanoid policies in bits rather than spending lifetimes testing them in physical living rooms, though it still struggles with unfamiliar objects.
Tesla’s humanoid robot engineering lead Milan Kovac just announced his departure from the company after a decade, with Autopilot chief Ashok Elluswamy reportedly taking over. Why it matters: Elon Musk has pegged Tesla's future on building 5,000 Optimus bots this year, making this high-profile leadership shakeup a major test for its robotics timeline.
Hugging Face just unveiled HopeJR, a full-size open-source humanoid with 66 degrees of freedom priced around $3,000, and Reachy Mini, a $300 desktop unit for testing AI apps. Built with Pollen Robotics tech, both aim to keep robotics out of proprietary black boxes, with early shipments slated for late 2025.
Unitree's G1 humanoids just stepped into the ring for the world's first robot kickboxing tournament in Hangzhou, trading punches and front kicks under human-guided control. The 35kg bipedal bots used 360-degree depth cameras and AI motion control to dodge blows and recover from knockdowns. Agile, low-cost humanoid hardware is moving remarkably fast.
Nvidia just announced Isaac GR00T N1.5 and a synthetic motion blueprint called GR00T-Dreams at Computex. Taking a single image as input, it generates simulation videos to train robot behaviors in just 36 hours instead of three months of manual recording. Why it matters: Tackling the data shortage makes scaling humanoids in factories and homes far more practical.
Elon Musk just shared a clip of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot dancing, showing off significantly smoother balance and coordination. Musk explained the robot learned the movements purely through reinforcement learning in simulation before transferring to the real world. While still slightly awkward and backed by a safety tether, it highlights Tesla's progress closing the tricky sim-to-real reality gap.
Amazon just introduced Vulcan, its first fulfillment robot equipped with a sense of touch. Powered by physical AI and force-feedback sensors, Vulcan understands how hard it pushes or grips, letting it pick and stow roughly 75% of warehouse items—especially on hard-to-reach top shelves.
Aurora just launched fully autonomous commercial freight runs on Texas public highways, clocking its first 1,200 driver-free miles for Uber Freight and Hirschbach. It marks the first commercial driverless trucking service operating on open roads, with plans to expand to Phoenix by late 2025.
Hugging Face just launched the SO-101, an open-source, 3D-printable robotic arm starting at $100. An upgrade to the popular SO-100, it features better motors and an integrated camera for reinforcement learning tasks like sorting Legos. Fully assembled units run up to $500 depending on the supplier.
Figure is reportedly in advanced talks with UPS to deploy its latest humanoid robots across the delivery giant's logistics network. While specific roles remain unconfirmed, the setup would complement UPS's broader push into robotics and automation. Why it matters: With Figure targeting 100K robots shipped by 2028, a UPS partnership could serve as a vital proving ground outside of controlled demos.
Hugging Face just acquired French startup Pollen Robotics to accelerate its push into embodied AI. The company plans to sell Pollen's humanoid robot, Reachy 2, while letting developers download and improve its open codebase. It marks a major step in bringing open-source collaboration directly to physical robot hardware.
DoorDash just partnered with sidewalk bot maker Coco to roll out automated food deliveries across Los Angeles and Chicago, with nearly 600 merchants on board. As DoorDash puts it, you don't need a two-ton car just to deliver two chicken sandwiches. The move follows over 100,000 successful trial deliveries.
Samsung just announced that its yellow rolling robot, Ballie, will finally launch in the US this summer. First shown off in 2020, the dual-wheeled bot now packs Google's Gemini multimodal AI alongside a built-in projector, letting it critique your outfit or project movies on your wall. Why it matters: Unlike Amazon's ill-fated Astro, Ballie brings real conversational AI and practical projection into your living room, though Samsung has yet to reveal the price tag.
Amazon’s Zoox just deployed a fleet of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders in Los Angeles to collect mapping data ahead of broader autonomous testing this summer. While rival Waymo already offers paid rides in LA, this marks Zoox’s sixth test city as it inches toward public launches in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year.
Kawasaki just unveiled Corleo, an AI-powered robotic horse equipped with a hydrogen engine. The machine continuously tracks its own posture alongside the rider's position, running real-time calculations to ensure they stay securely in the saddle. Why it matters: It blends clean hydrogen power with bio-inspired robotics for a fresh take on personal mobility.
Google DeepMind just broke down its new Gemini Robotics family, fine-tuning Gemini 2.0 to give robots real-world dexterity and reasoning. Powered by Gemini Robotics-ER and a new vision-language-action model, dual-arm robots can tackle unfamiliar tasks like slam dunking a toy ball or packing lunches on the first try. It is an impressive step toward general-purpose embodied AI that moves beyond single-task programming.
Waymo just announced plans to launch its Waymo One driverless ridehailing service in Washington, DC by 2026. The major roadblock is local law, which currently requires a human behind the wheel for testing and bans driverless commercial operations entirely. If regulators clear the way, the fleet—which already logs 200,000 paid rides weekly—will roll directly into the nation's capital.
Boston Dynamics just expanded its partnership with NVIDIA to bring the Isaac GR00T framework and Jetson Thor compute to its electric Atlas humanoid. The setup lets Atlas run heavy multimodal models alongside its native whole-body controllers, while training complex locomotion in Isaac Lab. Why it matters: The world's most agile robot just picked up the most popular AI compute stack.
Apple is reportedly working on adding cameras to the Apple Watch to power features like Visual Intelligence within the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Standard models could tuck lenses under the display, while the Ultra might mount one beside the digital crown. Apple basically wants wearables to see the physical world, aiming to drive the system with in-house models by 2027.
Lyft just announced that riders in Atlanta will be able to hail robotaxis starting this summer, using a fleet of Toyota Sienna minivans powered by May Mobility. The ride-hailing company also plans to expand to Dallas in 2026 with Mobileye-equipped vehicles, gearing up to scale thousands of autonomous cars across multiple cities.
