Robotics AgiBot rolled out four robots at WAIC, all aimed at real work
At WAIC 2026, AgiBot skipped the one-hero-robot playbook and shipped a full lineup — a service humanoid, an industrial workhorse, a teaching platform, and the hand by itself.
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#factory-automation · How Robots Are Reshaping Work
New robots, new capabilities. Tracking what's coming for the workforce.
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Robotics Tesla's Optimus line still hasn't started production
A July inventory of what humanoids actually do for a living puts Tesla near the bottom: the loudest robot company hasn't started production, while quieter rivals log real shifts.
Robotics The robot show in Shanghai now has a checkout counter
The 2026 World AI Conference opened in Shanghai with 300-plus working robots, a humanoid-run retail store, and a live procurement desk — the demo era is ending and the purchase-order era has started.
Robotics Walden's robots skipped the legs and went to work at Toyota
Walden Robotics left stealth on Wednesday with $300M and wheeled robots already in production at Toyota. The legs are missing on purpose.
Robotics Four in five US factories run zero automation
80% of US manufacturing facilities have zero automation, and the barrier stalling the rest isn't money — it's data hygiene and cybersecurity.
Robotics China orders 10,000 humanoids into real jobs by year-end
China's MIIT and SASAC ordered state-owned firms to put 10,000 humanoids into routine operation across 100-plus real scenarios by the end of 2026.
Robotics Boston Dynamics sells out every 2026 Atlas robot before building them
Boston Dynamics has committed its entire 2026 Atlas run to parent Hyundai and Google DeepMind, with no units for outside buyers until 2027 — as a Korean union moves to block them.
Robotics AGIBOT rolls out its 15,000th robot in 16 months
AGIBOT says its 15,000th robot has rolled off the line, capping a production ramp that went from 1,000 to 15,000 units in roughly a year.
Robotics US robot installs jumped 11%, still a tenth of China's
New IFR figures show US industrial-robot installations up 11% to 38,000 units, with the fastest growth in food plants — while America's total still trails China's volume by an order of magnitude.
Robotics Geekplus puts 436 robots to work inside Toyota's plants
Geekplus says 436 of its autonomous mobile robots now run in-plant logistics across multiple Toyota factories in Japan, with labor shortages and trucking rules driving the rollout.
Robotics Mind Robotics, May 13: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe's 「Side」 Robot Company Raises $400M Series B at $3.4B Valuation — Total Funding Past $1B in <5 Months Since Spinout, Kleiner Perkins Leads with Volkswagen Group and Salesforce Ventures Along for the Ride, Hundreds of Units Already Deployed Inside the Normal, IL Plant That Builds R1Ts
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe's 「Project Synapse」 spinout Mind Robotics closed a $400M Series B at $3.4B led by Kleiner Perkins, with VW Group and Salesforce Ventures participating — total funding now >$1B, training inside Rivian's Normal, IL plant.
Robotics 60 Totes an Hour, 8-Hour Shifts, 90% Success: Siemens Just Let a UK Humanoid Run Its Factory Logistics
A wheeled humanoid built by UK startup Humanoid and powered by Nvidia's physical-AI stack just did tote-handling at Siemens' Erlangen electronics plant — 60 moves per hour, over 8 hours uninterrupted, 90%+ pick-and-place success.