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.

OpenAI has rapidly scaled its robotics lab over the past year and plans to open up a second lab, insiders say.

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.

A few weeks earlier, a job opening appeared that could offer a hint about what comes next for the Waltham company, which is owned by the South Korean car maker Hyundai Motor Group

At CES 2026, Robotera showed a lineup of working systems, including full humanoids, wheeled service robots, and, most notably, robotic hands.

Multi-tasking robots equipped with artificial intelligence will change the world. Mankind has to be ready to get the best out of them. How this is done will be decided in boardrooms and tech labs