Robotics Digest: October 2025

This month we saw China converting pilot projects into full production contracts, while American companies are preparing robots for mass deployment. For the first time, humanoid platforms are being measured not by novelty, but by reliability, cost efficiency, and integration with existing industrial systems.

This is the start of true operational scale. Engineers are now optimising uptime, modularity, and energy performance, developing machines designed to run continuously rather. The question is no longer whether humanoids can move or manipulate objects but whether they can do so thousands of times a day with commercial precision.

1. Figure introduces the Figure 03 humanoid

Figure Robotics, based in Palo Alto, has unveiled the Figure 03, a humanoid designed for real commercial deployment. The machine has been rebuilt from the ground up with a new sensory architecture, a redesigned hand system, and wireless charging. Every aspect of its engineering points to scalability.

The Figure 03 is intended for integration into high-volume manufacturing. Early pilots are already under way in automotive assembly and logistics facilities. This launch positions Figure among the leading companies pursuing production-ready humanoids alongside Tesla’s Optimus, Apptronik’s Apollo and Agility’s Digit.

Unlike many of its competitors, Figure continues to experiment with open development frameworks and data-driven learning loops. The approach aligns with the decentralised Physical AI model in which robots share knowledge across networks and evolve collectively rather than in isolation.

2. AgiBot launches the G2 humanoid and reports record orders

In Shenzhen, AgiBot announced its new G2 humanoid and revealed that it has secured contracts worth several hundred million RMB. Individual agreements reportedly exceed one hundred million yuan, with the first deliveries already in progress.

The G2 introduces a set of sophisticated mechanical upgrades. Precision torque sensors allow smoother motion, a three-degree-of-freedom waist improves balance, and a new wrist force-control system enables delicate manipulation. These advances bring the robot closer to human-level dexterity and reliability.

AgiBot’s success illustrates the momentum of China’s humanoid sector. Regional governments are establishing robotics industrial zones and offering incentives to scale production. The company’s performance strengthens the argument that Asia is likely to be the first region to industrialise Physical AI at scale through coordinated public and private investment.

‍

3. Walmart begins selling the Unitree G1 humanoid in the United States

In an unexpected move that highlights how rapidly humanoid robotics is entering the consumer space, Walmart has started shipping Unitree’s G1 humanoid directly within the United States. The entry-level version costs twenty-one thousand six hundred dollars and can even be purchased in batches of six.

Originally designed as an educational and research platform, the G1 offers a rare combination of affordability and capability for a bipedal system. It provides universities, startups and small enterprises with a way to explore automation without the barrier of million-dollar hardware.

Walmart is the major retailer to have distributed a humanoid robot through standard e-commerce channels. The shift from laboratory to marketplace shows how access to Physical AI is becoming democratized. It also reinforces the thesis that decentralised ownership of robotics is both feasible and imminent.

‍

4. Unitree H2 introduces human-like design and movement

Unitree has continued its rapid development cycle with the H2, a full-sized humanoid that stands five feet eleven inches tall and operates with thirty-one degrees of freedom. The new model departs from the industrial aesthetic of its predecessors. It features a stylised face and expressive movements that hint at the early stages of emotional communication between humans and machines.

The H2 combines custom high-torque actuators with lightweight carbon composite materials. The result is fluid, natural motion and improved energy efficiency. More importantly, it reveals the arrival of affective robotics, where form and expression become as important as performance. Unitree’s design philosophy suggests that social acceptance will soon be a defining factor in humanoid development.

‍

5. Amazon plans large-scale automation of its United States operations

According to internal documents cited by The New York Times, Amazon intends to automate seventy-five percent of its American operations by 2033. The company estimates that as many as six hundred thousand positions could be replaced or restructured as robotic systems expand across logistics and fulfilment centres. Approximately one hundred and sixty thousand roles may disappear by 2027.

The plan includes the deployment of new mobile manipulators and humanoid-type assistants capable of handling packaging, sorting and final-mile preparation. Amazon’s robotics division has been recruiting aggressively and integrating artificial intelligence directly into its warehouse management systems.

‍

6. Tesla redefines its mission around “Sustainable Abundance”

During Tesla’s third-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk announced that the company’s purpose will now extend beyond clean energy to what he described as “Sustainable Abundance”. He argued that humanoid robots such as Optimus will play a central role in ending poverty and making advanced healthcare accessible worldwide.

What does this mean? It means that Tesla no longer views robotics as a supporting technology but as the next foundation of its business. Optimus is moving from factory assistant to general-purpose worker, integrating the same artificial intelligence systems that guide Tesla’s vehicles.

‍

Bullish on Robotics? So Are We.

XMAQUINA is a decentralized ecosystem giving members direct access to the rise of humanoid robotics and Physical AI, technologies set to reshape the global economy.

Join thousands of futurists contributing to the XMAQUINA DAO and follow us on X for the latest updates. Explore the DAO’s portfolio here: dao.xmaquina.io