Welcome back, Superhuman. The robotaxi race is shifting gears. One of the sector’s most-watched players is preparing to mass-produce its redesigned robotaxi, with plans to welcome riders later this year — a direct play for Waymo’s crown. Meanwhile, Agility Robotics is heading for the public markets, giving Wall Street its first pure-play humanoid robotics stock.
The Robotics Special is designed to help you stay on the cutting edge of the latest breakthroughs and products in the industry. Our regular AI updates will resume as usual on Monday.
WHAT’S NEXT
The most important news in robotics this week
Click here for a quick peek inside Zoox’s redesigned robotaxi. Photo: Zoox
1. Agility Robotics is going public at a $2.5B valuation: Agility Robotics, the company behind the Digit humanoid robot, is going public in a $2.5B SPAC deal. The listing is expected to give Agility over $620M to scale production and expand commercial deployments. With more than $300M in pre-orders already secured for its next-generation Digit, the company is betting the humanoid robotics market (which it estimates at $1T) is finally ready to take off.
2. Zoox is ready to build its robotaxi at scale, and riders could get in this year: The company has redesigned its carriage-style robotaxi for mass production, targeting up to 100 vehicles per week at its California facility. The updated model adds ergonomic seating, a calmer interior palette, and clearer exterior cues. With Waymo already set to roll out its Ojai vehicle, Zoox's push signals that the robotaxi race is entering a new, more commercial phase. Take a peek inside the new design here.
3. Hyundai reportedly set to buy out Boston Dynamics entirely: Hyundai Motor Group is set to acquire SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for $325M, making the Spot and Atlas-maker a wholly owned subsidiary. SoftBank triggered the sale through a put option agreed when it sold Boston Dynamics to Hyundai. The move gives Hyundai complete control over one of the world's most advanced robotics companies, and comes as it deploys Spot robots at the World Cup and Atlas in car manufacturing.
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ROBOTS IN ACTION
How robots are transforming the world around us
Click here to see humanoid robots face off against each other in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Photo: Boston Dynamics
⚽ Kick Off: Robots are getting into the soccer spirit. At MWC Shanghai 2026, humanoid robots faced off in a live penalty shootout challenge, autonomously reading goal angles and tracking goalkeeper movement. The competition tests perception, balance, and real-time decision-making under pressure — the same qualities that make penalty kicks nerve-wracking for human players. Watch highlights from the shootout here.
🧑🏫 Class Help: Realbotix is piloting its M-Series humanoid robot in Salamanca City Central School District, New York, with an AI tutoring platform that provides personalized homework help, multilingual support, and 24/7 academic access. The robot engages students through natural conversation and expressive facial movements rather than a screen — a test of whether humanoid robots can find their place inside real classrooms.
⚙ Working the Floor: Following an 11-month pilot where Figure 02 helped build over 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles, BMW's Spartanburg plant is now deploying Figure 03. The new robot takes on logistics tasks, organizing components into sequencing trolleys before they reach assembly workers. BMW is also piloting humanoid robots at its Leipzig plant in Germany, marking the technology's first European factory deployment.
INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT
Everything else you need to know this week
Photo: Nvidia
Here are the biggest developments in the robotics space that you should know about:
Nvidia has launched Halos for Robotics, a full-stack safety platform, with Agility Robotics becoming the first company to adopt the system.
Morgan Stanley has tripled its 2026 forecast for China’s humanoid robot shipments to 50,000 units, citing surging state-backed demand.
Beijing is pouring subsidies into “embodied AI” to help China’s shrinking workforce, as companies race to automate factories and fill labor gaps.
The White House is reportedly reviewing Chinese state-subsidized robotics imports, signaling action to boost domestic robot manufacturing.
General Intuition has picked up $320M in new funding, betting that AI agents trained on video games can transfer reasoning skills to real-world robots.
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ROBOT OF THE WEEK
A robot that caught our eye
Photo: Mondo Robotics
This robot acts like your personal paparazzi.
Mondo Robotics introduced Beni, an all-terrain autonomous camera robot built to follow and film you outdoors. Beni can track you from behind, alongside, or in orbit while shooting up to 4K video. It can hit nearly 18 mph, jump over obstacles, do backflips and sideflips, and auto-edit highlight reels.
You can check it out here.
ROBO REELS
Watch: Humanoid robot spotted begging on the streets of China in viral clip
Photo: CGTN
Robots are coming for jobs you'd never expect.
A Unitree G1 robot was filmed kneeling on a street in Chengdu, hands clasped, asking passersby for coins and QR code donations to cover its electricity bill. The stunt drew mostly amused reactions on Chinese social media. Nobody has claimed responsibility, but it's the latest viral moment from China's rapidly accelerating robotics boom.
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Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team
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