Robotics Special: Figure drops Helix 2.5

Welcome back, Superhuman. Robots are finally making themselves at home. In a move that’s turning heads across the industry, robotics startup Figure AI just dropped its latest Helix model that allows its robots to walk into homes they’ve never seen before and do zero-shot chores with remarkable success rates. Meanwhile, a Japanese company is borrowing a page from Iron Man for its next ambitious robotics design.

1. Figure’s humanoid does zero-shot chores in 30 unfamiliar homes: One of the toughest problems in robotics is generalization, i.e., getting robots to function in environments they’ve never seen. Now, Figure AI just dropped Helix 2.5, a new model that enabled its humanoid robots to walk into 30 homes they’d never been in and get to work immediately, tidying living rooms, folding and storing towels, and making beds. See the remarkable feat in action here.

2. Agility unveils humanoid robot designed to work safely alongside people: In what may be the first “truly safe” humanoid worker, Agility’s Digit 5 robot can detect nearby humans and slows down, stops, or lowers itself and shuts off its motors if approached, removing the need for safety barriers. The company reports $300 million in multiyear orders and is gearing up to launch in North America in early 2027, with Europe and the UK slated for later that year. You can take an early peek at the design here.

3. Japanese startup unveils Iron Man-like robotics arms: Tokyo-based startup MW is developing homes that pack an Iron Man-inspired design, with robotic arms that travel along ceiling-mounted rails to perform household chores. The system can carry groceries, separate pantry items from refrigerated goods, and fold laundry — part of a broader bet that fixed-track robots are safer and better suited to compact Japanese homes than bipedal humanoids. It plans to sell its first robot-equipped home in 2028.

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Assembly Line: UBTECH's new Liuzhou plant is the world's first built to manufacture humanoid robots at 10,000-unit scale, using robots on the line to help assemble more robots. Each unit gets over four hours of testing before storage in an automated warehouse. UBTECH credits China's deep supply chain for making that mass production possible. As humanoid costs drop, factories like this one will decide how fast robots actually show up in the real world. Take a glimpse inside the plant here.

First Aid: When a robot breaks down mid-shift, waiting days for a replacement isn't great for business. Now, Japanese company GMO has unveiled a "humanoid ambulance," a repair van stocked with diagnostic tools, spare parts, and a backup humanoid ready to swap in. The van is meant to keep robots working while engineers haul broken ones back to base for repairs — an early glimpse at the support infrastructure a potential robot workforce may require.

Snitch Ride: Robotaxis can call the cops on you. A Waymo in San Francisco reportedly flagged two juvenile passengers handling a loaded AR-style rifle inside the cab, prompting the company to alert the police. It's not the first time a Waymo has reported passenger behavior, after one car alerted San Mateo police to teens drinking and firing toy blasters. As robotaxis multiply, their sensors are becoming a new kind of backseat authority.

Here are the biggest developments in the robotics space that you should know about:

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Casio’s Moflin lets you have a pet without any of the upkeep.

The $429 furry robot, roughly hamster-sized, uses emotional recognition to develop a unique personality over weeks, creating what Casio claims are over 4 million possible emotional profiles. It can't walk, but responds to touch and sound with nuzzles, head tilts, and expressive chirps. See it in action here.

You can check it out here.

Chicago's delivery robots keep finding new ways to go rogue.

A glitch sent a dozen Coco robots swarming a sidewalk near Lincoln Park, Chicago, trapping pedestrians with nowhere to walk around. A passerby filmed the standoff, and Coco says its team caught the issue and fixed it within minutes. It follows earlier incidents that sent a resident to the hospital and got the bots banned from parts of the city. See the viral clip here.

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