Robotics Special: Japan puts humanoid robots to work at airport

Welcome back, Superhuman. If you’re planning a holiday to Japan, you’re in for a surprise. A gripping labor shortage has forced the country to recruit an unlikely helper at one of its busiest airports. Meanwhile, a Chinese startup has unveiled a quadruped robot with the muscle to haul more than a ton.

WHAT’S NEXT

The most important news and breakthroughs in robotics this week

1. Japan Airlines is putting humanoid robots to work at Haneda Airport: With tourism at record highs and its workforce shrinking fast, Japan Airlines is turning to humanoid robots to keep one of its busiest airports running. A two-year trial launching this month will test robots on baggage handling and cabin cleaning. With Japan's working-age population on track to decline by nearly a third by 2060, analysts expect the government to push humanoids as an alternative. See the robots in action here.

2. SoftBank is building a robotics company to automate data center construction: As demand for AI infrastructure explodes, SoftBank is launching Roze AI, a robotics venture that deploys autonomous robots to build server farms more efficiently. The Japanese conglomerate is already plotting an IPO at a target valuation of $100B, a figure even some SoftBank insiders are skeptical about. It's a bold bet, but not an isolated one: Jeff Bezos is pursuing a similar vision through his industrial AI startup, Project Prometheus.

3. The US is trying to cut China out of robotics, but it’s easier said than done: A new bipartisan bill aims to ban US government use of Chinese ground robots, part of a sweeping push to cut sensitive tech ties with Beijing. But there’s a problem: US firms still rely heavily on Chinese-made components, meaning a ban that moves further down the supply chain could hurt the very firms it's meant to help. Analysts warn the US still lacks a coherent strategy for navigating the broader tech competition with China.

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ROBOTS IN ACTION

How robots are transforming the world around us

🐴 Giddy Up: Dax Robotics has unveiled the Qiji T1000, a quadruped robot that can haul up to 1,000 kg. It’s designed for high-stakes field work: emergency rescue, high-altitude supply runs, construction sites, and industrial logistics across snow, ice, and broken ground. It's engineered for the unglamorous, high-stakes work that's kept pack animals relevant for centuries. See it in action here.

🧹 Operation Cleanup: German engineers are developing tele-operated robotic arms to retrieve 126,000 radioactive waste barrels from the Asse II salt mine, a site so degraded by moisture and corrosion that human workers can't safely operate inside. If successful, the project could potentially become a blueprint for cleaning up similar Cold War-era nuclear sites in the US and beyond.

🪖 Built to Fight: While many robotics companies are chasing the home assistant market, Foundation is building robots for war. The startup recently piloted its Phantom humanoid in Ukraine and has now landed a $24M Pentagon contract. Co-founder and Marine vet Mike LeBlanc argues there's a moral case for putting machines on the front lines instead of people, though he admits full combat capability is still five to ten years out.

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Everything else you need to know this week

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

• Meta has acquired humanoid startup Assured Robot Intelligence to strengthen its push into robots that can understand, predict, and adapt to human behavior.

• China has reportedly frozen new robotaxi permits after a Baidu Apollo Go outage in Wuhan raised fresh alarms over autonomous driving safety.

• CaoCao has unveiled China’s first purpose-built robotaxi, with mass production slated for 2027 and an ambitious plan to deploy 100k autonomous cabs by 2030.

• Unitree just dropped a $4,290 humanoid robot, dramatically lowering the price of entry into a market once reserved for six-figure research robots.

• REK is set to open America’s first “humanoid store” in San Francisco, where customers can buy, service, and even test-drive its VR-controlled fighting robots.

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ROBOT OF THE WEEK

A robot that caught our eye this week

You don’t have to spend your Sundays mowing your lawn anymore.

Roborock has unveiled the RockNeo Q1 robotic mower, which maps your yard with AI, trims edges down to 1 inch, and climbs slopes up to 45 percent. It navigates tight spaces and obstacles automatically, so lawns maintain themselves while you sit back and relax.

You can check it out here.

ROBO REELS

Watch: A sneak peek at Ultimate Grogu, a robotic Star Wars collectible

Your favorite movie characters are starting to come to life.

Hasbro is launching Ultimate Grogu, a $600 animatronic Star Wars collectible packed with four motors and 14 sensors that let it toddle, coo, raise its arms, and react to touch. It's positioned as a high-end collectible rather than a toy, with 250 animations and accessories that Grogu can interact with. See it in action here.

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Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team