This Week's Good Reads
CNBC — Elon Musk Wants Robots Everywhere. China Is Making That a Reality
While Tesla has yet to sell its Optimus humanoid robot, Chinese companies like Unitree, UBTech, and AgiBot are ramping up production to deliver thousands of industrial humanoid robots in 2026, with Beijing making robotics a strategic national priority. Check it out.
Computerworld — Why Ambient Robots Beat Humanoid Robots
Mike Elgan argues that "unobtrusive physical AI"—where everyday objects gain intelligent movement capabilities through sensors and AI—offers a more practical and less intrusive vision for the robotic future than science fiction-style humanoid servants. Read the opinion piece.
Robotics Companies Funding
- Lotus Technology – $23 M, Strategic Investment (23 Dec 2025), by ECARX Holdings (Crunchbase). Shanghai-based luxury EV maker (Nasdaq: LOT) developing electric vehicles including the Eletre and Emeya, backed by Geely Holding, with ECARX's investment deepening their intelligent cockpit partnership.
- Surgerii Robotics – $100 M, Series D round (Dec 2025), led by Loyal Valley Capital with Shanghai Healthcare Capital, V Star Capital, DNV Capital and Hefei Industrial Investment (PitchBook | Crunchbase). Beijing-based surgical robotics company whose SHURUI single-port robot holds NMPA and CE certifications for urology, gynecology, general and thoracic surgery across all age groups.
Robotics News
- Hyundai Motor's MobED autonomous mobility robot wins innovation award at CES 2026 — The Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED) received the Best of Innovation Award in Robotics from CES organizers, featuring advanced sensors and drive-and-lift modules for versatile commercial use in delivery, logistics, and film. The Korea Times
- Japanese startup Ludens AI debuts two adorable companion robots at CES 2026 — Ludens AI unveiled Cocomo, an autonomous robot pet that follows users around the house with fuzzy exterior and voice interaction, alongside Inu, a smaller desktop companion robot with a wiggly tail and single eye. Engadget
- SwitchBot unveils Onero H1 humanoid robot at CES 2026 for household chores — SwitchBot introduced the Onero H1, a wheeled humanoid robot with 22 degrees of freedom and AI capabilities, designed to handle tasks like folding laundry and washing windows at an estimated price of $1,500. Android Authority
- FrontierX unveils Vex and Aura AI robots for pet care at CES 2026 — FrontierX introduced Vex, a ball-shaped robot that autonomously follows pets and creates edited video highlights, and Aura, a larger companion bot with health monitoring and conversational AI capabilities. WebProNews
- CES 2026 highlights AI, robotics, and EVs in Las Vegas — The Consumer Electronics Show 2026 features robotics from vacuums and humanoids to autonomous systems, with smart home technology emphasizing computer vision advances and Matter standard integration. Interesting Ewngineering
- Boston Dynamics training AI-powered Atlas humanoid for factory work — Boston Dynamics is testing its new generation Atlas humanoid robot at Hyundai's Georgia factory, using machine learning and supervised training to autonomously sort parts and perform industrial tasks. CBS News
- Zeroth Robotics launches WALL-E-inspired robots in U.S. at CES 2026 — Zeroth debuted its lineup including the W1 ($5,599), a WALL-E-inspired wheeled robot for homes and commercial use, and M1 ($2,899), a 15-inch humanoid companion powered by Google's Gemini AI. Interesting Engineering
- Chinese scientists develop robotic skin giving robots pain sensations and reflexes — Researchers at City University of Hong Kong created neuromorphic electronic skin (NRE-skin) that allows robots to sense touch, detect injury, and trigger protective reflexes without waiting for central processor commands. TechXplore
- DeepSeek unveils efficient AI training method as China pursues AI advancement — DeepSeek published research on Manifold-Constrained Hyper-Connections, a framework designed to improve AI model scalability while reducing computational and energy demands, signaling progress toward its next flagship R2 model. Bloomberg
- Oversonic Robotics partners with STMicroelectronics to deploy humanoid robots in semiconductor manufacturing — Italian robotics firm Oversonic signed an agreement with STMicroelectronics to introduce RoBee cognitive humanoid robots into semiconductor production facilities, marking the first operational use of humanoids in chip manufacturing. BisInfoTech
