Technical Knowledge

Robotics

The engineering behind the machines. Deep dives into simulation, control systems, reinforcement learning, locomotion and everything that makes modern robots actually work — written for people who want to understand the technology, not just watch the demos.

Articles


Lai Jie, the Tencent Robotics X veteran behind Astribot — a humanoid robot reaching for a star amid stardust
Astribot Profile People

Who Is Lai Jie? The Tencent Roboticist Behind Astribot

Meet Lai Jie (来杰), founder and CEO of Astribot — a Tencent Robotics X veteran who left to build the S1, the rope-driven robot whose wine-pouring, laundry-folding demo went viral and split the internet over whether it was real. His story, the honest truth about that demo, and the $1.4 billion company behind it.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Isaac Asimov, the man who wrote the Three Laws of Robotics — three numbered law plaques
History Profile Laws of Robotics

Who Is Isaac Asimov? The Man Who Wrote the Laws of Robotics

Isaac Asimov invented the Three Laws of Robotics and even coined the word "robotics" — yet no real robot actually obeys his laws. The biochemist and science-fiction master behind the most famous rules in robotics, and why working roboticists say they can't be built.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Gu Jie, the exoskeleton pioneer behind Fourier — a humanoid standing on a Fourier sine wave
Fourier Profile People

Who Is Gu Jie? The Exoskeleton Pioneer Behind Fourier

Meet Gu Jie (Alex Gu), founder of Fourier — the Shanghai company that spent a decade building exoskeletons to help paralyzed people walk before pivoting to humanoids like the GR-1, GR-2 and the GR-3 "care-bot." Backed by SoftBank and Saudi Aramco's fund.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Zhao Tongyang, the showman founder of EngineAI — an acrobatic humanoid robot leaping inside a rotation arc
EngineAI Profile People

Who Is Zhao Tongyang? The Showman Behind EngineAI

Meet Zhao Tongyang (赵同阳), the grassroots, vocational-college founder and CEO of EngineAI (众擎机器人) — the showman who built XPeng's first humanoid, then left to make robots that do the world's first front flip and kick their own CEO on camera. His story, his robots, and the stunts behind a $1.5 billion valuation.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Peng Zhihui, the Bilibili 'Wild Iron Man' and co-founder of AgiBot — a humanoid standing on a microchip
AgiBot Profile People

Who Is Peng Zhihui? The Bilibili 'Iron Man' Behind AgiBot

Meet Peng Zhihui (彭志辉), known online as Zhihui Jun (稚晖君) — the Bilibili "Wild Iron Man" who built a self-driving bicycle in his spare time, took a 2-million-yuan Huawei "Genius Youth" salary, then co-founded AgiBot, the company that shipped more humanoid robots than anyone in 2025. How a maker-celebrity became a listed-company chairman at 33.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Brett Adcock, the serial founder and CEO behind Figure AI — Vettery, Archer Aviation and a $39 billion humanoid bet
Figure AI Profile People

Who Is Brett Adcock? The Serial Founder Behind Figure

He's not a roboticist — he's a farm kid from Illinois on his third company. Brett Adcock built and sold Vettery, took Archer Aviation public, then founded Figure AI, dumped OpenAI to build his own robot brain (Helix), and pushed it to a reported $39 billion valuation. Meet Figure's founder and CEO.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Robert Playter, the gymnast-turned-engineer who ran Boston Dynamics — the CEO behind Atlas, Spot and Stretch
Boston Dynamics Profile People

Who Is Robert Playter? The Gymnast Who Ran Boston Dynamics

He ran the company famous for backflipping robots — and he was a national-champion gymnast who did his MIT PhD on robot somersaults. Meet Robert Playter, who turned Boston Dynamics from a viral-video lab into a business, and find out who leads it now after his February 2026 retirement.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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A backflip is not a benchmark — the five dimensions that separate a humanoid robot demo from a robot that can do a real job
Humanoid Testing Methodology

From Demos to Real Jobs: How Do You Actually Test a Humanoid Robot?

A backflip is not a benchmark. With Atlas working a Hyundai line and China ordering thousands of real deployments, the viral-demo era is over. The five dimensions — autonomy, endurance, success rate, generalization and recovery — that separate a polished humanoid demo from a robot that can actually do a job.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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ICRA 2026 in Vienna — the humanoid hype met a joystick: the honest state of humanoid robot autonomy in 2026
Humanoid ICRA 2026 Autonomy

ICRA 2026: The Humanoid Hype Met a Joystick in Vienna

The world's biggest robotics conference just wrapped in Vienna — and on the show floor, a lot of the humanoid robots were still being driven by a human with a joystick. The honest state of humanoid autonomy in 2026, and what it means for home and companion robots.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng gives a thumbs-up beside the company's IRON humanoid robot at a tech show
XPeng People Humanoid

He Xiaopeng Takes Command of XPeng's Robots After Its Product Chief Resigns

XPeng's robotics product chief, Shi Xiaoxin, resigned after 1,675 days building IRON from scratch — and days later CEO He Xiaopeng took personal control of the robotics unit. With mass production due by the end of 2026 and a robot that recently face-planted on stage, here's what the shake-up really means.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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The founders and CEOs behind the humanoid robot companies — Tesla, XPeng, Unitree and Figure robots lined up at a starting line
People Profile Humanoid

Who Runs the Humanoid Robot Companies? The Founders and CEOs Behind the Robots

The humanoid race is really a race between a dozen very different people. Profiles of the founders and CEOs behind Tesla, XPeng, Unitree, Figure, 1X, Booster and Boston Dynamics — their backgrounds, leadership styles and the rivalries between them.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Who is Wang Xingxing, the engineer and founder behind Unitree — robot dog and humanoid rising on a chart
Unitree Profile People

Who Is Wang Xingxing? The Engineer Behind Unitree

Unitree is doing a remarkable amount right — and behind it is one engineer-founder. Meet Wang Xingxing, the CEO and CTO who made robots cheap: from a low-cost robot dog built during his master's to the world's best-selling quadrupeds and the $4,900 R1 humanoid.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Best robot pets and companion robots for kids in 2026 — Miko 3, KEYi Loona, Eilik, Cozmo and Petoi Bittle compared
Robot Pets Kids Buying Guide

Best Robot Pets for Kids in 2026: From First Companion to Future Coder

A child's robot can be a playmate, a comfort and a first coding teacher. Miko 3, KEYi Loona, Eilik, Cozmo and Petoi Bittle — compared on play, learning, safety and price, with what each one teaches a child and the real laws that keep them safe.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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The best robot pets to buy in 2026 — Sony AIBO, KEYi Loona, MarsCat and Petoi Bittle compared
Robot Pets Buying Guide Comparison

Best Robot Pets in 2026: AIBO, Loona, MarsCat & Petoi Compared

A robot pet gives you the companionship of an animal with none of the mess. From the $289 Petoi Bittle to the $2,899 Sony AIBO — the best robot pets of 2026 compared on realism, AI, battery and price, with RobotTesters scores.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Best humanoid robots you can actually buy in 2026 — Unitree R1, G1, H1, AgiBot X2, Booster T1 and LimX Oli EDU compared
Humanoid Buying Guide Comparison

Best Humanoid Robots You Can Actually Buy in 2026 (Specs & Prices Compared)

You can buy a humanoid robot today — just not the one you've seen in the ads. The Unitree R1 ($4,900), G1 ($13,500) and H1 (~$90k), AgiBot X2, Booster T1 and LimX Oli EDU — the six on sale now, ranked on specs, price and RobotTesters scores.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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A child's hand reaching out to a humanoid robot's hand — the 5 best Unitree UniStore skills
Skills Unitree UniStore

The 5 Best UniStore Skills Right Now — and Why Unitree's Robot App Store Changes Everything

From the chart-topping Funky Wiggle Dance to a full 360° front flip: our pick of the five skills that map what Unitree's marketplace has become — and why a robot app store is a revolution that lets developers and ordinary people earn money building skills.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Which laws of robotics do today's humanoids follow — a humanoid robot seated in a futuristic temple-like hall
Safety Standards Ethics

The Real Laws of Robotics: Which Rules Today's Humanoids Actually Follow

No robot on Earth runs Asimov's Three Laws — and that's good. The real rules are a stack of safe hardware, coded guardrails and certification (ISO 13482, the EU AI Act, NRTL/OSHA). What matters most is how open each maker is about them.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Elderly man with a robot dog companion — therapeutic robot pets for dementia care
Robot Pets Healthcare

Best Robot Pets for Elderly with Dementia: PARO, Joy for All, Tombot Compared (2026)

The clinical evidence is settled. But PARO costs $6,000 and Joy for All costs $120. A guide through the four main options — what the research actually shows and how to choose the right robot for the right situation.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Humanoid robots on a high-speed assembly line representing the manufacturing pace race in 2026
Robotics Manufacturing

How Fast Are Humanoid Robots Being Built? Factory Speed in 2026

Unit counts tell you what a manufacturer plans to build. Factory velocity tells you whether they can. A machine-by-machine look at who's accelerating, who's holding back deliberately, and what each production strategy signals about 2027.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Stack-chan desktop robot after 15 days of testing
First Look Stack-chan

Stack-chan: 15 Days With the Robot That Makes Everyone Smile

The first power-on is genuinely magical. The voice recognition is genuinely frustrating. Here is what two weeks with Stack-chan actually looks like — including the problem no one talks about enough.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Figure 01, Figure 02, and Figure 03 — three generations of Figure AI humanoid robots
Humanoid Figure AI

Figure 01, 02, 03: Three Robots in Three Years — and What They Tell Us About Where This Is Going

From BMW factory floors to your living room in 28 months. How each generation of Figure AI's humanoid solved a different core problem — and what that pace of iteration means for what comes next.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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AI systems comparison for humanoid robots
AI Systems Comparison

Helix, Carbon, GR00T: The AI Philosophies Behind the Humanoid Race

Every major humanoid robot has a different answer to the same question: how should a machine think? Eight AI systems compared — from end-to-end VLA to open app stores — and what they reveal about who might win.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Unitree H1 humanoid robot showing its articulated joints
Kinematics Hardware

Why Degrees of Freedom Matter: The Spec That Decides What a Robot Can Actually Do

Degrees of freedom are the most underappreciated number on a robot's spec sheet. A look at why DOF dictates reachability, dexterity, locomotion — and ultimately what a machine can and cannot do.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Humanoid robot on an electric vehicle assembly line
Industry EV Transition

The Robot Race: Why Every Major Carmaker Is Building a Humanoid

Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai, Toyota, BYD, Xpeng — they're all in. This isn't a trend; it's the logical consequence of the EV transition, factory economics, and a bet on an entirely new consumer market.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Unitree G1 humanoid robot
Pricing Market Unitree

The Price You Can't Know: Why Humanoid Robot Manufacturers Hide Their Costs

Most humanoid robot companies won't tell you what their product costs. A look at why this opacity is holding the entire industry back — and why Unitree's move to sell on AliExpress at $4,370 changes the conversation.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Humanoid robot balancing on one foot
Locomotion Humanoid

Why Robots Should Dance, Race Obstacle Courses, and Run Half Marathons

Dancing, obstacle courses, half marathons — when robots compete, they're not performing. They're proving something no spec sheet can. Here's why these challenges matter more than any lab demo.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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Abstract digital twin city wireframe
Simulation Reinforcement Learning

Training Robots in Simulation: How the Virtual World Builds Real-World Intelligence

Before a robot takes a single step on a factory floor, it may have walked millions of kilometres in software. A look at how simulators like Isaac Sim, MuJoCo and Genesis are replacing the real world as the primary training ground for robot intelligence.

Jaime Delgado
Jaime Delgado
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