Uncanny Intel: Humanoids hit speed-and-scale (Issue 4 | Oct 13 - Oct 19, 2025)

UBTECH Robotics announced that its Walker series humanoid robot lineup has secured orders exceeding RMB 630 million (≈US $86 m), including a RMB 126 m contract for a “Embodied Intelligence Data Collection and Testing Centre” in Guangxi, China.

The Walker S2 robot (latest version) features full autonomy and battery-swapping capabilities, per the contract description. Delivery is expected by year-end.

Why it matters: Commercial orders of this scale show that humanoid robots are moving beyond just demos into real industrial/organizational interest. That context may mark a shift toward deployment rather than just concept.

The orders are for specific controlled applications (data-centre / testing centre) in China, not necessarily general-purpose robots in homes or unpredictable environments. There’s still a big leap between delivery and broader adoption.

Chinese firm Unitree Robotics publicly revealed its new full-size humanoid robot, the H2, which stands ~180 cm tall and weighs ~70 kg.

The H2 features 31 joints (≈19% more than its predecessor), improved flexibility, smoother movements, and a “bionic face” giving it more human-like looks. Demo shows dance and martial-arts routines.

Why it matters: A new milestone: we’re seeing humanoids that more closely mimic human dimensions and movement, which could open up more “real world” roles (helping humans, working side-by-side).

Demo videos is not field deployment. We don’t yet know battery life, reliability, cost, or how it behaves in messy human-environments. It remains to be seen whether this is more than “cool demo.”

Cartwheel Robotics posted teaser footage of its humanoid robot named “Yogi” . Built with “toddler proportions” for home use, the robot features soft silicone skin and is aimed at human-friendly domestic roles.

While the Yogi update is more of a promise than a product, it signals the growing push in the humanoid market toward home and companionship robots, not just industrial ones. In the era of loneliness epidemics, is Yogi our future bff?

On 15 Oct, Forbes reported that two stealth startups, Rhoda AI and Genesis AI, each raised funding rounds (Rhoda ~$162.6 m; Genesis ~$105 m) to build humanoid robots.

These moves reflect a surge of capital heading into humanoid robotics hardware after years of software/AI dominance. While neither startup revealed full details, the amounts and ambitions are a clear signal: investors believe humanoids may be the next big frontier.

Still, history warns us: big funding does not guarantee success. The hardware + real-world deployment challenge remains huge.

Read more here.

This week felt like a turning point in humanoid robotics - both in vision and volume.
“The leap from lab demo to real-world robot is still the biggest hurdle,” but what’s new is we’re increasingly seeing commercial commitments and human-scale form-factors. The question now: will these robots deliver reliability, safety and value, or will they stumble under cost, complexity and user expectations? Either way, the race is now broadcast live.

▶ Coming Soon: Key takeaways from podcast “Beyond Connected – CyberGuy Interviews a Humanoid”