Humanoid Robotics Race Intensifies
LG has launched a new Physical AI Lab and is embedding its "Exaone" foundation model into its humanoid robot platforms to pursue general-purpose applications. Meanwhile, Boston Dynamics is focusing on its new, fully electric Atlas robot for real-world work, moving away from its previous parkour-focused demos, which one social media user called "viral moments rather than real-world work." A recent demo of Atlas, however, reportedly did not go well.
- LG's "One LG" strategy for its humanoid ambitions involves vertically integrating its affiliates; for instance, LG Innotek is already supplying camera modules and vision sensing systems for Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot. The new Physical AI Lab will focus on developing "action models" that go beyond visual recognition to control complex movements, using the Exaone foundation model as the robot's brain. - The new all-electric Atlas from Boston Dynamics is slated for its first commercial deployments in 2026 at Hyundai's Robotics Metaplant Application Center and with Google DeepMind. The focus is on industrial tasks like material handling and part sequencing, with the robot being trained on new AI foundation models and managed by the company's "Orbit" fleet management software. - The shift toward "agentic AI" is central to the new generation of humanoids, moving them from pre-programmed routines to autonomous goal-oriented behavior. This approach enables robots to perceive their environment, reason with models like LLMs, plan actions, and learn, allowing them to adapt to unstructured real-world settings in warehouses or factories. - The financial landscape for humanoid startups has seen massive capital injections, signaling strong investor confidence. Apptronik, for example, has raised nearly $1 billion from backers including Google, Mercedes-Benz, and John Deere to scale its Apollo robot for logistics and manufacturing. - Figure AI, founded in 2022, has become one of the fastest-growing players, reaching a valuation of $39 billion after raising over $1.9 billion. The company has already secured its first commercial deal with BMW to deploy its Figure 02 humanoid in automotive manufacturing. - Beyond industrial automation, several firms are targeting defense applications. Foundation Future Industries is developing the "Phantom" humanoid specifically for the U.S. military for tasks like surveillance, carrying ammunition, and searching high-risk environments. The bipedal form is seen as a key advantage for navigating human-centric terrain like stairs and rubble in combat zones.
