Tesla Optimus embarked on its first international adventure across the pond, thrilling crowds at a Tesla UK event where the humanoid demonstrated graceful movements like filling popcorn and playing rock-paper-scissors—ending in a draw that attendees eagerly await to resolve. Visitors queued for hours to interact, with one guest even coaxing the bot into a full YMCA dance routine, highlighting its emerging dexterity and crowd-pleasing potential as a stepping stone to real-world utility.
"Meeting Tesla Optimus was quite something. Seeing hundreds of people queuing to interact and watch his graceful movements and popcorn-filling skills was such fun... Optimus V2 here is obviously just a stepping stone to something far more capable and ready to help in the real world." — Will (TeslaJigsaw)
The bot itself chimed in with cheeky updates, declaring it properly enjoyed the trip and had a brilliant time, underscoring Tesla's push toward humanoid robots that not only perform tasks but engage socially.
In a landmark for humanoid ecosystems, Unitree unveiled the world’s first humanoid robot “App Store”, inviting global developers to co-create apps for skills like dancing and even combat simulations, with rewards for top contributors. This move positions Unitree as the aspiring Apple of robotics, enabling user-driven customization and rapid skill expansion beyond factory programming. Coverage in Forbes emphasized its potential to transform humanoids into programmable companions, while outlets like Documenting Humanoid Combat spotlighted apps for robot fights.
Industrial deployments accelerated as Texas Instruments purchased UBTECH's Walker S2 humanoid for testing on production lines, with UBTECH committing to integrate more TI components into future models—signaling deepening hardware symbiosis between chipmakers and robot makers for scalable manufacturing.
China emerged as a hotbed for humanoid testing, with a new robot-friendly city zone in Shenzhen providing real-world practice grounds, complemented by physical robot stores akin to car dealerships like 6S in Longgang and EngineAI in Futian, where families can interact hands-on. Meanwhile, NOETIX secured a strategic partnership with HCR for 1,000 Bumi robots after thousands of preorders since its October launch, boosting deployment momentum.
Robotic motion control took center stage in educational demos, where Lukas Ziegler broke down rectangular vs. trapezoid motion profiles in actuators—abrupt rectangular for speed-critical tasks like rapid positioning, smoother trapezoid for precision work such as delicate handling—essentials for legged robots and arms achieving human-like dexterity.
Shenzhen's ecosystem thrives on hardware talent, as Tuo Liu (Robo_Tuo) mapped how DJI alumni have spawned stars like Bambu Lab, fueling humanoid progress. XPENG's IRON humanoid drew fan excitement for potential showroom sales assistant roles, leveraging its form factor for human-centric environments—a point echoed by XPeng founder Xiaopeng, who argued humanoids will dominate because "the world is fundamentally designed for humans."
"Humanoid robots will dominate in the future because the world is fundamentally designed for humans." — Xiaopeng (via Tuo Liu)
Figure's hardware stayed in the spotlight via CEO Brett Adcock, who quipped their bots are looking cheap again amid cost optimizations, while revealing 176,000 job apps over three years—mostly "slop"—highlighting hiring pains even as they host epic holiday raves with DJs Gryffin and Deadmau5, F.02 and F.03 robots onstage.
Broader applications beckon: A Barron’s report via HumanoidNews positions humanoids as construction game-changers for unstructured sites, tackling inspection, material handling, and safety amid labor shortages. DEEP Robotics deployed China's first robot dog patrol team for West Lake wildfire prevention, using quadruped dexterity for patrols and early detection. Niche frontiers include SurgicalHumanoid.com platforms fusing tactile sensing and force feedback for operating-room precision.
Home humanoids like 1X's Neo face scrutiny in a WSJ interview with CEO Bernt Bornich, testing autonomy limits ahead of launch. Community builders advanced dexterity too, with Dilum Sanjaya's simulated robot arm stacking cubes via Nano Banana Pro and Temiloluwa Valentine tweaking Webots gripper motion control.
Events like SZ RoboX united 80+ founders from SF, Europe, and Shenzhen, affirming the city's role as a global robotics scaling hub. Cultural ripples appear, from toddlers requesting "orange robot putting away dishes" videos to visions of humanoids as bandmates or the "iPhone of the 2030s," amid warnings of workforce disruptions if deployments lag.
"The robot is going to be the iPhone of the 2030s." — Chris Paxton
"Even if the economy struggles, we have essentially no choice but to accelerate robotics as a society. We are going to run out of workers otherwise." — Chris Paxton
As robot stores proliferate and app ecosystems mature, humanoids edge from demos to deployments, with hardware refinements in actuators and sensing paving dexterity breakthroughs across factories, homes, construction, and beyond.
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