At the recent World Humanoid Robot Games 2026 in Beijing, robots sprinted, boxed, played football and tackled tasks inspired by factories, restaurants and emergency situations. The robot Tiangong Ultra even completed the 100 metres in 8.64 seconds, quicker than Usain Bolt's 9.58-second world record. But if we really want to know whether humanoid robots are ready for everyday life, a far less glamorous challenge may tell us more: doing the laundry. Can a robot take a crumpled T-shirt from a laundry basket, work out which way round it is, fold it neatly and recover when the sleeve slips from its hand? No robot system can yet reliably handle the whole laundry process, from carrying a basket to the washing machine and sorting clothes for different programmes to taking them out, hanging them to dry, folding and ironing them.

Kodiak's self-driving trucks are hitting the highways, and I took a ride in one Kodiak is preparing to put fully driverless semis on highways, starting with Ikea. We took a ride to see the technology in action.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG .

More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. NASA has been working on bipedal robots for over a decade. Valkrie, its early prototype, was completed in 2013. Humans won't be the only ones aboard future NASA missions . At Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, researchers on the agency's Dexterous Robotics Team are working on the next generation of advanced robots to aid crews during their increasingly uncharted journeys to the moon and possibly even Mars .

Your first encounter with Iron could be during a showroom visit. XPENG has previously mentioned reception and guided tour responsibilities, along with sales assistance. It plans to deploy robots in its own stores and campuses first, with deliveries in China and overseas markets planned for 2027. The announcement did not specify US availability or a price. XPENG's latest announcement states that Iron has 76 degrees of freedom across its body and 21 in each hand, describing the number of independent ways it can move.

AI-powered humanoids went head to head in a steel cage match in Shanghai as part of the Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL) league. Gaza's children return to classrooms after years of Israeli attacks'There will be a very sizeable Saudi response' to Houthi attacks

If you see what looks like an ambulance with a set of flashing lights weaving through Tokyo traffic, it might not be rushing to save a human. GMO Internet Group is unleashing what it calls Japan's first "humanoid ambulance" on the streets of Tokyo this month. A maintenance van designed to make house calls when humanoid robots break down, the ambulance carries diagnostic equipment, spare parts, repair tools and engineers to wherever a robot has stopped working. If a robot can't be fixed at the roadside, there's a spare humanoid on board ready to be subbed in and take over on the spot. Meanwhile, the broken unit is ferried back to GMO's repair base at its Humanoid Lab in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Digit 5 May Be the First Humanoid Robot Worker That's Truly Safe Our articles, videos, and infographics inform our readers about developments in technology, engineering, and science. A public charity, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Access to Spectrum's Digital Edition is exclusive for IEEE Members Create an account to access more content and features on IEEE Spectrum, including the ability to save articles to read later, download Spectrum Collections, and participate in conversations with readers and editors. For more exclusive content and features, consider Joining IEEE . Join the world's largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of Spectrum's articles, archives, PDF downloads, and other benefits.

A humanoid robot takes part in a wushu contest during the second World Humanoid Robot Games at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Aug. 26. BEIJING - At the World Humanoid Robot Games in China last month, robots jumped, boxed and danced. Some fleet-footed bots ran faster than Usain Bolt over 100 meters. Spectators cheered the machines' improving capabilities and their meme-worthy stumbles. Two days after the Games ended, the People's Liberation Army's official newspaper drew its own conclusions from the show.

Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Say More Switch Off Creator Playbook Mashable Voices Trending Now Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List In My Bag All Series See the biggest moments from the latest competition putting humanoid robots to the test. Meet the new humanoid with'smart skin' (I touched it) 4:23 How well does the Beatbot Sora 70 robot clean your pool? Google DeepMind tests Gemini Robotics 2 doing chores around the house, and the future looks bright! The second World Humanoid Robot Games brought more than 2,000 humanoid robots to Beijing for a series of Olympic-style competitions. Check out some of the biggest highlights from this year's event.