Airbus ordered UBTech’s Walker S2, a full-size humanoid that stands 176 cm tall (5’9"), weighs 70 kg (154 lbs), and walks at about two meters/second (4.5 mph). It has dextrous hands with 11 degrees of freedom and tactile sensors, and can hold 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs) in each hand and 1 kg (2.2 lbs) with each finger.

Three robotics experts said humanoid robots need to move beyond flashy demos to performing tasks that are actually useful in the real world at scale.

The idea of a humanoid robot building an airplane may sound far-fetched, but a new deal between the European aviation giant Airbus and Chinese robot specialist UBTech suggests that such a scenario could be on the cards.

Humans are desperate to put the robots to work. The only problem is, the robots don’t “work” to any degree. These humanoid bots are interesting. Some are even cute. Few, if any, are anywhere close to prime time. It was a dour scene at CES 2026, so much so I can’t help but wonder if they ever will be.

Many researchers agree that there has been a step change in humanoid capability over the past five years, owing to cheaper parts as well as innovations such as improved battery power and artificial-intelligence algorithms, which allow for better perception and autonomy.

Living with robots could lead to plenty of societal improvements, but they also pose risks to how we socialize and co-exist with other human beings.

Their partnership will trial Walker S2 humanoid robots in aircraft manufacturing, signalling a global push into industrial automation.

Raj Subramaniam said "super humanoid robots" with a "couple of elbows" would be better at automating deliveries.

On Jan. 22, Louisiana's economic development agency and St. Bernard-based SSE Steel Fabrication announced an agreement with Houston-based tech startup Persona AI to launch a pilot program at SSE to develop humanoid robotics for industrial uses. Greater New Orleans Inc., southeast Louisiana's economic development nonprofit, also is participating.

Tesla is ending Autopilot and steering customers toward higher-priced FSD subscriptions, signalling a major shift in its driver-assistance strategy.