More than 3,000 products were shown at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing as China showcased its rapidly growing robotics industry.
The event, which ran from 19-23 August, showcased the latest advances across the robotics industry, from humanoid robots to embodied intelligence and cutting-edge components…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/25/unions-slam-plan-robot-farming-equipment-01048640
Realbotix has denied ties to the sex doll company, and denied any inferences that the dolls – manufactured by Abyss Creations, a subsidiary of Realbotix – are related to the pilot program. “
The Salamanca teachers’ union as a whole is concerned about the background of the company of Realbotix. We’re very concerned about the security of the software that they’re implementing, and whether or not the data will be stored, how it will be gathered, are the recording capabilities,” said Lacey Pihlblad, president of Salamanca Teachers’ Association and a teacher at the high school…
“The answer to the challenges in education is not more screens, it’s not more algorithms, not more robots. What we need in our schools right now are more caring adults and more human connection,” she said…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/25/new-york-humanoid-robot-teachers-school
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/28/humanoid-robots-baggage-handlers-japan-airports
An irony of the Trump administration's mission to revive industrial production within the US is that much of the machinery required to make America great again comes from the country that motivated America's industrial revival in the first place. China now accounts for more than half of the world's new factory robot installations annually. Chen thinks Chinese and American engineers are comparable in skill and talent. "The difference is really just cost and speed, and how many people you can throw at a problem – we might have 1,000 who can do this work, and they might have 100," he said.
Chen and I walked to the end of the warehouse, where we now had a frontal view of the GM truck. After watching Jack work for a bit, Chen pointed me to the robotic arms on each side of the car body: "You see those? This is the screwdriving robot. Even if manufacturing does come back to North America, they won't be putting workers on the line to fasten screws any more. They'll use robots."
I wasn't so sure. Wasn't one reason that Americans elected Trump because they wanted their blue-collar jobs back? Chen thought this was pure illusion. The world had changed, and so had young people. Chen told me to think about China, where factory culture is deeply ingrained but young Chinese are increasingly reluctant to tolerate the drudgery. "It's just how people are wired now." If even Chinese people aren't willing to do factory work any more, Chen was saying, why would Americans?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/19/inside-chinas-robotics-revolution
"Unlike AI models or industrial equipment, humanoid robots are highly visible examples of China's technological leadership that general audiences can see on their phones or televisions," he said.
Pointing to intensifying competition in the tech space between China and the US, Chan added: "While China and the US are neck-and-neck on AI, humanoid robots are an area where China can claim to be ahead of the US, particularly in terms of scaling up production."…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/18/china-dancing-humanoid-robots-festival-show
