AI research institute Ai2 has unveiled a new set of robotics models trained entirely in simulation and designed to work on real robots without additional manually collected data or fine-tuning — a so-called zero-shot sim-to-real transfer.

At CES 2026, Boston Dynamics announced the start of mass production of its humanoid robot Atlas. The first customers are Hyundai, which holds a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics, and Google DeepMind, the company’s new partner in artificial intelligence.

Carbon Robotics, a Seattle-based company, has unveiled a new AI model called the Large Plant Model (LPM). According to TechCrunch, the model can instantly identify plant species to support weed control.

On January 6, 2026, the CES technology exhibition opened in Las Vegas. Companies are showcasing how artificial intelligence is becoming tangible in the form of humanoid robots.

From March 25 to 29, Beijing hosted the ZGC Forum, where developers showcased a wide range of brain–computer interface (BCI) products — from specialized chips to rehabilitation systems. The technologies attracted significant attention from visitors, according to China.org.

In 2025, Chinese company Unitree Robotics delivered more than 5,500 humanoid robots to customers. The firm ramped up production ahead of a planned IPO, the South China Morning Post reported, citing sources.

Figure AI unveils a single neural network that controls a humanoid robot — with a four-minute kitchen demo

Nvidia’s AI research team has introduced DreamDojo, an open-source world model designed for robotics. The system takes motor control commands as input and generates simulated future states as images, without relying on a traditional 3D engine or manually defined physics. Nvidia Director of AI Jim Fan describes the approach as “Simulation 2.0.”

Chinese robotaxi operator Pony AI, in partnership with Toyota, has launched the commercial production of a self-driving electric vehicle. The first of 1,000 fully electric and autonomous Toyota bZ4X compact SUVs has rolled off the assembly line at a joint factory operated by Toyota and Guangzhou Automobile Group. The vehicles are intended to support Pony AI’s goal of expanding its robotaxi fleet to more than 3,000 cars by the end of the year. The bZ4X is one of three models that Pony AI is deploying with its latest autonomous driving software in major Chinese cities.