Feather is launching a ~$30K wheeled humanoid that lets developers choose their own AI. We spoke with CEO Hoa Mai about the company’s bet on simple, reliable hardware—and why robotics may need an “iPod moment” first. Our interview with @featherrobotics 👇

Tesla’s Android app has contained Optimus renders labeled “gen3” since August 27. We compared four app builds: higher-resolution versions arrived September 5, and the latest release contains the same files. Compared with the gold variant, the “gen3” render covers the exposed mechanisms around the hips and lower legs. A glimpse of the next Optimus? Possibly. These are app assets—not confirmation of the final hardware or a working robot interface.

America’s humanoid robot ambitions face a hardware bottleneck. Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas says actuators—the motors, gears and electronics that act as a robot’s muscles—can account for up to 60% of its parts cost. And the U.S. supply gap goes beyond rare earths: “We have major shortages in things like gears where we don’t have the supply base that we need.” Apptronik wants to build that capacity in Texas. Scaling humanoids will require scaling the companies that make their parts, too. 🎥 Fox Business

Skild AI says S1 plays soccer against humans and robots after 140+ years of simulated self-play. “This method scales, and we will scale it,” says CEO Deepak Pathak. How it works—and where human guidance comes in:

Tesla’s Android app includes two versions of this Optimus “gen3” render: a brighter full-body image and a darker one named “inactive.” Could they represent different app states—an inactive robot, or an account without an Optimus linked?Possibly, but that’s speculation. This GIF simply alternates between the extracted images. It is NOT a recording of the app, and the assets don’t confirm a working Optimus interface or the final Gen 3 design.

Tesla’s Android app has contained Optimus renders labeled “gen3” since August 27. We compared four app builds: higher-resolution versions arrived September 5, and the latest release contains the same files. Compared with the gold variant, the “gen3” render covers the exposed mechanisms around the hips and lower legs. A glimpse of the next Optimus? Possibly. These are app assets—not confirmation of the final hardware or a working robot interface.

America’s humanoid robot ambitions face a hardware bottleneck. Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas says actuators—the motors, gears and electronics that act as a robot’s muscles—can account for up to 60% of its parts cost. And the U.S. supply gap goes beyond rare earths: “We have major shortages in things like gears where we don’t have the supply base that we need.” Apptronik wants to build that capacity in Texas. Scaling humanoids will require scaling the companies that make their parts, too. 🎥 Fox Business

1X wants to ship 50,000 robots next year. CEO Bernt Børnich says the real challenge is “ensuring that you don’t get them back.” In this interview with @ti_morse, he explains why scaling production means uncovering problems that never appeared in smaller batches—and fixing them before ramping further. The target spans homes, enterprise applications and developers. It isn’t a promise of 50,000 fully autonomous household helpers.

1X wants to ship 50,000 robots next year. CEO Bernt Børnich says the real challenge is “ensuring that you don’t get them back.” In this interview with @ti_morse, he explains why scaling production means uncovering problems that never appeared in smaller batches—and fixing them before ramping further. The target spans homes, enterprise applications and developers. It isn’t a promise of 50,000 fully autonomous household helpers.

Unitree says it won’t become a robot integration company. Speaking at a September 15 industry seminar, industrial solutions lead Xie Yipeng said Unitree would focus on robots and core components—not become an engineering contractor handling project delivery, according to Gasgoo. The company welcomes third-party tools, sensors, communications and power systems. The implication: partners have a substantial role in turning its platforms into working applications. That matters because buying a humanoid isn’t the same as buying a working factory solution. Someone still needs to integrate it into the workflow, establish safe operation, prove its economics and keep it running. Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing previously said its robots could perform simple assembly, but remained slower than people. Xie’s remarks add a business question to that technical challenge: who takes responsibility for making the complete system work?

Tesla is reportedly auditing Chinese suppliers as it prepares to build Optimus at scale. Chinese media say a team arrived in Ningbo this week, with component orders already placed. Suppliers confirmed ongoing robotics work—but stopped short of confirming the latest inspections. Meanwhile, we’re still awaiting the Optimus Gen 3 reveal, originally targeted for Q1 2026. Factory construction and supplier preparations are moving forward. The next milestones: seeing the new robot and turning those preparations into sustained production.

Figure took its humanoid into 30 homes it had never seen and asked it to tidy toys, fold towels and make beds. Helix 2.5 completed 56% of full-task trials in Figure’s evaluation. The important distinction: it had learned these chores elsewhere. No additional training was done for these homes or their objects. That’s a meaningful step toward a robot you don’t have to retrain for every house. 🎥 @Figure_robot

Tesla is reportedly auditing Chinese suppliers as it prepares to build Optimus at scale. Chinese media say a team arrived in Ningbo this week, with component orders already placed. Suppliers confirmed ongoing robotics work—but stopped short of confirming the latest inspections. Meanwhile, we’re still awaiting the Optimus Gen 3 reveal, originally targeted for Q1 2026. Factory construction and supplier preparations are moving forward. The next milestones: seeing the new robot and turning those preparations into sustained production.

Figure took its humanoid into 30 homes it had never seen and asked it to tidy toys, fold towels and make beds. Helix 2.5 completed 56% of full-task trials in Figure’s evaluation. The important distinction: it had learned these chores elsewhere. No additional training was done for these homes or their objects. That’s a meaningful step toward a robot you don’t have to retrain for every house. 🎥 @Figure_robot

Unitree says it won’t become a robot integration company. Speaking at a September 15 industry seminar, industrial solutions lead Xie Yipeng said Unitree would focus on robots and core components—not become an engineering contractor handling project delivery, according to Gasgoo. The company welcomes third-party tools, sensors, communications and power systems. The implication: partners have a substantial role in turning its platforms into working applications. That matters because buying a humanoid isn’t the same as buying a working factory solution. Someone still needs to integrate it into the workflow, establish safe operation, prove its economics and keep it running. Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing previously said its robots could perform simple assembly, but remained slower than people. Xie’s remarks add a business question to that technical challenge: who takes responsibility for making the complete system work?

Unitree’s shares soared over 600% at their Shanghai debut. By September 15, they were down 57% from the opening price. Now China’s robot IPO pipeline faces closer scrutiny—but reports of tougher reviews aren’t confirmed postponements.

Boston Dynamics is unlikely to go public in 2027, a Hyundai executive tells Reuters. Atlas has a factory roadmap. An IPO still has no announced date. What that means for the humanoid robot maker:

Thing from The Addams Family has a robotic cousin. @amrhkzp from ETH’s Soft Robotics Lab taught an off-the-shelf WUJI hand to walk on its fingertips, with a Raspberry Pi and battery on its back. It can also recover, interact with a keyboard and push a cube. 🤚

🚨BREAKING: Agility unveils Digit 5. The redesigned humanoid has a more humanlike leg profile and is built for what Agility calls “cooperatively safe” work—operating near people without physical safety barriers.

Why does Digit 5 sit down when a person walks past? It shows exactly where Digit 5 is on the safety roadmap: step 1, cooperative safety. Agility distinguishes between two distinct levels: 🚶‍♂️ Step 1: Cooperative safety (Digit 5): Sharing the same open workspace without cages, working around humans without physical contact. 🤝 Step 2: Collaborative safety (future goal): Direct, simultaneous interaction—like handing tools back and forth. Instead of freezing upright—where a 284 lb biped risks tipping—Digit 5 uses 360° vision to detect a close approach, sits down safely to yield the space, and resumes walking once the person has cleared the area. No plexiglass cages needed, just safe spatial coexistence.