10 New Global Robotics Updates: November 13 Edition

These updates come from company announcements, research institutes, and news reports from October to November 2026. Forecasts are estimates, and claims made by executives on social media are marked as claims.

Robots are moving from demos into real work. Watch what ships, not what is promised.

1 · JPMorgan’s humanoid forecast

JPMorgan forecast on November 12 that 300,000 to 400,000 humanoid robots could be working in the US by 2030 and about 1.5 million by 2035.

2 · What could slow humanoids down

The same report names the bottlenecks: robot hands, actuators, the AI “brain,” and factory capacity.

3 · China blocks part of SoftBank’s ABB Robotics deal

ABB confirmed on November 5 that China blocked the China portion of SoftBank’s roughly $5.4 billion purchase of ABB Robotics, citing data and security concerns.

4 · Stretch Gen 2

The new version of Boston Dynamics’ truck-unloading robot handles up to 1,000 cases per hour, uses 81% less cabling, and gets monthly software updates. It is already running at customer sites.

5 · New CEO

Boston Dynamics named Rohit Prasad as CEO in October.

6 · South Korea’s AI Humanoid Data Factory

Opened November 3 in Daejeon by KIMM and ETRI: about 1,000 square metres with 12 teleoperated humanoids collecting training data. It plans to open to outside users from the end of 2027.

7 · Dynamic Creatures and Hasbro’s Sixth Wall

Announced November 10: a partnership to build character robots for theme parks and live attractions. Dynamic Creatures is Boston Dynamics’ entertainment partner.

8 · Musk’s Robotaxi claim

On November 12, Elon Musk said Tesla’s Robotaxi “works 168 hours a week.” This is his claim and has not been independently confirmed.

9 · Musk mentions an “Optimus Academy”

Musk also mentioned an Optimus Academy for Tesla’s humanoid robot. Tesla has not shared details.

10 · Unitree’s consumer robot dog

Shown at the China International Import Expo, priced at 43,900 yuan, with about 1,000 orders reported by Chinese state media.

• Whether humanoids move from pilots to paid, full-time jobs
• Better robot hands and cheaper actuators
• More governments reviewing robotics deals on security grounds
• Robot training data becoming a business of its own