RoboZaps Blog
Practical coverage for people tracking commercial humanoid robots — verified specs, real pricing, deployment evidence, and the companies building embodied AI.
141 articles · 7 categories · Updated Aug 30, 2026
XPENG's robotics unit raised over $900 million at a $6.3 billion valuation, and a humanoid won the Beijing games 100 metres in 8.64 seconds. Neither changes what a buyer can order. The week's verified humanoid robot news, checked against primary sources and the FCC register.
The FCC put foreign-made humanoids and quadrupeds on its Covered List, Unitree launched a 4.2 billion yuan Shanghai IPO two days later, and Gemini Robotics 2 took control of the whole body.
A LexisNexis analysis ranks Chinese startups first through fifth for humanoid-robot patent strength. We checked the method, the US quality lead and what the list cannot tell buyers.
DeepMind's new vision-language-action model drives a full humanoid, legs included, with Apptronik's Apollo 2 as the demonstration platform. Here is what it does, what the published success rates say, and why the strategy matters more than the demo.
What a robot dog costs in 2026, tier by tier: $79.99 toys, the $499 Loona, Sony's $2,899.99 aibo, Unitree's Go2 from $1,600, and the quote-only industrial machines. Includes the running costs the sticker price hides.
Humanoid robots vs cobots compared by task fit, mobility, safety, cost, deployment maturity and real models in the RoboZaps database.
The FCC blocked new authorizations for foreign-made humanoids and robot dogs on 28 July 2026. Every model already authorized before that date stays legal. This page tracks which robots hold a pre-ban FCC authorization, which are blocked, and what changes as Conditional Approvals are granted.
Every major humanoid shipping or about to ship — verified specs, price evidence, and a clear verdict.
KEYi's Loona Petbot Premium is $499 (list $529) in July 2026 with GPT-4o chat and no subscription — the best personality-per-dollar robot pet, with cloud-dependency caveats KEYi's marketing skips.
Jennie, the Jim Henson-designed Labrador puppy robot for seniors with dementia, is still waitlist-only in July 2026: ~$1,500 cited, late-2026 shipping target, tens of thousands waiting. The honest status and what to buy meanwhile.
Spot has no public price in 2026 — the $74,500 figure died years ago. Real configured units ran $150k-$375k in public records. Specs, Orbit software, police deployments, and the honest Unitree comparison.
Head-to-head matchups and ranked shortlists for buyers narrowing a decision.
Market analysis, adoption economics, and clearly labeled opinion.
Two numbers frame the honest answer, and the distance between them is measured in years, not months.
UBTECH says it has more than 13,000 orders for its humanlike companion robots. We checked the prices, preorder terms, three U1 models and what buyers still do not know.
A review of 74 RoboZaps listings found 33 current, commercially addressable bipedal families. Twenty-nine target work or development; only one full-size model targets the home.
Funding, manufacturing, partnerships, and deployment announcements — dated and sourced.