111 milestones, dated and sourced.
Newest first. Orange dots mark the events that changed the field. Filter by kind or jump to a year.
2026
EU AI Act high risk obligations scheduled to apply
Under the EU AI Act, obligations for high risk AI systems, which include AI safety components of machinery and robots, are scheduled to apply from 2 August 2026, with the Commission's Digital Omnibus proposal seeking to delay parts of the schedule. Humanoids sold in the EU also fall under the Machinery Regulation from January 2027.
CES 2026: humanoids from Boston Dynamics, Nvidia partners and Chinese makers
CES 2026 in Las Vegas features a new production oriented Atlas from Boston Dynamics and Hyundai, Nvidia's updated robotics stack and a large presence of Chinese humanoid makers. Placeholder pending verification.
2025
Tesla shareholders approve a pay package tied to one million Optimus robots
Tesla shareholders approve Elon Musk's compensation plan with milestones that include delivering one million Optimus robots. Musk tells the meeting that Optimus could be the biggest product in history and shows V3 renderings.
XPeng shows a new IRON with a synthetic skin and a catwalk gait
The new IRON walks so naturally at XPeng's AI Day that viewers accuse the company of putting a human in a suit; XPeng cuts open a leg on video to prove it is a robot. XPeng targets mass production by the end of 2026.
Unitree files for a listing on Shanghai's STAR Market
Unitree, after completing pre listing tutoring with CITIC Securities, files for an initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market. It is the first pure play humanoid maker to seek a public listing in China.
1X opens preorders for NEO at 20,000 dollars
1X launches NEO for consumers at 20,000 dollars or 499 dollars per month with deliveries promised for 2026, and acknowledges that many tasks will initially be done by remote human operators who can see inside customers' homes. The launch sets off a public debate on teleoperation and privacy in home humanoids.
Figure unveils Figure 03
Figure 03 is designed for Helix and for home use, with a soft textile cover, wireless charging feet, palm cameras, tactile fingertips and a body designed for mass manufacturing at BotQ. Figure says it is 9 percent lighter than Figure 02.
Hyundai plans to deploy Atlas at its Georgia Metaplant
At its CEO Investor Day, Hyundai Motor Group says Boston Dynamics' Atlas will be tested at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia with mass production of Atlas targeted for 2028. Hyundai also announces a robotics investment of tens of thousands of units across the group.
Figure raises over 1 billion dollars at a 39 billion valuation
Parkway Venture Capital leads the Series C, with Nvidia, Brookfield, Intel Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Macquarie, Qualcomm Ventures, Salesforce and T-Mobile Ventures. The valuation is fifteen times the 2024 Series B.
First World Humanoid Robot Games open in Beijing
Around 280 teams from 16 countries compete in the National Speed Skating Oval in athletics, football, dance and applied tasks such as medicine sorting and hotel cleaning. Unitree robots win most track events, including the 1500 m in 6 minutes 34 seconds, while frequent falls show the state of the art.
World Robot Conference 2025 in Beijing
More than 200 companies exhibit and over 100 new products debut at the WRC in Beijing's Yizhuang, including humanoids performing in a mock shopping mall and industrial cells. The conference precedes the first World Humanoid Robot Games.
Unitree shows H2, a 180 cm humanoid with a human proportioned body
Unitree teases H2, a 70 kg humanoid with 31 degrees of freedom and a more anthropomorphic shape than H1, in a dance video. The company also begins preparing a domestic stock listing.
WAIC 2025 in Shanghai shows over 150 robots, with humanoids everywhere
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference features more than 150 robots, dozens of them humanoids from Unitree, AgiBot, Fourier, Galbot, UBTech and startups, doing boxing, football and retail demos. Chinese officials use the event to promote embodied AI as a national priority.
Unitree announces R1 for 5,900 dollars
The 121 cm, 25 kg R1 is priced at 39,900 yuan, the cheapest full body humanoid on the market, and aimed at developers and education. It reinforces Unitree's position as the volume leader.
UBTech Walker S2 swaps its own battery
UBTech unveils Walker S2, an industrial humanoid that can autonomously exchange its own battery packs in about three minutes for continuous operation. UBTech reports Walker S2 orders worth hundreds of millions of yuan by the end of 2025.
Optimus program head Milan Kovac leaves Tesla
Milan Kovac, who led the Optimus program from its start, resigns citing family reasons. Ashok Elluswamy, head of Autopilot, takes over the program.
First humanoid robot boxing tournament in Hangzhou
Four teleoperated Unitree G1 robots box in the CMG World Robot Competition Mecha Fighting Series, broadcast by state television. The event starts a series of combat competitions used as marketing for Chinese humanoids.
First humanoid half marathon in Beijing: Tiangong Ultra wins in 2 hours 40 minutes
Twenty one humanoid teams run 21 km alongside human runners in Beijing's Yizhuang district, most with human handlers and several battery swaps. Tiangong Ultra from X-Humanoid finishes first; only six robots complete the course and several fall or overheat.
Nvidia releases GR00T N1, an open humanoid foundation model
At GTC 2025 Nvidia releases GR00T N1, described as the first open, fully customisable foundation model for humanoid reasoning and skills, with 1X demonstrating it on NEO. It is followed by GR00T N1.5 and N1.6 in the same year.
Figure announces BotQ, a factory for 12,000 humanoids a year
Figure says its BotQ facility will initially produce up to 12,000 robots a year with a path to 100,000 over four years, using robots to build robots. It positions manufacturing capacity as the next bottleneck.
UBTech runs multiple Walker S1 robots cooperating at Zeekr's plant
UBTech shows dozens of Walker S1 robots at Zeekr's 5G smart factory in Ningbo doing collaborative sorting, handling and precision assembly, coordinated by a swarm intelligence system it calls BrainNet. It is presented as the first multi humanoid collaborative training in a car factory.
Figure publishes Helix, a vision language action model for humanoids
Helix runs a slow 7 billion parameter vision language model and a fast 80 Hz control policy on the robot's embedded GPUs and controls the whole upper body, including two robots cooperating on grocery tasks. It is the first humanoid VLA shown handling novel objects from language commands.
Apptronik raises a 350 million dollar Series A
B Capital and Capital Factory lead, with Google participating, and the round is later extended to over 400 million. Apptronik uses it to scale Apollo production with Jabil.
A Unitree H1 lunges toward spectators at a lantern festival in Tianjin
Video shows an H1 performing at a festival suddenly stumbling and jerking toward the crowd barrier before handlers pull it back. Organisers say a program failure was the cause; nobody is hurt, but the clip becomes the reference case for humanoid safety in crowds.
Figure ends its collaboration with OpenAI
Brett Adcock announces Figure is exiting its OpenAI agreement because of a breakthrough in fully in house AI. Two weeks later Figure publishes Helix.
Sixteen Unitree H1 robots dance at China's Spring Festival Gala
Sixteen H1 humanoids perform a folk dance with human dancers, twirling handkerchiefs, on the CCTV New Year gala watched by hundreds of millions. The performance makes Unitree a household name in China.
Nvidia opens CES 2025 with Cosmos and fourteen humanoids on stage
Jensen Huang presents the Cosmos world foundation models and Isaac tools flanked by humanoids from Agility, Apptronik, Figure, 1X, Fourier, Unitree, Galbot, XPeng, Sanctuary and others. Humanoids are the dominant robotics theme of the show.
2024
AgiBot starts mass production and reaches its 1,000th unit in January 2025
AgiBot opens a production line in Shanghai's Lingang area and livestreams assembly. In January 2025 it reports its 1,000th general purpose humanoid off the line, one of the first companies to reach four digit output.
XPeng unveils the IRON humanoid
Electric carmaker XPeng shows IRON, a 178 cm, 70 kg humanoid using its in house Turing AI chip, and says it is already working in its Guangzhou factory on the P7 plus production line. It is the first Chinese carmaker to build its own humanoid.
Electric Atlas sorts engine parts fully autonomously
Boston Dynamics releases a video of the electric Atlas moving engine covers between containers and a mobile sequencing dolly using a machine learning vision model, with no teleoperation or prescripted movements. It is the first autonomy demonstration of the new Atlas.
Optimus serves drinks at Tesla's We, Robot event, later confirmed as teleoperated
Tesla shows Optimus robots walking among guests, pouring drinks and playing games at the Cybercab reveal in Los Angeles. Attendees and reporters establish that the robots were remotely controlled by humans, prompting a debate about teleoperation disclosure.
UBTech Walker S1 starts training at BYD's factory
UBTech says Walker S1 has entered a BYD plant for practical training in handling and inspection tasks, and reports orders from several automakers. UBTech states Walker S has more than 500 units in its order pipeline from carmakers.
1X unveils NEO Beta, a soft bodied home humanoid
1X presents NEO Beta, a 165 cm, 30 kg bipedal humanoid with a knitted soft cover and tendon driven joints intended for home use. It is the first humanoid explicitly designed for consumers' homes.
AgiBot unveils five humanoids and announces mass production
Shanghai startup AgiBot (Zhiyuan), founded in 2023 by former Huawei engineer Peng Zhihui, presents the Yuanzheng A2, A2-W, A2-Max, Lingxi X1 and X1-W and says shipping will start in October 2024. X1 is released as open source.
Figure unveils Figure 02
Figure 02 has a redesigned exoskeleton body, six cameras, 16 degree of freedom hands, a 2.25 kWh battery, onboard vision language model and speech. Figure says it has been tested at BMW Spartanburg.
Shanghai issues the first Chinese governance guidelines for humanoid robots
At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Shanghai's law society and industry groups publish humanoid robot governance guidelines covering risk control, ethics and data security, the first such framework in China. They are non binding but signal regulatory attention.
GXO signs the first commercial humanoid Robots as a Service agreement with Agility
After a pilot at a Spanx facility in Georgia, GXO Logistics signs a multi year agreement to deploy Digit as a service, moving totes from autonomous mobile robots to conveyors. It is described as the first formal commercial deployment of humanoids in logistics.
Unitree unveils G1 at 16,000 dollars
Unitree announces G1, a 127 cm, 35 kg humanoid with 23 to 43 degrees of freedom starting at 16,000 dollars. The price, an order of magnitude below competitors, makes G1 the most widely purchased research humanoid within a year.
Beijing's Humanoid Robot Innovation Center unveils Tiangong
The state backed Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center (later X-Humanoid) reveals Tiangong, a 163 cm, 43 kg open source humanoid that runs at 6 km/h. It later wins the first humanoid half marathon.
Boston Dynamics reveals the all electric Atlas
One day after retiring the hydraulic model, Boston Dynamics shows a fully electric Atlas that stands up from lying flat by rotating its legs 180 degrees, with joints that rotate beyond human range. Hyundai is named as the first customer for testing in its factories.
Boston Dynamics retires the hydraulic Atlas
A farewell video shows highlights and failures of the hydraulic Atlas over eleven years. The retirement closes the DARPA era of hydraulic humanoids.
Magna to deploy Sanctuary AI's Phoenix in a car parts plant
Sanctuary AI announces an agreement with Magna International, which had invested in the company, to deploy Phoenix robots at a Magna manufacturing facility. Sanctuary later scales back and shifts toward supplying hands and teleoperation technology.
Nvidia announces Project GR00T, a foundation model for humanoids
At GTC 2024 Jensen Huang presents Project GR00T, a general purpose foundation model for humanoid robots, together with the Jetson Thor computer and a stage full of partner robots from 1X, Agility, Apptronik, Boston Dynamics, Figure, Fourier, Sanctuary, Unitree and XPeng. Nvidia positions itself as the platform supplier for the sector.
Mercedes-Benz starts piloting Apptronik's Apollo
Mercedes-Benz and Apptronik agree to test Apollo for carrying parts to the assembly line and inspecting components at Mercedes plants, initially in Hungary. It is the first announced humanoid pilot at a European carmaker.
Figure 01 talks and hands over an apple in an OpenAI powered demo
A video shows Figure 01 describing what it sees, handing an apple to a person and putting away dishes while explaining itself, using an OpenAI vision language model and Figure's neural network policies. The clip becomes the reference demo for language driven humanoids.
Figure raises 675 million dollars at a 2.6 billion valuation
Microsoft, OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, Intel Capital and others back the Series B, and Figure announces a collaboration with OpenAI to develop AI models for its robots. It is the largest humanoid round to date.
Figure signs BMW as its first commercial customer
Figure and BMW Manufacturing agree to deploy humanoids at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. It is the first announced automotive customer for a general purpose humanoid startup.
2023
Tesla reveals Optimus Gen 2
Optimus Gen 2 is 10 kg lighter, walks 30 percent faster, has tactile sensing in all fingers and Tesla designed actuators. The video of it handling eggs marks the point where Optimus becomes a credible engineering program.
UBTech Walker S enters Nio's factory for a pilot
UBTech, listed in Hong Kong in December 2023, sends its Walker S industrial humanoid to Nio's electric vehicle plant to practise door lock and seat belt checks. It is the first reported humanoid pilot at a Chinese carmaker.
China's MIIT publishes guidelines for humanoid robot innovation
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology sets targets for a preliminary humanoid innovation system and mass production by 2025 and a world leading position by 2027, naming humanoids a disruptive product comparable to computers and smartphones. The policy triggers provincial subsidy programs and dozens of new companies.
Amazon starts testing Digit in a Washington warehouse
Amazon announces at its Delivering the Future event that it is testing Digit for tote recycling at a facility south of Seattle, after investing in Agility through its Industrial Innovation Fund. It is the first humanoid pilot at Amazon.
Apptronik unveils Apollo
Austin based Apptronik, spun out of UT Austin's Human Centered Robotics Lab and a NASA Valkyrie contractor, reveals Apollo, a 173 cm, 73 kg humanoid with a 25 kg payload and swappable batteries, aimed at logistics and manufacturing.
Unitree unveils H1, its first full size humanoid
Quadruped maker Unitree announces H1, a 180 cm, 47 kg humanoid priced under 90,000 dollars, with its own high torque joint motors. H1 later sets a running speed record of 3.3 m/s for full size humanoids.
Fourier Intelligence unveils GR-1 at WAIC Shanghai
Rehabilitation robotics company Fourier shows GR-1, a 165 cm, 55 kg humanoid with 40 degrees of freedom, and says mass production starts later in 2023. GR-1 becomes one of the first Chinese humanoids sold to research labs in volume.
Figure raises a 70 million dollar Series A
Figure closes a Series A led by Parkway Venture Capital, the first large venture round of the new humanoid wave. Later 2023 investors include Intel Capital.
Sanctuary AI unveils Phoenix
Canadian company Sanctuary AI reveals Phoenix, its sixth generation general purpose robot with 20 degree of freedom hands, controlled by the Carbon AI system and largely teleoperated for training. Time magazine names it an invention of the year.
OpenAI Startup Fund leads a 23.5 million dollar round in 1X
Norwegian company 1X Technologies (formerly Halodi Robotics), maker of the wheeled EVE humanoid, raises a Series A2 led by the OpenAI Startup Fund with Tiger Global. It is OpenAI's first humanoid investment.
Figure AI comes out of stealth with Figure 01
Figure reveals its existence and its first prototype, Figure 01, and states the goal of a commercially viable general purpose humanoid. Within a year it raises hundreds of millions and signs BMW.
2022
Team NimbRo wins the ANA Avatar XPRIZE
At the finals in Long Beach, University of Bonn's NimbRo team wins the 5 million dollar grand prize for a telepresence avatar system, ahead of Pollen Robotics and Northeastern. The prize advances telepresence humanoids and haptic teleoperation.
Tesla shows the first Optimus prototype (Bumblebee) walking
At AI Day 2022 a development prototype nicknamed Bumblebee walks on stage untethered for the first time, and a second, sleeker Optimus body is carried out. Musk says the target price is under 20,000 dollars.
Xiaomi unveils CyberOne
Xiaomi shows CyberOne, a 177 cm, 52 kg full size humanoid with 21 degrees of freedom, at a product launch in Beijing. It is the first full size humanoid from a Chinese consumer electronics company.
Figure AI is founded
Brett Adcock, founder of Vettery and Archer Aviation, founds Figure AI in Sunnyvale, California to build a general purpose humanoid. The company comes out of stealth in March 2023.
2021
Engineered Arts reveals Ameca
Engineered Arts posts a video of Ameca, a grey skinned humanoid with highly expressive facial actuation, which goes viral before its CES 2022 debut. Ameca becomes the standard demonstration robot for conversational AI at trade shows and museums.
Tesla announces the Tesla Bot (Optimus)
At Tesla AI Day, Elon Musk announces a 173 cm, 57 kg general purpose humanoid based on Tesla's vehicle autonomy stack, presented on stage by a dancer in a suit. The announcement triggers the current wave of general purpose humanoid startups.
Two Atlas robots run a parkour course together
Boston Dynamics shows two Atlas robots completing an obstacle course with vaults, balance beam and synchronised backflips, using perception to adapt to the course rather than pre scripted moves.
2020
Atlas, Spot and Handle dance to Do You Love Me
A choreographed dance video with two Atlas robots reaches tens of millions of views. It is the last widely shared demonstration before Hyundai's ownership begins.
Hyundai Motor Group agrees to buy Boston Dynamics
Hyundai acquires an 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank at a valuation of 1.1 billion dollars. The deal closes in June 2021 and gives Atlas an automaker as owner.
Ford becomes the first customer for Digit
At CES 2020, Ford and Agility announce that Ford will take the first two production Digit units to research last mile delivery from self driving vans. It is the first sale of a commercial humanoid to a carmaker.
2019
Atlas performs a gymnastics routine
Boston Dynamics shows Atlas doing a floor routine with rolls, handstands and a split leap, generated with an optimisation based behaviour library. The routine shows 80 percent success in testing according to the company.
Agility Robotics introduces Digit
Digit adds a torso, arms and perception sensors to Cassie's legs to create a bipedal robot for logistics. It is the first humanoid marketed for commercial package handling.
2018
Atlas parkour video
Atlas jumps over a log and up a series of 40 cm steps without breaking pace, using its whole body to balance. Boston Dynamics uses the videos to demonstrate perception driven dynamic locomotion.
Honda stops developing ASIMO
Nikkei reports that Honda has disbanded the ASIMO development team and will focus on practical robotics such as mobility aids. ASIMO's public shows at Miraikan in Tokyo end in March 2022.
2017
Atlas does a backflip
Boston Dynamics posts a video in which Atlas jumps between boxes and lands a standing backflip. The clip becomes one of the most watched robot videos ever and marks the start of the parkour series.
Saudi Arabia grants Sophia citizenship
At the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Sophia is declared the first robot to receive citizenship of a country. The stunt draws global media coverage and criticism from AI researchers who call Sophia a puppet.
SoftBank agrees to buy Boston Dynamics from Google
SoftBank acquires Boston Dynamics and SCHAFT from Alphabet for an undisclosed sum. The deal closes in early 2018 and keeps Atlas development funded.
Agility Robotics unveils Cassie
Agility Robotics, spun out of Oregon State University's ATRIAS research, introduces Cassie, a bird legged bipedal robot sold to universities. Cassie's legs become the base for the Digit humanoid.
2016
Boston Dynamics shows the untethered next generation Atlas
A video shows a smaller, battery powered Atlas walking through snow, lifting boxes and getting up after being pushed over with a hockey stick. It is the first Atlas that operates without a tether.
Hanson Robotics activates Sophia
Hanson Robotics activates Sophia, a humanoid head and torso with a patented skin that shows facial expressions. Sophia debuts at SXSW in March 2016 and becomes the most publicised social humanoid of the decade.
2015
Pepper goes on sale to consumers in Japan and sells out in a minute
SoftBank sells the first 1,000 consumer Peppers in Japan in about one minute. Monthly batches of 1,000 units continue to sell out through 2015.
KAIST's DRC-HUBO wins the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals
At the finals in Pomona, California, Team KAIST completes all eight tasks in 44 minutes and wins 2 million dollars, ahead of IHMC (Atlas) and Tartan Rescue. Videos of falling robots go viral and show how far humanoids still are from field use.
Robotis THORMANG3 competes at the DRC Finals
Robotis fields THORMANG3, a 137 cm modular humanoid built from Dynamixel Pro actuators, for Team ROBOTIS and as the base of other DRC teams. The platform is later sold to research labs.
2014
SoftBank and Aldebaran unveil Pepper
Masayoshi Son presents Pepper, a 120 cm wheeled humanoid designed to read emotions, priced at 198,000 yen. It becomes the most widely deployed service humanoid of the 2010s in shops, banks and hotels.
2013
DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials: SCHAFT wins
Sixteen teams compete in eight disaster response tasks at Homestead, Florida. Tokyo startup SCHAFT, just acquired by Google, wins ahead of IHMC on an Atlas and Tartan Rescue's CHIMP.
Google acquires Boston Dynamics
Google buys Boston Dynamics as part of Andy Rubin's robotics push, alongside Japanese DRC team SCHAFT. Google later loses interest and sells the company to SoftBank in 2017.
Boston Dynamics unveils Atlas
The hydraulic Atlas, 188 cm and about 150 kg, is unveiled as the DARPA Robotics Challenge platform for seven software teams. It is at the time the most capable bipedal humanoid ever built.
2012
DARPA announces the Robotics Challenge
Prompted by the Fukushima disaster, DARPA launches a competition for robots that can operate in human engineered disaster environments, with a 2 million dollar prize. It funds Atlas as a government furnished platform for software teams.
2011
Honda presents an all new ASIMO with autonomous behaviour
The 2011 ASIMO runs at 9 km/h, hops on one leg, pours drinks and chooses its own path among people. Honda also derives a remote operated robot arm for the Fukushima Daiichi plant from the technology.
NASA's Robonaut 2 launches to the International Space Station
Robonaut 2, built by NASA and General Motors, flies on shuttle mission STS-133 and becomes the first humanoid robot in space. It is later fitted with legs and returns to Earth for repairs in 2018.
Boston Dynamics completes PETMAN for testing chemical protection suits
PETMAN, funded by the US Army, is an anthropomorphic robot that walks, crouches and sweats to test protective clothing. Its dynamic balance and hydraulic actuation are the direct basis for Atlas.
2010
DARwIn-OP open humanoid platform is released
Virginia Tech's RoMeLa lab, Purdue, Penn and Robotis release DARwIn-OP, a 45 cm open hardware and open software humanoid funded by the US National Science Foundation. It becomes the base of Robotis' OP2 and OP3 kid size research robots.
2009
AIST unveils HRP-4C, a humanoid modelled on a young Japanese woman
HRP-4C is 158 cm and 43 kg with a realistic face, and was designed for entertainment and fashion shows. It walks a catwalk at Tokyo fashion week and later sings using Vocaloid software.
2008
IIT presents iCub, an open source child sized humanoid
The EU funded RobotCub consortium led by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia presents iCub, a 104 cm humanoid with 53 degrees of freedom designed to study cognition. Hardware and software are open source and copies go to more than 30 labs.
2007
Aldebaran NAO chosen as the RoboCup Standard Platform League robot
RoboCup selects the 58 cm NAO from French startup Aldebaran Robotics to replace Sony's AIBO in the Standard Platform League from 2008. The choice turns NAO into the most widely used research and education humanoid, with thousands sold.
2006
Sony ends the QRIO and AIBO programs
Sony announces it will stop development of the QRIO humanoid and the AIBO robot dog as part of a restructuring. The decision removes one of the leading corporate humanoid programs of the era.
2005
New ASIMO runs at 6 km/h
Honda's updated ASIMO runs at 6 km/h, pushes a cart, carries a tray and can act as a receptionist. The version is deployed at Honda's Tokyo headquarters as a guide.
Toyota shows trumpet playing Partner Robots at Expo 2005
Toyota presents its Partner Robot family at the Aichi world exposition, including a bipedal humanoid that plays the trumpet with artificial lips. It marks Toyota's entry into humanoid research.
KAIST completes HUBO (KHR-3)
Jun Ho Oh's team at KAIST completes HUBO, a 125 cm, 55 kg humanoid and the first Korean full body humanoid. The HUBO line later wins the DARPA Robotics Challenge finals in 2015.
2003
Sony names its humanoid QRIO
Sony renames the SDR-4X II entertainment humanoid QRIO and demonstrates running, the first bipedal humanoid claimed to leave the ground with both feet. QRIO was never sold.
AIST and Kawada complete HRP-2
HRP-2, a 154 cm, 58 kg humanoid designed with mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, can lie down and stand back up, walk on uneven ground and cooperate with humans in carrying panels. It becomes a standard research platform in Japan and France.
2002
RoboCup Humanoid League starts in Fukuoka
RoboCup 2002 in Fukuoka hosts the first Humanoid League, in which bipedal robots compete in walking, penalty kicks and free style events. The league grows into the largest recurring humanoid competition for universities.
2000
Sony shows SDR-3X, its first small bipedal humanoid
Sony's Dream Robot SDR-3X is a 50 cm entertainment humanoid that walks, kicks a ball and dances. It leads to SDR-4X and the QRIO robot.
Honda unveils ASIMO
Honda introduces ASIMO, a 120 cm, 43 kg humanoid that walks smoothly, changes direction while walking and recognises gestures. ASIMO becomes the most famous humanoid of the 2000s and is shown at Honda events and museums worldwide for two decades.
1998
Japan launches the Humanoid Robotics Project (HRP)
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry funds the five year Humanoid Robotics Project, run by AIST with Kawada Industries and Honda. It produces HRP-1 (a modified Honda P3) and the HRP-2 platform.
1997
Honda unveils P3
P3 is smaller and lighter than P2 at 160 cm and 130 kg and is the direct predecessor of ASIMO. It is the first fully independent bipedal humanoid from Honda.
First RoboCup held in Nagoya
The first RoboCup robot soccer competition takes place in Nagoya, Japan with about 40 teams. The organisation's stated goal is a team of humanoid robots that beats the human World Cup champions by 2050.
1996
Honda unveils P2, the first self contained bipedal humanoid
Honda reveals P2, a 182 cm, 210 kg humanoid that walks, climbs stairs and pushes a cart with all batteries, computers and motors on board and wireless control. Its public debut after ten years of secret research surprises the robotics community.
1993
MIT starts the Cog humanoid project
Rodney Brooks' group at the MIT AI Lab begins Cog, an upper body humanoid built to study embodied intelligence and human robot interaction. The project runs until 2003 and influences later social robots such as Kismet.
1986
Honda builds E0, the start of its humanoid program
Honda's secret research program produces E0, a pair of legs that takes about five seconds per step with static walking. The E series (E0 to E6, 1986 to 1993) leads to the P series and eventually ASIMO.
1984
Waseda WABOT-2 plays the organ
WABOT-2 reads sheet music with a camera and plays an electronic organ with fingers and feet, and can accompany a singer. It is presented at the Tsukuba Expo in 1985.
1973
Waseda University completes WABOT-1, the first full scale anthropomorphic robot
Ichiro Kato's group at Waseda University completes WABOT-1, with limb control, a vision system and a conversation system in Japanese. It walked with a static gait and is widely regarded as the first full scale humanoid robot.
1939
Westinghouse shows Elektro at the New York World's Fair
Westinghouse exhibits Elektro, a 2.1 meter, 120 kg aluminum humanoid that walks on rollers, speaks about 700 words from 78 rpm records and smokes cigarettes. It is the best known pre-electronic humanoid and set the popular image of the robot for decades.