Humanoids Hit the Factory Floor: From Prototype to Mass Production in 18 Months

Between mid-2025 and mid-2026, humanoid robots moved from trade-show demos to six-figure production runs, with Tesla surpassing 50,000 Optimus units, China building 40,000 humanoids in the first half of 2026 alone, and Hyundai committing to 25,000 Atlas robots across its plants. The surge triggered the first recorded humanoid robot labor strike,...