Today's Highlights
· Agility Robotics plans to go public via SPAC merger with Churchill Capital XI at a $2.5 billion valuation, which would make it the world's first pure-play humanoid robot public company; Foxconn leads a $200 million PIPE, and its Digit robot already holds over $300 million in multi-year orders.
· Unitree (Chinese robotics company) R1 Air's starting price drops by ¥10,000 to ¥29,900 with immediate in-stock availability and no waitlist, further lowering the entry barrier for consumer- and education-grade humanoids.
· AGILINK (Chinese dexterous hand startup, spun out of Zhiyuan Robotics) closes a new round of nearly ¥1 billion, with a post-money valuation exceeding $1 billion — four rounds in five months, marking a clear capital shift toward "the hand."
· SEER Robotics (Chinese robot controller manufacturer), billed as "the first robot brain stock," lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (06106.HK); its intelligent robot controllers have ranked #1 globally by sales for three consecutive years with roughly 25% market share.
· Morgan Stanley raises its China humanoid robot shipment forecast for 2026 to 50,000 units — nearly double its prior estimate — calling the industry's entry into "early commercialization."
I. Research Papers
SPACE: Bridging Cross-Robot Data with a Unified Action Representation · vla
Cross-embodiment transfer is a core obstacle to generalist policies — the same action maps to different motor commands across different robots, making behavior cloning data hard to reuse. SPACE instead uses "Cartesian state deltas" as a universal action representation across robots, with separate adaptation layers for embodiment differences, temporal scale, and execution commands, enabling demonstration data from heterogeneous robots to transfer to one another and converge toward a generalist policy.
Haeone Lee et al. (KAIST) · arXiv 2606.24049 source
World Value Models: Learning Value Functions via World Models Instead of VLMs · world-model
General-purpose value models are key to scaling large volumes of mixed-quality data for robot policy learning, but mainstream value models are built on VLM backbones pretrained on static or temporally sparse observations — lacking the temporal modeling required for value estimation. This paper instead builds value functions on world models, which are naturally suited to temporal reasoning and future planning, balancing grounding in historical context with prediction of future outcomes.
Zhihao Wang et al. (Tsinghua AIR) · arXiv 2606.24742 source
InSight: Enabling VLAs to Autonomously Acquire Missing Skills · vla
A VLA's capabilities are bounded by the skills present in its training data. InSight makes VLAs language-controllable at the level of "primitive actions" (e.g., "move gripper over bowl," "lift upward"), then uses a VLM-driven data flywheel to automatically identify which primitives are missing for a new task and autonomously collect demonstrations of those primitives — breaking through the skill boundaries of the training set.
Maggie Wang et al. (Stanford) · arXiv 2606.24884 source
Supervise What Survives: How to Use Synthetic Robot Video for VLA Training · vla
A common practice is to treat generated robot video as real data and back-project pseudo-actions from pixels. This paper argues this is a "mismatched abstraction": video retains only geometry (where the task happens), while real demonstrations contain control signals (exactly how motors move). It proposes an "asymmetric retention principle" — supervise only the geometric information that reliably survives the generation process when adapting VLAs, rather than forcing the model to learn low-level control signals that have already been lost.
Danze Chen et al. · arXiv 2606.24448 source
ReTVL: Treating Retries in Demonstrations as Supervision, Not Noise · manipulation
Human demonstrations often contain correction segments — missed grasps, misalignments, repeated attempts — that have typically been discarded as noise. ReTVL instead uses "retry events" as sparse supervisory signals to learn an error-sensitive value function, breaking from the common "monotonic progress" assumption to better characterize local execution errors and how task feasibility can be recovered.
Xinyao Qin et al. · arXiv 2606.24633 source
FT-WBC: Fault-Tolerant Whole-Body Control Under Actuator Failure · locomotion
Loco-manipulation robots face greater fall risk under actuator failure due to center-of-mass shifts and dynamic disturbances introduced by the arm, yet existing fault-tolerant methods mostly address locomotion without considering arm reachability. FT-WBC uses an upper/lower body decoupling strategy with a fault estimator to simultaneously maintain whole-body stability and arm reachability under actuator failure, extending fault tolerance from pure locomotion to loco-manipulation.
Yudong Zhong et al. · arXiv 2606.24466 source
FEARL: A Formally Verifiable Safety Module for Robot Foundation Models · vla
When foundation models are used for robot control, the same expressiveness that enables rich perception makes the model opaque and hard to formally verify. FEARL addresses this through modular decomposition: a large Controller handles high-dimensional perception and task reasoning, while a small Safety module receives only low-dimensional observations from dedicated safety sensors plus a bounded context embedding from the Controller, then produces the final action — keeping safety-critical requirements such as collision avoidance in an analyzable small module.
Davide Corsi et al. (UC Irvine) · arXiv 2606.23754 source
APR: Making Dexterous Hands Play Piano More Like Humans · manipulation
Reinforcement learning can achieve high accuracy piano playing for dexterous bimanual hands in simulation, but high-DoF hands optimizing for task reward alone often produce unnatural postures and joint hyperextension. APR uses adversarial pose regularization — drawing on a small amount of casual human playing data — to pull the policy's hand-pose distribution toward a human prior, avoiding expensive per-song demonstration alignment. The team also collected and open-sourced piano-playing hand motion data captured with consumer-grade Meta Quest 3, retargeted to the Shadow Hand.
Bin Qiu et al. · arXiv 2606.23848 source
Other papers today: NavWM (unified navigation world model for anticipatory planning, arXiv 2606.24101 source); DynaWM (world-model regularization for smooth wheeled-legged traversal of continuous stairs, arXiv 2606.24089 source); G³VLA (injecting camera calibration geometry into VLA visual tokens, arXiv 2606.24472 source); RoBoSR (object-level scene graphs as an intermediate structure for embodied reasoning, arXiv 2606.24338 source); Neuro-Symbolic Drive (supervising driving VLAs with reasoning traces from a rule-based planner, arXiv 2606.23938 source); ArtiTwinSplat (automatic reconstruction of interactive digital twins from RGB-D video, ETH, arXiv 2606.24628 source); TACTFUL (autonomous tactile-only exploration and object recognition, with Amazon participation, arXiv 2606.24712 source).
Open Source · Tools · Benchmarks
· TurboMPC: An end-to-end differentiable MPC solver running entirely on GPU (SQP + ADMM, co-designed JAX-CUDA implementation), supporting state/control inequality constraints and implicit integration. arXiv 2606.24039 source
· Tailor-Bench: A benchmark specifically testing visual world models' ability to simulate "long-tail and irregular physical interactions," directly addressing whether existing world models have truly internalized and generalized physical laws. arXiv 2606.24256 source
· REALM: A unified red-teaming evaluation benchmark for VLMs in the physical world, standardizing previously fragmented jailbreak/attack evaluations across datasets, metrics, and threat models. arXiv 2606.23892 source
· Amap DreamX-World 1.0 open-sourced: A 5B-parameter interactive world model generating at 16 FPS with streaming output, using geometry-retrieval memory to mitigate scene inconsistency during camera turns. source (WeChat, CN)
II. Funding & Deals
AGILINK ｜ New Round ｜ ~¥1 Billion ｜ Post-Money Valuation Exceeds $1 Billion · embodied
Mirae Asset, Jingming Capital, and a major internet conglomerate led or co-invested in the round, with existing investors including Hillhouse Ventures and Lanchi Ventures (Chinese VC firms) adding to their positions. AGILINK was spun out of Zhiyuan Robotics (Chinese humanoid robot company) in January 2026 to focus exclusively on dexterous hands; its founder Xiong Kun comes from HKUST's robotics institute and previously worked on Tencent Robotics X. The company says it has cumulatively delivered over 8,000 dexterous hands and over 10,000 grippers, with more than 1,000 units in routine industrial and logistics operation. Four rounds in five months, this deal is the most emblematic signal of capital shifting from complete robots toward "the hand." Source: 36Kr source
Agility Robotics ｜ SPAC Merger ｜ $2.5 Billion Valuation ｜ Over $620 Million Total Raise · humanoid
Merging with Churchill Capital Corp XI, controlled by Michael Klein; the post-merger ticker will be AGLT. The raise includes a $200 million PIPE at $10/share led by Foxconn (an existing shareholder), plus approximately $420 million from the trust account. The company disclosed that its Digit v5 already holds over $300 million in multi-year orders, has logged over 65,000 cumulative operating hours across 9 use cases, and has planned annual capacity of up to 10,000 units, with customers including Amazon and Schaeffler. If completed this year, it would become the world's first pure-play humanoid robot public company; the deal is also viewed as more substantive than most SPACs because all existing shareholders are rolling over their equity. Source: The Robot Report et al. source
Striding AI ｜ Angel Series ｜ ~$100 Million · humanoid
Charoen Pokphand Group, Huaqin Technology (Chinese electronics manufacturer), and 9AN Medical (Chinese listed company) participated. The company was founded in early 2026 by Yao Song, previously co-founder of Deep Lens (Chinese AI chip startup) and Orienspace (Chinese commercial launch company), with a focus on "physical intelligence" — aiming to advance humanoid robots into industrial and commercial settings via world-action models and reinforcement learning. Raising nearly $100 million in an angel round within six months of founding reflects the intensity with which industrial capital is backing early-stage embodied AI teams. Source: Sina Finance source
Tsinghua Post-2000 Tactile Team ｜ Angel Round ｜ Tens of Millions of RMB · hardware
Backed by Frees Fund and Pokeshell Robotics (Chinese robotics investor), the team develops ultra-thin visuo-tactile sensors targeting the tactile perception gap in dexterous hands and robotic arms — aligned with today's broader theme of capital flowing toward "the hand." Source: Hard Krypton source (WeChat, CN)
Suiqing ｜ Angel Round ｜ Tens of Millions of RMB · industrial
Focused on auxiliary mining robots for underground operations, founded by a team of Tongji University doctoral graduates targeting structurally underserved "blue ocean" environments such as underground mines. Source: Pedaily source
Embodied funding momentum continues: Kunlun Xing Robotics (Chinese humanoid startup) has completed three rounds in 90 days with existing investors continuing to add, and its valuation has already exceeded $1 billion (previously reported).
III. Commercialization & Deployment
Unitree R1 Air Drops to ¥29,900, Now In Stock · humanoid
The entry-level R1 Air's starting price falls from ¥39,900 to ¥29,900, with units available for immediate purchase and no pre-order queue required. The robot weighs approximately 27 kg, has 20 motion joints and monocular vision, and is aimed at education, training, and basic secondary development. Unitree says approximately 90% of core components — motors, reducers, and controllers — are developed and manufactured in China, which is the source of the cost reduction. Following earlier price cuts to the R1 series, the entry barrier for consumer- and education-grade humanoids has been lowered further, shifting from "pre-order waitlist" to "available off the shelf." Source: National Business Daily source
Galaxy General Robotics × CATL: Heavy-Load Humanoid with CATL Battery Deployed in Factory · embodied
Galaxy General Robotics (Chinese humanoid robot company) and Ningjiа Service — a subsidiary of CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology, world's largest EV battery maker) — have signed a global strategic partnership; Galaxy's heavy-load industrial humanoid Galbot S1 (dual-arm maximum payload ~50 kg, industrial-grade spec) has achieved routine operation under complex conditions at a CATL battery factory. The deployment is on an actual production line, not a showroom, demonstrating that the "battery manufacturer + embodied robot" industrial collaboration is proving viable in heavy-load industrial settings. Source: Sohu source
Kawasaki Robotics Expands Partnership with Dexterity to Scale Physical AI in Warehouses · industrial
The two companies are expanding their collaboration to bring Dexterity's AI-powered picking and unloading capabilities to more warehousing and logistics settings, representing a substantive expansion in warehouse automation. Source: AI Insider et al. source
Zhiyuan Robotics (Chinese humanoid company) Takes Over an Entire 3C QC Line in 6-Day Live Stream · industrial ⚠️ Live demo framing
Zhiyuan used a continuous 6-day live stream to demonstrate its robots taking over a full 3C electronics quality-control line. President Peng Zhihui stated in parallel that "capital will no longer pay for robot demos alone — real-scene commercial value is required," and proposed leasing as the future mainstream model for robot deployment. The sustained live stream is intended to demonstrate stability, though the economics of continuous large-scale operation remain to be validated with production-scale data. Source: Xueqiu source
Boston Dynamics Announces ~$100 Million HQ Expansion, ~1,250 New Jobs · humanoid
Following Hyundai's full acquisition and plans for a production-ready Atlas to enter Hyundai's U.S. factories in 2028, Boston Dynamics has announced approximately $100 million in expansion investment at its Waltham, Massachusetts headquarters, adding approximately 1,250 jobs — another concrete milestone on Atlas's commercialization roadmap. Source: NBC Boston source
GM Factory Zero Brings in ~50 Robots as Over 1,000 Jobs Disappear · industrial
General Motors has deployed approximately 50 robots at its Factory Zero plant in Detroit to advance automation, with over 1,000 jobs eliminated in parallel — a concrete illustration of manufacturing's "robots replacing workers" dynamic. Source: WION source
Robotaxi International Expansion Continues: Pony.ai Enters Singapore, Caocao × May Mobility Expand into Europe · autonomy
Pony.ai (Chinese autonomous driving company) has partnered with a local mobility giant to launch in Singapore; Caocao Mobility (Chinese ride-hailing platform) and May Mobility have formed a strategic partnership to expand robotaxi services in Europe first; Waymo disclosed approximately 500,000 weekly rides. This continues the recent global expansion narrative (previously reported) — today's additions are new cities and partners, not a new paradigm. Source: Morningstar source / Sohu source
IV. Industry Developments
"First Robot Brain Stock" SEER Robotics Lists on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (06106.HK) · industrial
IPO priced at HK$101.6 per share, raising approximately HK$1.067 billion before the greenshoe, with a listing market cap of approximately HK$11.2 billion. The company is a platform-type robot controller manufacturer; according to Frost & Sullivan, its intelligent robot controllers have ranked #1 globally by sales for three consecutive years, with market share rising to approximately 25%, and controller gross margins exceeding 80%. Its founder is a Zhejiang University alumnus who left medicine to build robots. Together with Agility Robotics' U.S. listing announced the same day, "embodied robot IPOs" have moved from rumor to reality. Source: Industrysourcing / Sina source
Morgan Stanley Raises China Humanoid Shipment Forecast to 50,000 Units — Second Upgrade This Year · humanoid
Morgan Stanley has raised its 2026 China humanoid shipment forecast from 28,000 units to 50,000 units (up from 14,000 at the start of the year — the second upgrade this year), estimating China's humanoid market at approximately $2 billion in 2026 and $15 billion by 2030. The rationale is that the industry is transitioning from demonstrations to commercial use faster than expected, including a ~¥6.8 billion order from State Grid Corporation of China, supportive policy, and supply chain capacity expansion. This is a sell-side forecast, not realized shipment data. Source: Sina Finance source
Masayoshi Son Says SoftBank Has Started Mass-Producing Robots, Aims to Be "World #1" · humanoid ⚠️ Shareholder meeting statement
At SoftBank's annual shareholder meeting, Masayoshi Son said production robots have already started coming off lines at existing factories, that "there will soon be a formal announcement that will surprise everyone," and that SoftBank aims toward "physical ASI" and plans to complete its acquisition of ABB's robotics business within 2026. These are strategic statements and plans; the production scale and specific product form have not been independently verified. Source: 36Kr source
Alibaba Qwen Open-Sources "Language World Model" Qwen-AgentWorld · world-model
Available in two versions — 35B-A3B and 397B-A17B — using long-chain reasoning to simulate 7 categories of agent environments including MCP, search, terminal, SWE, Android, Web, and OS, along with a released evaluation benchmark AgentWorldBench; the 397B version scores 58.71, slightly above GPT-5.4 (58.25). To be clear, this is a world model for digital/software agents, not a physical embodied world model — but it reflects the "world model" paradigm extending toward closed-loop agent training. Source: ShuYuan AI source (WeChat, CN)
JD.com and Magic Atom Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale Embodied Robot Commercialization · humanoid
The two parties will jointly advance an industrialization model for embodied intelligence, targeting commercial deployment of humanoid robots in retail, logistics, and related settings. Source: Sina Finance source
Xiaomi YU7 GT Sets First Autonomous Driving Lap Record at Zhejiang Circuit: 1:49.434 · autonomy ⚠️ Manufacturer demo framing
Xiaomi says its YU7 GT autonomous driving system posted a lap time of 1 minute 49.434 seconds at Zhejiang International Circuit, claiming the first autonomous driving lap record at that track. This is a closed-circuit capability demonstration and is a different dimension from L4 deployment on open public roads. Source: Sina et al. source
Hardware · Supply Chain
· The supply chain behind Unitree's price cut: With approximately 90% of motors, reducers, and controllers developed and manufactured in China, Unitree's ability to compress full-system costs underpins the ¥29,900 price point.
· GlobalFoundries: Announced an AI chip solution for humanoid robots, with the upstream wafer foundry entering the embodied computing stack. source
· Kingfa Sci. & Tech. (Chinese specialty plastics manufacturer): Its modified engineering plastics are now supplying leading robot companies, with lightweight structural components entering mass-production supply chains. source
· Tendon-drive wire: 0.8 mm wire rope capable of bearing 50 kg loads — Chinese-made high-strength wire rope enabling the "grip strength" of dexterous hands and joints. source
