Latest updates · 21 October 2026
In the full issue →Humanoids are entering real factories: Schaeffler has opened a plant in Taicang where six humanoids assemble actuators for other humanoids, AGCO will pilot Agility's Digit in Kansas, and KAIST's humanoid lifts 20 kg.
Research, industry & policy
- Schaeffler opens 'humanoids making humanoids' factory in Taicang, Schaeffler · 20 Oct 2026: On about 7,500 m², six humanoids at five stations stage, join, inspect and pack joint modules and actuators, backed by a digital twin and a training centre; humanoid robotics orders have risen to some €400 million.
- AGCO and Agility Robotics plan a Digit humanoid pilot in Hesston, Kansas, AGCO · 20 Oct 2026: The farm-machinery maker will explore Digit for repetitive and hazardous manufacturing tasks at its Hesston plant.
- KAIST humanoid pushes 35 kg and lifts 20 kg, RobotsBeat · 20 Oct 2026: KAIST's Humanoid v0.9 pushed 35 kg objects and lifted 20 kg in a new demonstration.
Journals & preprints
- HAF-VLA: Hierarchical Action Flow Framework for Humanoid Vision-Language-Action Control, arXiv 2610.26584 · 19 Oct 2026: Humanoid robots hold great promise as general-purpose agents in human-centered environments, yet adapting generalist vision-language-action (VLA) policies to real-world humanoid loco-manipulation remains challenging.
- OmniInteract: Towards Unified Whole-Body Interaction Control for Dual Humanoids, arXiv 2610.26043 · 19 Oct 2026: Physical interaction is a key capability for humanoid collaboration, requiring coordinated whole-body motion and precise contact.
Why it matters
Factory pilots with real output targets are the test humanoids must pass before they scale.
