Welcome to Popular Today, where we explore the tech that’s changing your life—one byte at a time. I’m your host, Shak, and today we’re diving into something straight out of sci-fi… but it’s real. We’re talking about humanoid robots—those human-shaped marvels that are not just coming… they’re here. From helping out in your office to transforming manufacturing, personal caregiving, and even companionship, humanoid robots are poised to change the way we work, live, and think.

So, buckle up as we break down what humanoid robots really are, who’s building them, where they’re already being used, and how they’ll impact your job, business, and everyday routine.

References & Citations

1. Market Size and Growth

• Fortune Business Insights. (2023). “Humanoid Robot Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis”.

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/humanoid-robot-market-106512

2. Tesla Optimus Updates

• Tesla AI Day 2022 Presentation. Available at:

https://www.tesla.com/AI

• CNBC. (2024). “Tesla’s Optimus robot is now walking and folding clothes”.

3. Figure 01 in Warehousing

• TechCrunch. (2024). “Figure AI’s humanoid robot completes retail warehouse task autonomously”.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/figure-ai-humanoid-robot

4. Agility Robotics & Amazon Partnership

• Agility Robotics Press Release. (2023).

https://www.agilityrobotics.com/newsroom

5. Sanctuary AI – General Purpose Humanoids

• Sanctuary AI Blog. (2024). “Phoenix: Our Humanoid Robot Can Now Do Retail Jobs”.

https://www.sanctuary.ai/blog

6. Unitree Robotics

• Unitree Robotics Official Website:

https://www.unitree.com

7. Japan & Elder Care Robots

• Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2023).

• “Elderly Care Strategy with Robotics in Japan”.

• Nikkei Asia. (2023). “Robots now serve over 400 Japanese nursing homes”.

8. Job Displacement Concerns

• World Economic Forum. (2023). “The Future of Jobs Report”.

https://www.weforum.org/reports/future-of-jobs-report-2023

9. Robot Safety Standards

• ISO 10218 (Robots and robotic devices — Safety requirements for industrial robots).

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

10. Education & Student Innovation in Robotics

• FIRST Robotics. https://www.firstinspires.org

• Arduino Project Hub. https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub

• RoboCup Federation. https://www.robocup.org

11. Future of General-Purpose Robots

• MIT Technology Review. (2024). “The Age of General-Purpose Humanoid Robots Begins”.

https://www.technologyreview.com

12. Global Investment Trends

• McKinsey & Co. (2024). “Robotics and the Future of Work: Global Insights”.

https://www.mckinsey.com