Robotics and embodied AI in 2026: a crash course
A crash course on robotics and embodied AI as of October 2026: how robots learn, robot foundation models, humanoids, self-driving and the open debates.
Robotics and embodied AI
Humanoids, robot foundation models and machines that learn to act in the physical world.
Robotics and embodied AI tracker: milestones to watch
A running timeline of milestones in robot foundation models, humanoids and self-driving since the 2023 start of the VLA era, updated as of October 2026.
Figure AI
Gemini Robotics
NVIDIA Isaac GR00T
Open X-Embodiment
Physical Intelligence
Tesla Optimus
Unitree Robotics
Waymo
Are humanoid robots ready for real work? The 2026 debate
How robots learn: demonstrations, trial and error, and data
Sim-to-real: training robots in simulation for the real world
Vision-language-action models: how robot foundation models work