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  Symbotic Acquires Autonomous Forklift Maker Fox Robotics, Extending Its Warehouse Automation Reach

  On February 4, 2026, warehouse automation company Symbotic (NASDAQ: SYM) announced during its Q1 fiscal year 2026 earnings call that it has completed the acquisition of autonomous forklift developer Fox Robotics. No separate press release was issued for the deal, and financial terms were not disclosed.

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  Apptronik Closes $520M in New Funding to Scale Apollo Humanoid Robot Production

  On February 11, 2026, Apptronik, a humanoid robotics company headquartered in Austin, Texas, announced the close of a $520 million Series A-X funding round. The company\'s total Series A has now exceeded $935 million, bringing cumulative capital raised to nearly $1 billion.

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  Reflex Robotics Mexico Factory: The Cost-Driven Battle of Wheeled Humanoids

  On February 9th, New York-based startup Reflex Robotics announced plans to establish Latin America\'s first humanoid robot manufacturing facility in Nuevo León, Mexico. Behind this decision lies a deeper competition over technology routes, cost control, and market positioning.

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  Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Secures Over 700 Million Yuan in First Market-Based Funding Round

  Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center recently announced the completion of its first market-based financing round, raising over 700 million yuan (approximately $97 million).

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  Exotec Opens Integrated Global Headquarters to Scale Warehouse Robotics Operations

  Exotec has officially opened its new global headquarters in Northern France, integrating research, development, production, and operations in a single facility. The move reflects a broader industry trend toward scalable, industrialised warehouse automation as logistics and supply chains continue to evolve.

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  Tesla Discontinues Model S/X - $20B Bet on Humanoid Robots

  At the just-concluded FY2025 Q4 earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a bombshell: Tesla will officially discontinue the Model S and Model X that once defined its brand positioning. The historic Fremont, California factory will undergo a complete transformation into an Optimus humanoid robot mega-production facility.

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  Ten Predictions for China\'s Humanoid Robot Industry in 2026 (Part 2)

  In 2026, China will preliminarily establish a national standards system for the humanoid robot industry, covering core terminology, technical requirements, interface protocols, and safety specifications.

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  U.S. Startup Fauna Launches Sprout: A Developer-Focused Humanoid Robotics Platform

  New York-based startup Fauna Robotics launched its first humanoid robot, Sprout Creator Edition, on January 27, pioneering a deployment strategy focused on human-centric environments—schools, exhibition spaces, and public areas—rather than traditional factory and warehouse settings. Standing 1.07 meters tall and weighing 22.7 kilograms, Sprout features soft-bodied construction and compliant control systems, emphasizing a \"safety-first\" design philosophy. Priced at $50,000, the platform targets researchers, educators, and commercial developers, offering a complete SDK with modular AI architecture and pre-trained locomotion capabilities including walking, kneeling, and crawling. Early adopters include Disney, Boston Dynamics, UC San Diego, and New York University. CEO Rob Cochran (formerly CTRL-labs) argues that existing humanoid systems are essentially industrial equipment extensions, unsuited for close human-robot interaction. CTO Josh Merel (former DeepMind researcher) states the company aims to lower barriers to robotics application development. Sprout represents an alternative pathway for humanoid robotics: bypassing industrial applications to directly explore consumer-facing scenarios.

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  Top 10 Predictions for China’s Humanoid Robot Industry in 2026 (Part I)

  In 2026, China\'s humanoid robot industry will officially enter its first year of large-scale commercialization. Market size is projected to exceed RMB 200 billion, with shipments reaching tens of thousands of units, marking a critical leap from concept validation to scaled application. Industrial manufacturing will lead adoption, with automotive and 3C electronics as primary testbeds. Core component localization rates will surpass 50%, driving unit costs down to RMB 200,000-300,000. Embodied intelligence integration accelerates as large models empower the \"robot brain,\" while breakthroughs in dexterous hands unlock fine manipulation capabilities. This article presents the Top 10 Predictions for China\'s Humanoid Robot Industry in 2026 (Part I), covering five core trends: commercialization scale, application scenarios, cost reduction, and technological breakthroughs.