Timeline of humanoid robotics
From the first walking humanoid to mass production — the key milestones of the field, in order.
- 1996
Honda P2 — the first self-contained bipedal humanoid
Honda unveiled P2, the first humanoid to carry its own computer and power source on board, walking smoothly on flat ground and climbing stairs. It is widely regarded as the milestone that opened the field.
- 2000
Honda ASIMO
Honda introduced ASIMO, the most advanced humanoid of its era. It walked at 1.6 km/h, recognised faces and responded to voice commands, and became the public face of humanoid robotics for two decades.
- 2011
Boston Dynamics PETMAN
Boston Dynamics built PETMAN, a humanoid designed to test protective suits for the US Army. It was the direct predecessor of the famous Atlas, with the emphasis already on lifelike motion.
- 2013
Boston Dynamics Atlas (hydraulic)
Boston Dynamics revealed Atlas, a 180cm hydraulic humanoid built for the DARPA Robotics Challenge. It handled rough terrain, climbing and power tools, and set the template for what a dynamic humanoid should look like.
- 2014
SoftBank Pepper
SoftBank Robotics launched Pepper, a social robot designed to read emotions and interact with people. It carried humanoids into retail and customer service, though it never walked on two legs.
- 2017
Agility Robotics Cassie
Agility Robotics released Cassie, a bipedal platform with no torso or arms yet, which became the foundation for Digit, the company's later commercial humanoid.
- 2019
Agility Robotics Digit
Cassie grew a torso and arms and became Digit, a humanoid designed for logistics. It was among the first humanoids actually put to work in warehouses.
Digit → - 2021
Tesla announced Optimus
At Tesla AI Day in August 2021, Elon Musk announced the Optimus humanoid — at that point only a concept, presented by a dancer in a costume, but enough to set off a wave of investment and attention across the whole field.
Optimus Gen 2 → - 2022
Tesla Optimus prototype 'Bumblebee'
At AI Day 2022 Tesla showed the first working Optimus prototype, nicknamed Bumblebee, which managed basic walking and simple manipulation.
Optimus Gen 2 → - 2023
Unitree H1 — an affordable full-size humanoid
Unitree, until then known for quadrupeds, entered the humanoid league with the 180cm H1. Its price and walking speed started the Chinese wave of affordable humanoids.
Unitree H1 → - 2023
Figure 01 took its first steps
In October 2023 the startup Figure AI publicly walked its first humanoid, Figure 01, designed for manual work in logistics and manufacturing.
- 2023
Apptronik Apollo
Apptronik introduced Apollo, a modular humanoid for industry and logistics. It later won partnerships with Mercedes-Benz and Google DeepMind.
Apollo → - 2023
Tesla Optimus Gen 2
In December 2023 Tesla released the Optimus Gen 2 video — markedly smoother motion, dancing, and careful handling of an egg. A generational jump over Bumblebee.
Optimus Gen 2 → - 2024
NVIDIA Project GR00T
In March 2024 NVIDIA announced Project GR00T, a general-purpose foundation model for humanoids. It lets robots follow natural language and learn movement by watching people — a key step towards a shared 'brain' for the field.
- 2024
Unitree G1 at $16,000
Unitree launched the G1 and started series production in August 2024. At $16,000 for the base version it reset expectations on price and became the de facto standard platform for control research.
Unitree G1 → - 2024
Figure 02 heads to the factory floor
In August 2024 Figure AI revealed the redesigned Figure 02 and began shipping to a paying customer. The robot started an 11-month deployment on the BMW line in Spartanburg.
- 2025
1X NEO for the home
1X introduced NEO Gamma with a soft 3D-lattice body and quiet operation (22 dB), aimed squarely at the household. Pre-orders opened at $20,000, or $499 a month.
NEO Gamma → - 2025
Unitree R1 broke the $6,000 barrier
In July 2025 Unitree launched the R1 at just $5,900 — the cheapest full humanoid in the world. It does cartwheels and kicks, and it pulled the floor out from under the whole market's pricing.
Unitree R1 → - 2025
Figure 03
Figure AI launched its third generation, Figure 03, aimed at the home as well as the factory, and began phasing out Figure 02 — confirming how fast Western humanoids are iterating.
Figure 03 → - 2025
Figure 02 finished a year of work at BMW
Figure 02 humanoids completed an 11-month project at BMW Spartanburg: 10-hour shifts, more than 90,000 parts loaded, 1,250+ hours of operation, and a hand in building over 30,000 X3 vehicles.
- 2025
Chinese humanoids reach series production
In November 2025 UBTech started series production and deliveries of Walker S2, with orders worth over 800 million yuan. Of the 13,318 humanoids delivered worldwide in 2025, Omdia attributes 87 % to Chinese firms.
UBTech Walker S2 → - 2026
Humanoids enter the ordinary market
2026 brings three things at once: home robots taking pre-orders (1X NEO), Chinese prices dropping below $6,000, and industrial deployments moving from pilots to real scale. Humanoids are leaving the lab for the real world.