May 2026 was a busy month full of robotics news, topped off by last week’s Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston. The event brought together thousands of robotics experts to discuss the latest technology and industry advances.
Here are the 10 most popular articles on The Robot Report in the past month. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter and listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay up to date on the latest robotics developments.
10. Humanoid partners with Bosch, Schaeffler to scale robot production in May 2026
The race to develop commercially viable humanoid robots continues to prompt industry partnerships. London-based Humanoid said it is working with Bosch to scale production after the successful completion of a joint proof of concept in March. Read more.
9. 1X begins production of NEO humanoids in California facility
1X Technologies launched full-scale production at its new facility in Hayward, Calif. It serves as the primary hub for NEO, the company’s humanoid robot designed to operate quietly—at a decibel level lower than a modern refrigerator—while navigating domestic spaces. Read more.
8. Ouster releases REV8 OS sensor family with native-color lidar
Ouster in May 2026 announced Rev8, its new family of OS digital lidar sensors using its next-generation L4 Ouster Silicon. The company said Rev8 features its patented native-color lidar sensors and provides up to double the range and resolution of the previous generation. Read more.
7. Inside Colin Angle’s bid to build companion robots with Familiar Machines & Magic
Colin Angle has already defined consumer robotics once with the Roomba. iRobot didn’t just build a successful product; it reshaped how people think about robots in the home. Now, Angle is attempting the seemingly impossible again. Read more.
6. Five lessons for robotics entrepreneurs from Aescape’s business model pivot
If you’ve built a robotics company in the past 10 years, chances are you’ve at least flirted with the idea of robotics as a service, or RaaS. It’s attractive: recurring revenue, smoother adoption for customers, VC‑friendly narratives, and comparisons to SaaS. Read more.
5. Fraunhofer IPA offers new test benchmark for humanoids
In recent years, humanoid robots continue to fascinate us. On social media as well as in public spaces, they are guaranteed to attract attention. The technology is poised to take over tasks in areas where, due to demographic change, human labor will no longer be available in the future. Read more.
4. Hugging Face launches agentic toolkit for Reachy Mini
In May 2026, Hugging Face launched an agentic toolkit that lets anyone build a working app for Reachy Mini, its open-source desktop robot. The toolkit works in under an hour, without writing a single line of code. Instead, an AI agent writes all the code. Read more.
3. Automated Tire decloaks in May 2026 with new autonomous tire-changing SmartBay
Aiming to modernize the traditional service bay, Automated Tire emerged from stealth to unveil SmartBay, an AI-powered robotic platform that automates tire changes and vehicle inspections. By replacing manual, injury-prone labor with advanced computer vision and robotics, the system can cut service times in half to as little as 30 minutes, said the startup. Read more.
2. Genesis AI introduces GENE-26.5 model for more dexterous robot manipulation
After years of development, dexterous robotic manipulation is improving, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. Genesis AI in May 2026 unveiled GENE-26.5, which it claimed gives robots “human-level physical manipulation capabilities.” Read more.
1. 2026 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards
For 15 years, the RBR50 awards have recognized the world’s leading robotics organizations in terms of technology and business innovation. This year’s cohort includes several repeat winners, as well as first-time honorees, and it is a prestigious list of the leading commercial robotics developers and suppliers from around the world. Read more.
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