According to @ai_darpa, China's wheeled humanoid robots developed by the Zhejiang Innovation Center are actively being deployed in real-world settings, including factories, laboratories, retail stores, and assembly lines. These robots operate individually or in coordinated fleets, taking on practical tasks such as stocking shelves and performing laboratory work. This marks a significant advancement in AI-driven robotics, as the deployment of humanoid robots is transitioning from experimental phases to tangible business applications, accelerating automation in manufacturing and retail sectors (source: @ai_darpa, Dec 18, 2025).

According to @ai_darpa, the widely circulated video is not AI-generated but features the UBTECH Walkers 2 robot, a next-generation humanoid robot developed in China, leaving the factory (source: https://twitter.com/ai_darpa/status/1998704746123628562). This demonstration highlights the rapid advancement of AI-powered robotics in real-world manufacturing environments. UBTECH's Walkers 2 integrates advanced AI algorithms for autonomous navigation and human-like movement, offering significant business opportunities for logistics automation and smart factories. The deployment of such sophisticated robots underscores China's growing influence in AI-driven robotics and signals robust market potential for AI-enabled automation solutions in global industries.

According to @ai_darpa, Tesla is preparing to significantly expand its Optimus AI robot assembly line, with a much larger Generation 3 production facility planned for 2026. The company is targeting a cost of goods sold at $20,000 per robot at scale, positioning Optimus as a competitive solution in AI robotics for manufacturing and automation. This aggressive cost target and scaling plan could disrupt the industrial robotics market by making advanced AI-powered robots more affordable for businesses, opening new opportunities in logistics, warehousing, and factory automation (Source: @ai_darpa, Nov 7, 2025).