Synthetic StepsDaily briefs and analysis on humanoid robotics.https://syntheticsteps.com/1X NEO and the learning-first battlegroundhttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/1x-neo-learning-january-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/1x-neo-learning-january-2026/1X’s January NEO update reinforces that learning systems, not just hardware, are becoming the center of humanoid competition.Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:30:00 GMTChina’s humanoid price war is getting realhttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/china-humanoid-price-war-march-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/china-humanoid-price-war-march-2026/A widely shared GGII summary suggests China’s humanoid market is entering a price-compression phase faster than expected.Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:58:00 GMTAgility says Digit is now on the factory floorhttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/agility-digit-factory-floor-march-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/agility-digit-factory-floor-march-2026/Agility says Digit is now working on Schaeffler’s factory floor beyond pilot mode.Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:23:00 GMTBoston Dynamics is getting practical about Atlashttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/boston-dynamics-atlas-industrial-march-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/boston-dynamics-atlas-industrial-march-2026/Boston Dynamics is clearly repositioning Atlas from wow-factor demo robot to industrial work platform.Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:40:00 GMTFigure’s latest home robot demo hits differenthttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/figure-helix-02-march-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/figure-helix-02-march-2026/Figure’s latest home-tidying demo raises the bar from single-task clips to routine-level autonomy claims.Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:31:00 GMTWho’s actually shipping humanoid robots?https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/humanoid-shipments-visual-capitalist-april-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/humanoid-shipments-visual-capitalist-april-2026/New shipment data shows China dominating early humanoid robot commercialization in 2025.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:18:00 GMTSanctuary’s hand dexterity demo is worth watchinghttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/sanctuary-zero-shot-hand-april-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/sanctuary-zero-shot-hand-april-2026/Sanctuary AI shows a simulation-trained policy transferring zero-shot to real hydraulic hand manipulation.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:40:00 GMTHospital humanoids are getting realhttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/unitree-hospital-robotics-march-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/unitree-hospital-robotics-march-2026/A viral hospital humanoid clip is a useful signal—but the real story is where logistics automation ends and bedside care begins.Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:10:00 GMTFigure’s Helix 02 and the autonomy racehttps://syntheticsteps.com/articles/figure-helix-02-january-2026/https://syntheticsteps.com/articles/figure-helix-02-january-2026/Figure’s late-January Helix 02 announcement points to a more integrated autonomy narrative in the humanoid race.Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:00:00 GMT