Funding, listings and deals reshaped the robot industry in 2026, with fortunes rising and falling fast. These figures and dated updates show who raised money, who listed, who was bought and who is shipping.
What moved among robot makers this year.
$14B+ valuation of Skild AI after its $1.4 billion round in January 2026 (Business Wire, 2026)
30+ robotics hardware and parts makers that listed or sought IPOs in 2025 (Gasgoo, 2025)
$35B of market value erased at Unitree from its peak, as of September 2026 (The Robot Report, 2026)
9 customer sites where Agility says its Digit humanoid is deployed (The Robot Report, 2026)
Unitree's shares fall nearly 40% in September from their first-day close
· Market
Shares of Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics fell nearly 40% in September from their first-day closing price on August 19, The Robot Report reported. That erased roughly $20 billion in market value from the debut close and about $35 billion from the peak.
Why it matters: A maker's share price can swing sharply without any change in its robots. Judge suppliers on delivery history, spare-parts supply and support terms rather than market value.
SoftBank agrees to buy the Robotics and AI Institute, pending a US review
· Market
SoftBank has agreed to acquire the Robotics and AI Institute, known as RAI, a deal that had been rumored for a couple of months. The Robot Report says the transaction is now being reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the panel that screens foreign purchases of US businesses.
Why it matters: Large investors are buying research capability as well as robot makers, so ownership of the underlying AI is consolidating. Check who owns and funds a vendor before signing a multi-year support deal.
Agility Robotics heads for a SPAC listing with Digit at nine customer sites
· Funding
Agility Robotics said it has deployed its Digit humanoid at nine customer sites as it prepares to go public through a proposed merger with the SPAC Churchill Capital Corp. XI. Agility reported $1.8 million in revenue, and The Robot Report ranked the news as September's top robotics story.
Why it matters: Public listings oblige makers to publish revenue and customer figures, giving buyers real numbers to compare. Ask any humanoid vendor how many sites run its robots today and for how long.
Cognex buys camera maker RealSense for $500 million
· Market
Robotics 24/7's September recap lists a $500 million acquisition of RealSense by machine-vision company Cognex. RealSense makes the depth cameras that many robots use to see their surroundings, so the deal moves a key component supplier under a larger automation vendor.
Why it matters: Robots depend on component makers as much as on robot brands. When comparing machines, ask which camera and sensor suppliers they rely on, and how long each supplier will keep parts and software supported.
Skild AI raises $1.4 billion at a valuation above $14 billion
· Funding
Robot-brain developer Skild AI raised $1.4 billion in a round led by SoftBank Group, with NVIDIA Ventures, Macquarie Capital and Bezos Expeditions among the investors. The company says revenue grew from zero to about $30 million within a few months in 2025, with deployments in security, inspection, warehouses and manufacturing.
Why it matters: Investors are backing software that runs many robot bodies, not only hardware. If a robot you buy depends on a third-party model, ask which model it uses and how it will be updated.
Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind team up on AI for the new Atlas humanoid
· Partnership
At CES 2026, Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind announced a partnership to bring DeepMind's Gemini Robotics foundation models to the new Atlas humanoid, aimed at industrial tasks in manufacturing and automotive work. Joint research is due to begin in the coming months at both companies' facilities.
Why it matters: Pairings of robot makers and AI labs are becoming common. When shortlisting humanoids, compare the AI partner and its plans alongside payload, runtime and price on each robot's Spec Card at The Humanoid Group.
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