With stats like that, one can’t help but suspect that the first country to have a million humanoids will be China.

Humanoid robots have been in development for years, but it may feel like they will never be accessible to regular users. There are a few reasons for that.

Airbus ordered UBTech’s Walker S2, a full-size humanoid that stands 176 cm tall (5’9"), weighs 70 kg (154 lbs), and walks at about two meters/second (4.5 mph). It has dextrous hands with 11 degrees of freedom and tactile sensors, and can hold 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs) in each hand and 1 kg (2.2 lbs) with each finger.

By Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor's labour union in South Korea warned the automaker on Thursday against deploying humanoid robots without union approval, saying the robots would bring "employment shocks".

Raj Subramaniam said "super humanoid robots" with a "couple of elbows" would be better at automating deliveries.

On Jan. 22, Louisiana's economic development agency and St. Bernard-based SSE Steel Fabrication announced an agreement with Houston-based tech startup Persona AI to launch a pilot program at SSE to develop humanoid robotics for industrial uses. Greater New Orleans Inc., southeast Louisiana's economic development nonprofit, also is participating.

German startup Agile Robots has previewed a new humanoid robot designed for real-world industrial

Many researchers agree that there has been a step change in humanoid capability over the past five years, owing to cheaper parts as well as innovations such as improved battery power and artificial-intelligence algorithms, which allow for better perception and autonomy.