OpenAI Reveals Plans for Humanoid Robot Prototype Launch in 2027
- Published
- Source
- leaderobot.com
On October 18, 2026, OpenAI founder Sam Altman announced the company's intention to unveil its first humanoid robot prototype in 2027. This marks OpenAI's first public timeline for humanoid robotics, reigniting interest in the field after a hiatus in robotics research from 2020 to 2024. The announcement follows the launch of GPT-6 Astra, which demonstrates advanced capabilities in controlling robotic arms with improved spatial understanding.
The significance of this development lies in the potential advancements in embodied intelligence, as OpenAI's efforts may lead to breakthroughs in robotics that could surpass previous limitations. Industry experts, including Jiashijie founder Zhu Zheng, have noted that OpenAI's progress could signal a new era for large language model companies, which may soon reveal their own advancements in embodied intelligence, intensifying competition in the sector.
OpenAI's Astra is expected to play a crucial role in the evolution of robotics, with its capabilities in spatial and physical understanding. However, the effectiveness of Astra in real-world applications remains to be fully assessed, as initial tests indicate a need for further refinement. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
OpenAI Announces Timeline for Humanoid Robot Prototype Launch
leaderobot.com · LeaderobotThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
Rights concerns? Contact [email protected] with the relevant URL and details. We will review the matter and take appropriate action where warranted.
More related news
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
-
12
RobotToday Weekly October 5 – 9, 2026 RobotToday · 1 week ago
Related Suppliers
OpenAI
United States
US AI research lab and product company founded 2015; develops GPT, DALL-E, and robotics/embodied AI foundation models targeting physical-world AGI.
Robocurve
United States
San Francisco public benefit corporation founded 2026 that benchmarks frontier AI models on real robot arms and maintains the Inspect Robots framework.
Shenzhen Liangyuan Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. 深圳亮源新创科技有限公司
China
Shenzhen embodied-AI lab led by ex-OpenAI researcher Roger Jiang, building Physical AI foundation models Light-O1, Light REACT and LightNav-0
Sichuan Embodied Intelligent Robot Technology Co., Ltd 四川具身人形机器人科技有限公司
China
Chengdu humanoid-robot startup building the Tianxingzhe series and the emotionally interactive Aiqiu-AIQ companion robot.
Openmind (Wuhu) Intelligent Robotics Co., Ltd. 启智（芜湖）智能机器人有限公司
China
Wuhu, China embodied-intelligence joint venture formed by EFORT in 2024; develops robot-brain software plus a humanoid prototype and dexterous hand.
Kind Humanoid (Acquried by 1X)
United States
Kind Humanoid (Palo Alto, 2023) built Mona bipedal humanoid for home and healthcare; acquired by 1X Technologies in Jan 2025.
Hubei Optics Valley Dongzhi Embodied Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd. 湖北光谷东智具身智能技术有限公司
China
Wuhan, China embodied-intelligence firm founded 2025, backed by HEC Group, Zhiyuan Robotics, and Peking University; makes Lumen humanoid and service robots.
Insight Intelligence 具识智能
China
Shanghai developer of insightOS, an embodied-AI robot operating system spanning dev, runtime and fleet ops; HIT spin-out with deployments at BYD.
MABI Robotic AG
Switzerland
Swiss manufacturer of high-precision CNC robots and 6-axis robotic arms for subtractive and additive manufacturing.
Robotic Box Co., Ltd.
Korea, Republic of (South)
Korean AI-powered manufacturing automation specialist offering safety management solutions for forklifts and robotic arms.
LiOps
Korea, Republic of (South)
Korean AI startup founded 2023; Industrial Large Spatial Models for 3D perception in shipyards and heavy manufacturing.
Robbyant 蚂蚁灵波科技
China
Ant Group's embodied intelligence unit building the R1 wheeled humanoid service robot and LingBot spatial-perception AI models.
Robotics needs a service framework.
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
Join the RobotToday community on LinkedIn
Daily robotics news, in-depth analysis, conference highlights, and discussions with professionals worldwide.
