Tesla’s Optimus humanoid starts running in new video
PLUS: A robot walks 100km nonstop, Japan’s catch-up plan, and a $5k farm bot
Welcome back to your Robot Briefing
Tesla's Optimus humanoid has moved beyond walking—new footage captures the robot jogging through a lab, showing improved balance and coordination that marks a performance record for the platform. This mobility milestone matters because every gait improvement expands what humanoid robots can actually do once they leave controlled testing environments.
Can Tesla translate this running capability into the kind of sustained, real-world performance needed for factory floors and warehouses?
In today's Robot update:
Tesla's Optimus starts running
Snapshot: Elon Musk shared a new video showing Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot jogging across a lab floor, marking a clear upgrade from the slower walking demos the company released earlier this year.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: The running demo signals meaningful progress in Tesla's humanoid robotics program as the company works toward deploying Optimus for repetitive or labor-intensive tasks. Each mobility improvement brings the platform closer to practical applications beyond the lab environment.
A robot walks 100km nonstop
Snapshot: Chinese robotics company AgiBot's humanoid robot A2 just set a Guinness World Record by walking over 106 kilometers continuously across three days, traveling from Suzhou to Shanghai without a single malfunction.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: This endurance test shows humanoid robots can now operate continuously in real urban environments for extended periods. The combination of stable locomotion and seamless power management moves these machines closer to practical deployment in logistics, security, and other applications requiring sustained operation.
Japan's humanoid catch-up plan
Snapshot: Major Japanese companies including Renesas and Sumitomo Heavy are joining a government-backed consortium to mass-produce general-purpose humanoid robots by 2027, aiming to close the gap with rapid advancements in China and the US.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: Japan's consortium approach shows how countries are treating humanoid robotics as a strategic priority requiring coordinated industrial efforts rather than isolated company initiatives. The 2027 mass production target sets an aggressive timeline that could reshape the competitive landscape if Japanese manufacturers successfully leverage their traditional strengths in precision manufacturing and electronics integration.
A $5,000 open-source farm bot
Snapshot: Researchers from UCLA and North Dakota State University have unveiled the AgriCruiser, a low-cost agricultural robot designed for autonomous weeding and precision spraying that small and midsize farms can actually afford to build.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: This open-source approach removes the typical barriers that prevent small farms from adopting robotic automation. By publishing a proven blueprint that anyone can build and customize, the AgriCruiser team is making precision agriculture accessible beyond large commercial operations.
Other Top Robot Stories
Deep Robotics introduced the DR02, the world's first all-weather humanoid robot with IP66 dust and water resistance, designed for outdoor security, logistics, and industrial inspection in hazardous and unstable environments.
Ubtech announced its Walker S2 industrial humanoid robot featuring autonomous battery switching that enables continuous operation, demonstrating its capabilities in a multi-robot smart factory training program.
All3 emerged from stealth with an AI and robotics building system designed to construct housing more quickly and cost-effectively, aiming to help address the housing crisis through advanced automation.
China's PLA unveiled a motion-controlled combat robot at the International Army Cadets Week that mirrors a human operator's movements in real-time, showcasing the system to defense representatives from 13 countries as part of China's push toward intelligent warfare capabilities.
🤖 Your robotics thought for today:
What if the robots that change everything aren't the ones that do more—but the ones that help us notice what we've been too busy to see?
P.S. What's your take on this?
Until tomorrow,
Uli
