This robot clears tables and loads dishwashers
PLUS: Figure 02's big milestone at BMW, the EV-to-humanoid pipeline, and Germany’s new industrial robot
Welcome back to your Robot Briefing
Sunday Robotics is betting that the future of home robots isn't about flashy tricks—it's about clearing your dinner table and loading your dishwasher. Their wheeled robot Memo uses a novel training method with $400 gloves worn by remote workers, and it can already grasp two glasses in one hand while navigating real kitchens.
The shift from backflips to dishes might finally signal that practical home robotics has arrived. But can Memo—or any robot—actually handle the chaos of real homes with kids, pets, and daily messes?
In today's Robot update:
The Robot Butler Arrives
Snapshot: Startup Sunday Robotics has unveiled Memo, a wheeled home robot that can autonomously make espresso, clear tables, and load dishwashers in real-world kitchens—moving beyond demos to tackle actual household chores.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: The shift from robots that do backflips to robots that do dishes marks a turning point in making household robotics practical. Beta testing next year will reveal whether Memo can handle the chaos of real homes with kids, pets, and everyday mess—the true test of any home robot's usefulness.
Figure's Factory Floor Milestone
Snapshot: Figure AI completed an 11-month deployment of its Figure 02 humanoid robot at BMW's Spartanburg plant, where the robot worked 10-hour shifts and helped produce more than 30,000 vehicles .
Breakdown:
Takeaway: This deployment marks one of the longest documented runs of a humanoid robot on an active automotive assembly line, providing concrete data on real-world performance and reliability challenges. The lessons learned directly shaped Figure 03's design, positioning the next generation for broader industrial deployment.
The EV-to-Humanoid Pipeline
Snapshot: Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers like Xpeng are rapidly expanding into humanoid robotics, betting that their advanced manufacturing capabilities and AI expertise will give them a competitive edge in a market they predict will surpass automotive.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: The convergence of EV manufacturing scale and autonomous driving AI creates a natural pathway for Chinese automakers to dominate humanoid robotics. China's advantage in producing high-quality, cost-efficient components could accelerate the timeline for robots moving from factories into homes and businesses.
Germany's Humanoid Contender
Snapshot: Munich-based Agile Robots has launched Agile ONE, its first humanoid robot designed for industrial collaboration, featuring highly dexterous hands and a layered AI architecture trained on real-world factory data.
Breakdown:
Takeaway: Agile Robots positions itself as a full-stack provider that controls hardware design, AI training, and manufacturing entirely in Germany. The company's integrated approach aims to create connected production systems where humanoids work alongside specialized robots rather than replacing existing automation.
Other Top Robot Stories
MarketsandMarkets projects the agricultural robot market will surge from $17.73 billion to $56.26 billion by 2030—a 217% expansion driven by labor shortages, precision farming demand, and automation adoption across major segments including robotic prostatectomy systems, partial nephrectomy platforms, and farm produce handling.
Distalmotion raised $150 million in Series G funding to accelerate U. S. commercialization of its DEXTER surgical robot, targeting the rapidly growing ambulatory surgery center market with a mobile platform that fits any operating room without modifications and keeps surgeons at the patient's bedside.
MindOn trained the Unitree G1 humanoid to perform household chores like watering plants, closing curtains, and tidying up with natural fluid movements—notably without any teleoperation, marking a shift toward fully autonomous home robots that can handle tasks requiring sensitivity and dexterity.
🤖 Your robotics thought for today:
What's a quality you admire in someone you work with that you'd never think to program into a robot—but secretly wish more people had?
Tell me – what do you think?
Until tomorrow,
Uli
