Robo Monthly
Global retrospective · March 2026
Monthly thesis
Foundation models reach the robot stack
New models, simulation tools and developer platforms lowered experimentation barriers while increasing the importance of runtime safety.
What changed
Commercial intent
More organizations described paths toward deployable systems.
Intent is broadening; delivery evidence remains decisive.
System integration
Compute, control, sensing and workflows are increasingly discussed together.
Competition is moving from components toward complete operating stacks.
Evidence quality
Company targets continued to outnumber independently measured deployments.
Claims and actuals must remain separate.
Regional participation
All six tracked regions contributed public signals.
The ecosystem is global but commercialization paths differ.
20 key developments
01 · China · 2026-03-02
Unitree Robotics: safety and governance enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Unitree Robotics under safety and governance. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
02 · China · 2026-03-03
UBTECH Robotics: developer ecosystem enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from UBTECH Robotics under developer ecosystem. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
03 · China · 2026-03-05
AgiBot: manufacturing partnership enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from AgiBot under manufacturing partnership. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
04 · China · 2026-03-06
XPeng Robotics: field evaluation enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from XPeng Robotics under field evaluation. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
05 · USA · 2026-03-08
NVIDIA Robotics: data infrastructure enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from NVIDIA Robotics under data infrastructure. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
06 · USA · 2026-03-09
Figure AI: component integration enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Figure AI under component integration. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
07 · USA · 2026-03-11
Agility Robotics: commercial offer enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Agility Robotics under commercial offer. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
08 · USA · 2026-03-12
Apptronik: policy programme enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Apptronik under policy programme. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
09 · Europe · 2026-03-14
NEURA Robotics: research result enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from NEURA Robotics under research result. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
10 · Europe · 2026-03-15
PAL Robotics: service workflow enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from PAL Robotics under service workflow. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
11 · Europe · 2026-03-17
European Commission: mobility and manipulation enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from European Commission under mobility and manipulation. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
12 · Europe · 2026-03-18
International Federation of Robotics: fleet operations enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from International Federation of Robotics under fleet operations. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
13 · Japan · 2026-03-20
Toyota Research Institute: human-robot collaboration enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Toyota Research Institute under human-robot collaboration. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
14 · Japan · 2026-03-21
Kawasaki Robotics: supply-chain expansion enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Kawasaki Robotics under supply-chain expansion. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
15 · Japan · 2026-03-23
SoftBank Robotics: market evidence enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from SoftBank Robotics under market evidence. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
16 · South Korea · 2026-03-24
Hyundai Motor Group: standards activity enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Hyundai Motor Group under standards activity. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
17 · South Korea · 2026-03-26
ROBOTIS: platform update enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from ROBOTIS under platform update. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
18 · South Korea · 2026-03-27
KIMM: industrial deployment enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from KIMM under industrial deployment. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
19 · India · 2026-03-29
Addverb: robot-learning release enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Addverb under robot-learning release. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
20 · India · 2026-03-30
Ati Motors: funding and capacity enters the monthly evidence set
The March retrospective records public activity from Ati Motors under funding and capacity. The source is retained for traceability; claims are not treated as verified deployment outcomes without independent evidence.
DXresearch interpretation: this signal contributes to the month’s theme—foundation models reach the robot stack—but significance depends on delivered systems, repeatable task performance and disclosed operating evidence.
Market Sentiment, Evidence & Outlook
Constructive, Software-Accelerating
Evidence note: retrospective source anchors, company claims, reported actuals, research results and estimates must not be conflated.
Outlook: watch delivered systems, safe recovery, repeatable tasks, service capacity and verified economics.
Annual Global Humanoid Shipment Scenarios, 2025–2040
| Year | Conservative | Base | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18,000 | 30,000 | 45,000 |
| 2026 | 65,000 | 125,000 | 180,000 |
| 2027 | 115,000 | 240,000 | 380,000 |
| 2028 | 190,000 | 430,000 | 750,000 |
| 2029 | 300,000 | 720,000 | 1,350,000 |
| 2030 | 460,000 | 1,150,000 | 2,250,000 |
| 2031 | 680,000 | 1,750,000 | 3,500,000 |
| 2032 | 950,000 | 2,500,000 | 5,100,000 |
| 2033 | 1,300,000 | 3,450,000 | 7,100,000 |
| 2034 | 1,700,000 | 4,600,000 | 9,500,000 |
| 2035 | 2,150,000 | 5,900,000 | 12,300,000 |
| 2036 | 2,650,000 | 7,350,000 | 15,500,000 |
| 2037 | 3,200,000 | 8,900,000 | 19,200,000 |
| 2038 | 3,800,000 | 10,500,000 | 23,400,000 |
| 2039 | 4,500,000 | 12,200,000 | 28,100,000 |
| 2040 | 5,200,000 | 14,000,000 | 33,500,000 |
Editorial scenarios, not reported actuals.
Weekly news infographic
