The Top 6 Robotics Stories of 2025
The State of Robotics in 2025: A Year of Hype and Reality
As we close out 2025, it's clear that the robotics industry has been on a wild ride. With humanoids dominating the headlines and promises of transformative progress, it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement. But beneath the hype, there are some disturbing trends and sobering realities that suggest we may be in for a rude awakening in 2026.
Humanoid Robots: The Hype and the Harsh Reality
Humanoid robots are hard, and they're hard in lots of different ways. For some of those ways, we at least understand the problems and what the solutions will likely involve. But there are other problems that have no clear solutions, and most humanoid companies, especially the well-funded ones, seem quite happy to wave those problems away while continuing to raise extraordinary amounts of money.
Take, for example, the case of Unitree, a Chinese manufacturer that has been making waves with its humanoid robots. While its robots are certainly impressive, a recent security audit revealed some disturbing vulnerabilities that have yet to be fully addressed. This is not an isolated incident – security is one of those pesky little things that is super important in robotics but that early-stage robotics companies typically treat as an afterthought because it doesn’t drive investment.
The Amazon Effect: Robots that Work
In contrast to the hype surrounding humanoids, Amazon Robotics has been quietly building a robust and effective robotics platform that is actually making a difference in the real world. Its Vulcan robots, for example, are designed to stow items faster than humans, and are already being used in Amazon's warehouses. This is a classic example of how robots can be used to solve specific, repetitive tasks in structured environments – exactly the kind of problem that robots are designed to solve.
Large Behavior Models: The Key to Humanoid Success
One of the biggest challenges facing humanoid robots is the ability to understand and replicate human behavior. This is where large behavior models come in – complex algorithms that allow robots to learn from experience and adapt to new situations. The collaboration between Toyota Research and Boston Dynamics on large behavior models is just one example of how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go.
The iRobot Bankruptcy: A Cautionary Tale
My least favorite story to write happened right at the end of the year – iRobot filed for bankruptcy. This was not a total surprise; regulators shutting down an acquisition by Amazon in 2024 essentially gutted the company, and it’s been limping along towards the inevitable since then. Right after the news was announced, we spoke with iRobot co-founder and ex-CEO Colin Angle, who had plenty to share about where things went wrong, and what we can learn from it.
Dairy Robots: The Unsung Heroes of Agriculture
My favorite story of 2025 was as much about cows as it was about robots. I was astonished to learn just how many fully autonomous robots are hard at work on dairy farms around the world, and utterly delighted to also learn that these robots are actively improving the lives of both dairy farmers and the dairy cows themselves. Dairy farming is endless hard work, but thanks to these robots, small family farms are able to keep themselves sustainable (and sane). Everybody wins, thanks to the robots.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Robotics
As we close out 2025, it's clear that the robotics industry is at a crossroads. Will we continue to chase the hype and promise of humanoids, or will we focus on building practical, effective robots that make a real difference in the world? The answer, of course, is not a simple one. But one thing is certain – the future of robotics will be shaped by the choices we make today.
In the end, it's not about the robots themselves, but about what they can do for us. Will they help us solve some of the world's most pressing problems, or will they simply be a novelty? The answer to that question will depend on the choices we make, and the direction we take. One thing is certain – the future of robotics will be exciting, and it will be up to us to shape it.
