RESEARCH NOTES

Physical AI Robots: How Far Have They Come? 5 Million Factory Robots and the Reality of Humanoids

Industrial robots have grown to a scale of 5 million units operating in factories worldwide, while humanoids remain in the stage of verifying application scope and business viability. As of the first half of 2026, humanoid shipments stood at around 20,000 units according to private research firms, with considerable demand coming from entertainment, research, and data generation alongside manufacturing and logistics. Although VLA models connecting robot perception and action have emerged, challenges remain in acquiring data to learn various real-world tasks and maintaining adaptability to environmental changes. BMW is conducting on-site verifications, Hyundai Motor Group has established an Atlas training facility, and Tesla's production targets must be distinguished from actual performance. When purchasing humanoids, companies must review not only the timing of acquisition but also the tasks to be applied, data to be secured, and the potential utilization of existing automation methods.