Ready For Tomorrow #77

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Good morning and happy Monday. Forget the coffee for a moment because this week’s real wake-up call comes from the world of humanoid robots. Tesla gave its Optimus a golden makeover, Figure taught a robot to handle the dishwasher, and in China robots are playing ping-pong, stepping into the UFC cage and attracting billion-dollar investments.

So grab your mug, settle in, and see what the robots have been up to while we were busy surviving the weekend.

Tesla Optimus Gen 4

In September Tesla presented the new Optimus Gen 4 humanoid robot. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, called it a “productivity gamechanger.”

The robot comes with a golden finish, a head with 8 cameras and Grok AI that can answer questions and follow simple commands. During a factory visit Benioff asked for a Coke and Optimus offered to take him to the kitchen.

There are also improvements in design: lighter build, sealed joints and one full work shift on a single charge. Tesla is finally showing something that looks like a product, not just a prototype.

The expected price is between 200 and 500 thousand dollars, which places the robot in the premium segment. For comparison, such an amount can cover the cost of a full production line in a factory.

Figure 02 and Helix

Figure presented progress with its humanoid Figure 02 powered by the Helix model. The robot has learned to load a dishwasher.

For humans this task is natural. For a robot it is a complex challenge: removing plates from a pile, placing glasses at the right angle, passing them between hands and avoiding damage. Every loading looks different and the system must react in real time.

The most interesting part is that Helix did not get new algorithms, only new data. The same model that folded towels and sorted packages is now handling porcelain and glass.

The development shows how training data alone can expand the capabilities of humanoid robots into new everyday tasks.

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Humanoids at the ping-pong table

Hybrid Robotics tested humanoids in dynamic environments using a ping-pong table. Their system Hitter predicts the ball’s path and plans when and where to hit it. The robot learns to move like a human through trial and error.

Tests were run with two Unitree humanoids. The result was 106 rallies with a human and long exchanges with another humanoid. For the first time humanoids managed to maintain real ping-pong speed and rhythm.

The experiment highlights progress in robot control systems where precise timing and coordination are critical.

UFC and Unitree robots

In August 2025 at a UFC event in Shanghai two Unitree G1 humanoids entered the stage. Wearing gloves and pads they showed punches, dodges and recoveries after falls. Dana White acted as referee.

The show looked like science fiction but the robots were not autonomous. They were teleoperated. A viral moment came when one robot went off script and walked toward Dana White. He had to jump aside, raising questions about safety and control.

The G1 weighs 35 kilograms, moves like a human and trains with motion capture. The event underlined both the technical progress of humanoid platforms and the growing role of such demonstrations in the US–China race for leadership in robotics.

UBTech goes for a billion

UBTech Robotics from China secured a 1 billion dollar credit line from Infini Capital in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. The funding comes from a mix of stock sales, bonds and loans.

The company plans to build a superfactory and humanoid research center in the Middle East together with local investors. Infini Capital also aims to take about a 5 percent stake in UBTech.

UBTech, based in Shenzhen, already works with BYD, Geely and Audi. Revenues are rising but the company is still not profitable.

The financing marks a step toward global expansion and positions the Middle East as a new hub for humanoid development.

The past months prove that humanoid robotics is moving fast. From factories to sports arenas, from dishwashers to billion-dollar deals, the field is shifting from hype to concrete progress. The question is not if humanoids will become part of our daily lives, but when and in what form.

Cheers, Jacek!