By Ellie Gabel 
Imaginative creators have long featured humanoid robots in their science fiction works, but these machines are becoming more common in the real world. What are humanoid robots used for, and what might those applications mean for the coming years?
Whether they do so as patients or while visiting loved ones, people entering medical facilities may initially feel disoriented. The buildings are often large and busy, and those arriving at them may feel preoccupied, highly emotional or in other ways that may be more likely to cause overwhelm.
However, researchers are testing a humanoid robot called ARI at a French hospital that can welcome people, provide directions and give other information. Those working on this innovation hope the robot could eventually free up time for humans who spend too much time on nonmedical tasks. However, designers must create robots that work well in potentially noisy environments.
The group tested ARI with more than 100 patients, along with their companions and medical staff. During that time, they frequently tweaked the robot to improve interaction quality and increase people’s openness to using it. Based on their initial development and validation phase results, the researchers envision the robot potentially becoming an essential patient care element in hospitals, particularly because of its capacity to interact with and guide people.
Additionally, the early real-world tests showed individuals were happy to have interactions lasting minutes when the robot worked well. That outcome motivates the team to continue improving it and look for viable ways to catch and hold people’s interest.
The likelihood of robots contributing to job losses is a common discussion topic. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer because it varies somewhat depending on the role type and industry. However, an emerging trend involves humanoid robots assisting people with their tasks. Then, individuals’ roles may change, but machines do not replace them. Such arrangements can reduce the chances of injuries, fatigue and other adverse outcomes that often accompany industrial work.
Factory employees often like the results, too, especially if they allow them to spend time doing more interesting or rewarding work, leaving the most repetitive duties to the robots. Automotive brand BMW is one high-profile example of a brand experimenting with humanoid robots in its facilities.
However, discrepancies have emerged about the specific applications. In early 2025, the CEO of the relevant robotics company said BMW had a fleet of humanoids doing end-to-end tasks in a facility. However, later evidence suggests the company might only have one of the robots doing pick-and-place work.
Perhaps the more important lesson here is that the world of humanoid robotics is similar to the space occupied by generative AI. Although some genuinely useful applications exist, there is arguably far more hype to wade through as people try to determine the reality.
In any case, many decision-makers are excited about how humanoid robots could improve their operations and support the bottom line. Tech enthusiasts should expect more of that sentiment throughout 2025 and beyond, especially as many executives face pressure to increase output while dealing with labor force shortages.
Household chores don’t rank on people’s lists of favorite things to do. That’s probably one of the main reasons robotic engineers are working on models that could assist owners with their daily duties. Although many families cannot afford to hire help, would it be more financially feasible to make a one-time purchase of an advanced machine they can use for years? Maybe.
That’s the idea behind a company called 1X, which specializes in robots that exist in spaces with humans. The business has recently released a beta model called NEO Gamma that can vacuum and do laundry or even make people cups of tea. These humanoid robots also have multijointed hands that help them pick up objects.
These bots have a soft, knit exterior, too. Besides giving them a cozy look, it dampens sound, meaning the machines are only about as loud as refrigerators when operating. The NEO Gamma also recognizes gestures. The company website features footage of a woman using the humanoid robot to get help hanging a picture. She uses her hands to signal which way to move the decoration to make it straight, then flashes the robot a thumbs-up when it looks the way she wants.
Other website videos show the robot wiping a window and counter, bringing a person a wine bottle and taking a bag of groceries from someone. The company’s site also has a place where interested parties can enter their email addresses to join the waitlist for the robot. However, there are no pricing details, which would undoubtedly significantly impact many people’s decisions about buying.
Many people think of humanoid robots as products only the wealthiest households could afford. However, Hugging Face is an artificial intelligence development firm that has recently announced two new models that are impressively inexpensive.
The first is HopeJr, which can walk and manipulate numerous objects. There’s also the Reachy Mini. The company estimates HopeJr will sell for less than $3,000, making it very accessible for people who may want to buy it. The Reachy Mini is a desktop humanoid robot that can move its head, talk, listen and help people test AI apps. It’s even more affordable, with an expected price of as low as $200, depending on the impact of tariffs.
As of late May 2025, a company executive said there was no specific timeline for shipping the robots, but he expected to send out the first units by the end of the year. Additionally, the business had already opened the waitlist by that time.
These examples show that humanoid robots are not necessarily inaccessible objects as people may initially perceive. Additionally, they are open-source machines, allowing owners to open them up and see how they work. That accessibility could also increase the possibilities for people interested in humanoid robot research.
Humanoid robots for real-world applications are still in the relatively early stages. However, as these examples show, there are already exciting ways to use them. Those options should increase as developers design and release new models.
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