2025 Belongs to the Robots That Actually Work: Here’s 11 Exa…

2025 was the year industrial robotics stepped out of the humanoid spotlight and reclaimed centre stage. While humanoids dazzled with expressive faces and viral demos, it was the quiet, factory-grade robots that truly redefined the manufacturing floor. 

From cobots lifting heavier payloads and AI models that let machines “learn” new tasks in minutes, to record-breaking investments in automation infrastructure, robots have become indispensable partners in production. 

India emerged as an unexpected contender in the global automation race. Here’s a look at the key developments that shaped the industrial robotics landscape this year:

Apptronik Enters Industrial Automation

US-based Apptronik announced the formation of Elevate Robotics, a new, wholly owned subsidiary focused on advancing industrial automation beyond human capabilities. The new venture was aimed at operating independently under the leadership of CEO Paul Hvass, co-founder of Plus One Robotics. 

The company was created to commercialise non-humanoid robotics solutions, building on Apptronik’s decade-long experience in humanoid systems. 

While Apptronik continues to develop its humanoid robot Apollo, Elevate aimed to deliver new automation technologies for heavy-duty industrial tasks. The founding team includes roboticists involved in Apollo’s development and experts from across the industrial automation sector.

Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank Eats Up ABB Robotics

Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, led by Masayoshi Son, bought ABB’s Robotics division for $5.375 billion, a bold move in the industrial automation industry. The deal gave SoftBank control of one of the largest and most established robotics portfolios in the world.

ABB Robotics, with around 7,000 employees, generated $2.3 billion in revenue last year through its robotic arms and automation systems used in manufacturing and logistics. The acquisition is expected to close by mid to late 2026, pending regulatory approvals.

The current president of the robotics and discrete automation business area, Sami Atiya, will also step down by the end of 2026 after having supported the transition.

Amazon Deploys its One Millionth Robot Unit

In July this year, Amazon deployed its one millionth robot across its global operations. This one-millionth unit was delivered to a centre in Japan, adding to a sprawling robotic fleet active in more than 300 facilities worldwide. 

Amazon states that its robotic systems range from item sorters to sensor-equipped humanoids. These are part of a broader strategy aimed at boosting efficiency, reducing workplace injuries and reconfiguring how human labour interacts with automated processes. Its diverse range of robots is now involved in 75% of global deliveries, according to the company.

Universal Robots Drops UR18 ‘Mega-Cobot’

Danish firm Universal Robots (UR) expanded its UR Series in October by introducing the UR18, a cobot with a payload of 18 kg, a reach of 950 mm, and motion speeds up to 4 m/s.

The design was light—39 kg—yet compact, enabling mounting on existing gantry systems without significant infrastructure changes. With UR’s new OptiMove and MotionPlus motion-control features, the UR18 targeted fast-paced pick-and-place, assembly and material-handling tasks in sectors such as logistics, automotive, and food and beverage.

Humanoid by Capgemini and Orano Enters a Nuclear Plant

Capgemini and Orano deployed the first intelligent humanoid robot named Hoxo at an active nuclear-industry site in the Melox facility, France, in November. 

The robot was equipped with real-time perception, autonomous navigation and human-gesture replication to assist operators in high-risk, technical environments.

AgiBot Helped Robots Learn in Minutes, Not Weeks

AgiBot announced a landmark deployment of its real-world reinforcement learning (RW-RL) system on a production line with Longcheer Technology. The system enabled industrial robots to learn and adapt to new tasks in just about 10 minutes, rather than weeks, opening the door to flexible, rapid-reconfigurable manufacturing.

NVIDIA & Digital Twin Factory Went Fleet-wide

NVIDIA extended its ‘Omniverse Blueprint’ platform this year to simulate entire robot fleets and digital-twin-enabled factories. This allowed manufacturers to test, optimise and orchestrate the behaviour of dozens—or hundreds—of robots virtually before actual floor deployment.

India’s CynLr & Addverb to Bring Robots Soon

Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup CynLr is preparing factory-deployable robots by the end of 2025 or early 2026, backed by fresh funding and global R&D partnerships. 

Their vision is for adaptable systems that require minimal reprogramming and can be quickly re-tasked across manufacturing lines. 

Indian automation firm Addverb Technologies (backed by Reliance Industries) is developing a dual-arm humanoid robot targeted for industrial assembly tasks in late 2025, signalling that Indian players are moving into higher-end robotics, not just basic automation.

LG CNS & Skild AI Partner to Build Industrial Humanoids

LG CNS has entered into a strategic collaboration with Skild AI, combining LG’s smart factory and logistics platform with Skild’s robot foundation model technology to build AI-powered humanoid robots for manufacturing, logistics and urban service use cases. The deal includes an equity investment and covers tasks such as factory monitoring, product assembly and hazardous duty replacement. 

Dexterity AI Unveiled ‘Mech’, the Industrial Super-Humanoid

Dexterity AI launched its robot ‘Mech’, billed as the world’s first industrial super-humanoid, capable of navigating sites autonomously and performing complex physical tasks. 

Mech can lift in the region of ~58 kg, stack items up to eight feet high, and is managed by one operator controlling multiple units, targeting logistics and manufacturing-floor applications globally. 

Sweden’s RSP Opened Indian Manufacturing Unit

RSP AB (Robot System Products) has opened its first overseas production facility in Chennai, through its Indian subsidiary, to manufacture peripheral equipment for industrial robots, such as automatic tool changers, swivels and hose/cable management systems. 

The move underscores India’s emergence as a regional robotics hub and the growing localisation of robot-ecosystem component manufacturing. 

It Doesn’t Stop There

The rush of capital has significantly contributed to the growth of this industrial robotics market. Apptronik secured a massive $350 million round to scale up production of its humanoid robots, built for warehousing and manufacturing, solidifying humanoids as serious industrial assets rather than research novelties.

Back in India, Bengaluru-based ANSCER Robotics raised $2 million in seed funding led by Info Edge Ventures to expand its line of autonomous mobile robots, pallet movers, tuggers and lifters across factories in India, Singapore, Japan and the US.

Adding to the momentum, Delta Electronics announced a $500 million investment in India alongside the launch of its new D-Bot collaborative robot series, designed for flexible industrial automation and innovative factory environments. 

The post 2025 Belongs to the Robots That Actually Work: Here’s 11 Examples  appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

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