TL;DR
Humanoid robots are no longer a handful of prototypes. More than 22,000 of them shipped worldwide in the first six months of 2026, nearly four times as many as a year earlier, and the average price fell from about $37,000 to about $29,600, according to industry counts gathered by Nextgov/FCW. Over 60% went to shows, research labs and data production, much of it gathering the training data household robots will need. Tesla fans hoping to put their names down for an Optimus this December will have to wait; Elon Musk answered "No" when asked, and still points to late 2027 for early deliveries. For our odds on when humanoids ship by the hundred thousand, when the price drops under $20,000, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads to a robot in the home, subscribe.
Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our labeled speculation on what it adds up to; and every source.