History — the baseline
History + present + future. The 330 analyzed articles are themselves history: their claims, measured values, issues and verdicts are backfilled below, not left waiting for future articles. Only a dimension with genuinely no history in public sources or collected articles may start at 0 — see Methodology §13. A measured value is the number as stated in the article, not an independent lab measurement; “tested” flags hands-on/owner pieces or articles stating a usage duration.
Backfilled from the analyzed articles: 289 claims (55 with a measured value, 6 of them tested), 94 issues, 224 score rows (112 of them carry an author verdict; the rest carry a sentiment and/or recommendation index only). Price observations: 8. Release events: 31 (2019-02-19 – 2026-10-26). Article mentions run 2026-09 – 2026-11 (28 model-months).
Price history
Only dated, sourced price points are listed. A 2026-11-07 row is the current observed price, not a launch price (except where the note says launch). The G1 is the only model with a documented price change: $16,000 at launch (May 2024) → $13,500 by 24 Dec 2025, one cut. 9 of 12 models have no published price and therefore no row — their price is Not stated, not 0.
| Model | Date | Price | Kind | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1X NEO | 2025-10-28 | $20,000 | launch | 1X opens NEO pre-orders at $20,000 outright or $499/mo, $200 refundable deposit. source → |
| 1X NEO | 2026-11-07 | $20,000 | observed | Current observed price 2026-11-07 ($20,000 or $499/mo, from the maker page, Oct 2026). No change documented. source → |
| Unitree G1 | 2024-05-01 | $16,000 | launch | Unitree unveils G1 at ICRA 2024 at $16,000 base. source → |
| Unitree G1 | 2025-10-16 | $16,000 | observed | Archived capture of the Unitree store page still shows $16,000 (price held ~17 months). source → |
| Unitree G1 | 2025-12-24 | $13,500 | observed | Archived capture of the Unitree store page shows $13,500 — the single cut landed between 2025-10-16 and 2025-12-24; no capture inside that window pins it tighter. source → |
| Unitree G1 | 2026-11-07 | $13,500 | observed | Current observed maker-store base price 2026-11-07 ($13,500 at the Aug 2026 live check of shop.unitree.com). No further change documented. source → |
| Unitree H1 | 2023-08-01 | ~$90,000 | launch | H1 unveiled Aug 2023; ~$90,000 reported as the price. source → |
| Unitree H1 | 2026-11-07 | ~$90,000 | observed | Current observed price 2026-11-07 (Unitree store lists H1 at $90,000). Approximate figure, as reported. source → |
Releases and events
| Date | Model | Kind | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | agility-digit-4 | expansion | GXO–Agility expand Digit to NC and TN — Commercial agreement to deploy Digit at Statesville, NC and Lebanon, TN, starting early 2027 (Digit 4 first, then Digit 5). source → |
| 2026-10-21 | tesla-optimus | production | Tesla: Optimus production began in Fremont — Q3 2026 update letter: production began on high-volume lines in Fremont; first production-quality bots. No price or delivery info. source → |
| 2026-09-21 | atlas | pilot | Boston Dynamics opens RMAC at Hyundai Metaplant — Robotics Metaplant Application Center opens inside Hyundai Metaplant America near Savannah; Atlas training on parts logistics and sequencing. source → |
| 2026-09-15 | agility-digit-5 | unveil | Agility unveils Digit 5 — Digit 5: 5'11", 284 lb, 50 lb payload, 90-min runtime, 9-min charge; early access H1 2027, general availability end of 2027. source → |
| 2026-06-30 | apptronik-apollo | unveil | Apptronik names Apollo 3, opens Robot Park — Apollo 3 named as the next-generation commercial product; ~90,000 sq ft Robot Park data-collection facility opens in Austin. source → |
| 2026-06-29 | figure-03 | pilot | Figure 03 takes over at BMW Spartanburg — Figure 03 begins logistics sequencing at BMW Spartanburg, replacing Figure 02 after its 10-month run (>30,000 X3 vehicles). source → |
| 2026-06-01 | apptronik-apollo | unveil | Apptronik unveils Apollo 2 — Current generation Apollo 2, offered in bipedal or wheeled-base configuration. source → |
| 2026-06-01 | sanctuary-phoenix | pivot | Sanctuary pivots to Physical AI software — Sanctuary stops positioning the whole humanoid as its product; sells hardware-agnostic Physical AI for existing industrial robots. source → |
| 2026-02-11 | apptronik-apollo | funding | Apptronik closes $520M Series A extension — Extension takes Series A past $935M; total capital raised approaches $1B. source → |
| 2025-11-05 | xpeng-iron | unveil | XPENG unveils next-gen Iron — Next-gen Iron at AI Day, Guangzhou: humanoid spine, bionic muscles, flexible skin, 82 DoF, 22-DoF hand, three Turing chips, all-solid-state battery. source → |
| 2025-11-01 | agility-digit-4 | production | Digit passes 100,000 totes at GXO — Digit moved more than 100,000 totes at GXO Flowery Branch, at ~98% on-task accuracy. source → |
| 2025-10-28 | 1x-neo | launch | 1X opens NEO pre-orders at $20,000 — Consumer NEO pre-orders open: $20,000 outright or $499/mo, $200 refundable deposit; first deliveries 2026. source → |
| 2025-10-09 | figure-03 | unveil | Figure unveils Figure 03 — Figure 03: redesign around Helix AI, palm cameras, tactile sensing, wireless charging, lower-cost production. source → |
| 2025-02-21 | 1x-neo | unveil | 1X unveils NEO Gamma — NEO Gamma: knit suit, softer covers, claimed 10x reliability improvement, ~10 dB quieter. source → |
| 2025-02-01 | apptronik-apollo | funding | Apptronik raises $350M Series A — Series A co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, with Google participating; +$53M close in Mar 2025 took the round to $403M. source → |
| 2025-01-07 | sanctuary-phoenix | unveil | Sanctuary unveils Phoenix Gen 8 — Gen 8 switches to a wheeled base, optimized for data capture. source → |
| 2024-11-06 | xpeng-iron | unveil | XPENG unveils Iron — Iron unveiled at AI Day: 178 cm, 70 kg, 60+ joints, 15-DoF hands, Turing AI chip. source → |
| 2024-09-01 | fourier-gr2 | unveil | Fourier unveils GR-2 — GR-2 presented: 175 cm, 63 kg, 53 DoF, 12-DoF dexterous hands with tactile sensors. source → |
| 2024-08-30 | 1x-neo | unveil | 1X introduces NEO Beta — First version of NEO introduced as NEO Beta, a bipedal home humanoid. source → |
| 2024-06-05 | agility-digit-4 | production | Digit enters commercial operation at GXO — Multi-year Robots-as-a-Service agreement: Digit in live warehouse operation at GXO Flowery Branch, Georgia. source → |
| 2024-05-01 | unitree-g1 | unveil | Unitree unveils G1 at $16,000 — G1 unveiled at ICRA 2024 for $16,000, aimed at research and education. source → |
| 2024-04-17 | atlas | unveil | Boston Dynamics unveils all-electric Atlas — Hydraulic Atlas retired Apr 16; all-electric Atlas announced Apr 17, developed with Hyundai as early customer. source → |
| 2024-03-15 | apptronik-apollo | pilot | Apptronik–Mercedes-Benz commercial pilot — Commercial deployment partnership: Apollo delivering assembly kits and moving totes at Mercedes-Benz plants. source → |
| 2024-03-01 | unitree-h1 | record | H1 sets 3.3 m/s world record — H1 sets Guinness World Record for fastest bipedal humanoid robot at 3.3 m/s. source → |
| 2023-12-13 | tesla-optimus | unveil | Tesla unveils Optimus Gen 2 — Gen 2: 30% faster walking, 10 kg lighter, 11-DoF hands with tactile sensing; egg-handling demo. source → |
| 2023-08-23 | apptronik-apollo | unveil | Apptronik unveils Apollo — Apollo unveiled; Apptronik states pilots in 2024 and hopes for commercial availability in 2025. source → |
| 2023-08-01 | unitree-h1 | unveil | Unitree unveils H1 — Unitree enters humanoids with the full-size H1, its first humanoid robot. source → |
| 2023-05-16 | sanctuary-phoenix | unveil | Sanctuary unveils Phoenix Gen 6 — Phoenix + Carbon unveiled: 170 cm, 70 kg, 25 kg payload, 20-DoF hydraulic hands. source → |
| 2023-01-15 | sanctuary-phoenix | pilot | Phoenix pilot at Mark's store — First commercial pilot of Phoenix Gen 5 in a Mark's (Canadian Tire) store, Langley: 110 tasks, Jan–Mar 2023. source → |
| 2022-09-30 | tesla-optimus | unveil | Tesla Optimus Gen 1 (AI Day) — First functional Optimus prototype demonstrates bipedal walking at Tesla AI Day. source → |
| 2019-02-19 | agility-digit-4 | unveil | Agility unveils Digit — Digit announced for last-mile logistics and box handling, with an API for onboard or wireless control. source → |
Mentions by month (articles / analyzed)
| Month | Model | Articles | Analyzed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09 | 1x-neo | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-09 | agility-digit-4 | 3 | 3 |
| 2026-09 | agility-digit-5 | 28 | 28 |
| 2026-09 | atlas | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-09 | sanctuary-phoenix | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-09 | tesla-optimus | 17 | 17 |
| 2026-09 | unitree-g1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2026-09 | xpeng-iron | 12 | 12 |
| 2026-10 | 1x-neo | 2 | 2 |
| 2026-10 | agility-digit-4 | 6 | 6 |
| 2026-10 | agility-digit-5 | 21 | 21 |
| 2026-10 | apptronik-apollo | 2 | 2 |
| 2026-10 | atlas | 2 | 2 |
| 2026-10 | fourier-gr2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-10 | tesla-optimus | 38 | 38 |
| 2026-10 | unitree-g1 | 5 | 5 |
| 2026-11 | 1x-neo | 11 | 11 |
| 2026-11 | agility-digit-4 | 9 | 9 |
| 2026-11 | agility-digit-5 | 15 | 15 |
| 2026-11 | apptronik-apollo | 11 | 11 |
| 2026-11 | atlas | 13 | 13 |
| 2026-11 | figure-03 | 12 | 12 |
| 2026-11 | fourier-gr2 | 9 | 9 |
| 2026-11 | sanctuary-phoenix | 11 | 11 |
| 2026-11 | tesla-optimus | 52 | 52 |
| 2026-11 | unitree-g1 | 29 | 29 |
| 2026-11 | unitree-h1 | 8 | 8 |
| 2026-11 | xpeng-iron | 8 | 8 |
Full backfilled rows: /api/history. What is still 0, honestly: a used-price median for resale (0 of 1 snapshot rows carry a median — no used-sold market exists for humanoid robots in any reachable public source; reseller asking prices are new-unit asking prices, not used sales); independent lab measurements (experience_records holds 55 article-stated measured values, kept separate from lab measurements, which do not exist as a structured public source); a price for 9 of 12 models (Not stated); recorded issues for Agility Digit 4, Boston Dynamics Atlas, Fourier GR-2 and Unitree H1 (0 issues recorded — no analyzed article reported one, not a measurement of zero); measured claims for Figure 03, Fourier GR-2, Sanctuary AI Phoenix and XPENG Iron (0 measured claims).