The Humanoid Marketplace · Part of The Humanoid Group
Robotics Market News, October 2026
Installations, funding and policy all moved in 2026. These figures and dated updates track how big the robot market is, who is buying, how they pay and where the parts come from.
How the robot market grew this year.
603,307 industrial robots installed worldwide in 2025, up 11% on 2024 (IFR World Robotics 2026, 2025)
$18.6B value of industrial robot installations worldwide in 2025 (IFR World Robotics 2026, 2025)
655,000 industrial robot installations forecast for 2026, up 9% (IFR World Robotics 2026, 2026)
China installed 354,000 industrial robots in 2025, almost three in five worldwide
· Market
The International Federation of Robotics reported that China installed 354,000 industrial robots in 2025, almost three of every five installed worldwide. Chinese suppliers grew 15% to reach 55% of installations in China, while foreign brands' installations there rose 27%. Metal and machinery buyers grew 44% and automotive 38%. IFR expects 5% to 10% yearly growth to 2029.
Why it matters: With most new robots now built and installed in China, buyers elsewhere can widen their shortlists to Chinese makers, but should check certification, local support and import rules for each model first.
Robotics startups raise $18.8 billion by June, already more than all of 2025
· Funding
Crunchbase data show robotics startups worldwide raised $18.8 billion in 2026 by late June, more than the $15 billion raised in the whole of 2025. The largest rounds included Saronic at $1.75 billion, Neura Robotics and Skild AI at $1.4 billion each, and a $520 million Series A extension for Apptronik.
Why it matters: Investor money is paying for new factories, models and sales teams, so buyers will see more makers and faster product cycles. Favor vendors with a clear support plan, since not every funded startup will last.
Formic opens a headquarters five times larger to serve robots-as-a-service clients
· Milestone
Formic, which supplies robots to small and mid-sized US manufacturers through a robots-as-a-service model with no large upfront cost, opened a 53,000-square-foot headquarters in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Its fleet has logged more than 650,000 production hours, and it now offers palletizing, case packing, pallet wrapping and machine tending.
Why it matters: Subscriptions let smaller plants automate without a capital budget. Compare the fee against ownership over the full contract term; THG Flex and the ROI calculator lay those options out side by side.
Humanoid to run wheeled robots for Schaeffler as a service, with Schaeffler actuators
· Partnership
Robot maker Humanoid agreed to deploy a four-digit number of its HMND 01 Alpha wheeled robots across Schaeffler plants by 2032 on a robots-as-a-service basis, starting with box handling in Germany from December 2026. Schaeffler becomes its preferred actuator supplier through 2031, covering more than half of Humanoid's actuator demand for wheeled platforms.
Why it matters: Parts suppliers are becoming customers, and customers suppliers. A robot maker with secured actuator supply is less exposed to part shortages, which is worth asking about in any fleet tender.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan puts AI-powered robots at the core of industry
· Policy
The IFR reported that China's 15th Five-Year Plan, covering 2026 to 2030, makes high-end robots integrated with AI central to industrial modernization. China already runs about 2 million industrial robots, 4.5 times as many as Japan, and local suppliers' share of its domestic market rose from 30% in 2020 to 57% in 2024.
Why it matters: State backing is likely to keep adding Chinese capacity and pressure on component prices. Buyers abroad gain cheaper options, while tariffs and import rules decide how much of that saving reaches them.
US House panel hears calls for a national robotics strategy and automation tax credits
· Policy
At a House Science subcommittee hearing titled Robots Made in America, A3 president Jeff Burnstein urged a national robotics strategy: a White House robotics office, tax credits and accelerated depreciation for automation, federal agencies as early adopters, more workforce training and renewed research funding. He cited 438,000 open US manufacturing jobs.
Why it matters: If incentives such as accelerated depreciation pass, the sums on buying versus leasing change. Rerun payback in the ROI and total-cost calculator on The Humanoid Group whenever tax rules move.
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