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A new open-source humanoid robot project, Axon, has been released on GitHub by two teenage developers. The working prototype features AI voice control, LLM integration, arm/head movement, and driving capabilities. While ambitious, it requires significant technical skill, refinement, and utilizes a Raspberry Pi, multiple ESP32s, and a separate server for AI processing.

South Korean cobot manufacturer Doosan Robotics has announced its strategic entry into the humanoid robot market. The company aims to develop 'practical humanoids' focused on task efficiency, leveraging its expertise in multi-arm coordination and collision avoidance, and plans significant hiring and new R&D divisions to support the initiative.

Humanoid robot developers are increasingly favoring a 'FAR' (Flexion-Abduction-Rotation) hip joint configuration over the previously common 'ARF' design. Analysis suggests this shift is driven by better component packaging and potentially longer stride length enabled by FAR, outweighing concerns about the flexion actuator carrying more mass. Tesla's Optimus remains a notable holdout using the ARF configuration.

Westwood Robotics has detailed its THEMIS V2 humanoid robot, a 1.6m tall machine featuring 40 DoF, proprietary BEAR actuators for agile and compliant motion, upgraded 6-DoF arms, and 7-DoF hands. With significant onboard AI processing, stereo vision, and hot-swappable batteries, THEMIS V2 targets demanding work environments.

AI platform Hugging Face has acquired French startup Pollen Robotics, marking its first move into hardware. The deal brings Pollen's open-source humanoid robot, Reachy, and its team into Hugging Face, aligning with the company's push into robotics and its core belief in open-source principles for both AI software and, potentially, hardware.