Live Briefs 2026-08-18 · Full coverage of embodied AI
Morning Market Roundup: US Payrolls, China CPI, and Tech IPOs
A concise morning briefing covering US jobs data, geopolitical tensions, China economic indicators, and corporate news including IPOs and earnings.
Key Events to Watch Today: BOJ Minutes, Unitree IPO, China Data
Today's key events include the BOJ's summary of opinions, Unitree's IPO subscription, Eurozone investor sentiment, potential Chinese monetary data, and a speech by Cleveland Fed President Mester.
Unitree IPO Subscription Rate Far Below Changxin Technology's
Unitree Robotics, the first humanoid robot stock on A-shares, begins subscription on Aug 10 with an expected win rate of 0.02%-0.03%, far below Changxin's 0.47%. Based on average debut gains, one lot could yield over 200,000 yuan in paper profit.
Unitree Robotics IPO Expected to Yield 200,000 RMB Profit per Lot
Unitree Robotics, the first humanoid robot stock on A-shares, begins subscription on August 10. Analysts estimate a low lottery rate but potential high returns.
Analog Devices Renews Strategic Sponsorship to Support MassRobotics Startups
Analog Devices has renewed its strategic sponsorship of MassRobotics, providing startups with access to its technology and expertise. The partnership includes participation in upcoming events like RoboBusiness and the Robot Block Party.
Former ByteDance Robotics Head Kong Tao Joins Xiaomi to Lead Foundation Model R&D
Kong Tao, former head of ByteDance's robotics team, has joined Xiaomi to lead its robot foundation model team, bringing several former colleagues. The team operates under high secrecy within Xiaomi.
When Expressive Humanoid Robots Are Awkward, People Become Wary
A new study finds that people are more suspicious of humanoid robots that make errors, especially when the robots are expressive conversation partners. The awkwardness of such robots leads to a decline in trust and an increase in wariness.
Unitree Robotics Sets IPO Price at RMB 150.80 per Share, Subscription Starts August 10
Unitree Robotics has set its IPO price at RMB 150.80 per share on the STAR Market, with subscriptions starting August 10. The company, known as A-share's first humanoid robot stock, expects to raise around RMB 6.1 billion, marking a significant milestone for the embodied AI sector.
Robotics Experts to Discuss Next 20 Years at RoboBusiness 2026
RoboBusiness 2026 will bring together industry leaders to reflect on the past two decades and explore the future of robotics. Keynote speakers Rodney Brooks, Jonathan Hurst, and Ken Goldberg will share insights on technologies and challenges shaping the next 20 years.
LimX Dynamics Concludes TRON Camp 2026
LimX Dynamics wrapped up its TRON Camp 2026, a five-day event where participants tackled VLA and locomotion challenges and demonstrated their work on real robots.
Embodied AI Firms Jointly Invest in Data Infrastructure Startup Kaiwang Data
Kaiwang Data, a full-chain AI data infrastructure company, has secured over 100 million yuan in strategic funding, with leading embodied AI firms such as Self-Model and Zhiyuan as first-time strategic investors. This move highlights the growing scarcity of high-quality physical-world training data as a bottleneck for the industry.
Hubei's First Unitree Technology College Founded at Changjiang Institute
Unitree Robotics and Changjiang Institute of Technology have jointly launched Hubei's first Unitree Technology Industry College, focusing on training for robot debugging and support roles.
China Sees 116,000 New Humanoid Robot Firms in H1 2026
In the first half of 2026, China's humanoid robot sector added 116,000 new enterprises, a 9.5% year-on-year increase, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation.
Deep Robotics Lynx M20S Tackles Tough Terrain
DEEP Robotics demonstrated its Lynx M20S quadruped robot navigating rocky and muddy terrain, highlighting agile mobility and robust locomotion in outdoor environments.
PaXini and ENGINEAI Partner on Tactile Sensor
PaXini collaborated with ENGINEAI to integrate its world-first plantar multidimensional tactile sensor PX-FOOTRIX into ENGINEAI T800 robots, as shown in a video.
