Humanoid robots are about to become the new smartphones of our lives

On January 9, 2007, at the Macworld convention, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. Later, in June the same year, it was released — and the world would never be the same again.

Before that moment, few people cared about a computer in their pocket. Smartphones already existed, but they were still used mainly for calls, text messages and emails.

The idea of a powerful pocket-size device that could handle shopping, banking, navigation, entertainment, and many more things sounded absurd to most people. If you had told them that within a decade their daily routines, social lives, and even careers would revolve around this “piece of glass,” they would probably have laughed.

And yet, here we are.

When people ask me about the future of humanoid robots, I often refer to this moment, because I believe they may follow a similar trajectory. What starts as a curiosity and a niche platform could rapidly evolve into an essential tool for work and life.

Analysts from Morgan Stanley project that the humanoids market could surpass $5 trillion by 2050. The market signs suggest we’re already on that trajectory: real-world adoption is underway, early deployments and pilots are moving into place.

Companies that once treated humanoids as a curiosity are now changing their attitudes, and the technology is making headlines almost every day. With predicted 1 billion humanoid robots by 2050, it could become a major societal shift.

Meet your new robot co-worker

Humanoid robots are first making their way into industrial settings, and it’s already happening.

Agility Robotics’ Digit is moving heavy containers at GXO-operated Spanx warehouse in Atlanta. Figure 02 robot works at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, supporting plant employees in physically demanding tasks. Mercedes-Benz tests Apptronik’s Apollo for repetitive duties.

These are just a few real pilots happening right now.

At Humanoid, we have gone from founding the company to testing first prototypes with clients in under a year — a pace that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. And I see growing business interest everywhere I go.

The reason is simple: labor shortages are a new operational reality, especially in industries such as manufacturing.

Last year, a National Association of Manufacturers Outlook Survey in the US found out that over 71% of manufacturers had difficulty attracting and retaining employees.

Globally, the issue will only intensify as populations age. The UN expects the number of people aged 65 and older to more than double, from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion by 2050. The number of people aged 80 and over is growing even faster.

That's where humanoid robots step in.

For businesses, the benefits are clear: greater efficiency, fewer workplace injuries, predictable costs, and a sharper competitive edge. Yes, today humanoids are very costly, but remember the first smartphones?

With scale, prices fall quickly. In fact, Bain & Company reports that unit costs for humanoid robots dropped by more than 40% between 2022 and 2024, while EU labor costs rose by 5% from 2023 to 2024.

For ordinary people, this means we’ll start interacting with humanoids much sooner than we think. Some of us might see them in retail stores, others may start working alongside humanoid colleagues. But these opportunities also raise new questions.

How do we integrate humanoids into workplaces designed for people? Should they be seen as tools, assistants, or teammates? How do we redesign workflows for robots and people to collaborate? We don’t have all the answers yet, but we’ll need to find them soon.

The сoming wave of humanoid nurses, caregivers and concierges

The next frontier for humanoid robots is the service economy — and the timing couldn’t be more critical. According to WHO, by 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over.

The share of the population aged over 60 will increase from 1 billion to 1.4 billion. This demographic and economic shift will accelerate the demand for new types of labor.

Healthcare is one of the clearest pressure points. WHO estimates a shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, with the sharpest gaps in low- and lower-middle income countries.

Humanoids won’t replace doctors, but they can complement human teams: helping nurses with physically demanding tasks like patient lifting, monitoring vital signs, transporting supplies, or even guiding rehabilitation exercises.

Japan gives us a preview of this future. With one of the fastest-ageing populations in the world, the country is already testing robots in elder care homes.

At Tokyo’s Shin-tomi nursing home, 20 different robot models are used to support residents. For example, the currently “retired” Pepper was used to guide group exercise sessions. The Japanese government sees this as a way to channel its robotics expertise into a solution for its elderly population.

Of course, challenges remain, with runtime being one of the essential ones. Imagine a robot pausing to recharge while supporting a patient lift.

That’s why companies are racing to prepare for this shift. UBTech recently showed their Walker S2 with the ability to autonomously swap their own batteries in under 3 minutes, making round-the-clock operation possible.

Hospitality is another sector in the line for change. We’ve seen robot concierges and delivery bots before, but humanoid platforms promise to go further.

They could bring room service straight to guests, handle luggage, or assist at reception desks. For hotels struggling with labor shortages, it’s a scalable way to keep standards high without burning out staff.

Within a few years, this could become the new normal. Checking into a hotel and being greeted by a humanoid, or walking through a hospital where robots deliver equipment, will feel more and more natural.

Much like self-checkout kiosks today, humanoids could become the background of modern life. This is what “service” in the 21st century will look like.

Home: always assisted

Just as the iPhone redefined what personal computing meant, humanoid robots could redefine domestic life by bringing real physical help into every home.

We’ve all seen the viral clips of robots unloading dishwashers, carrying groceries, or folding laundry. Within the next decade, this could become everyday reality.

Companies are already pushing in this direction. 1X positions its NEO Gamma as “Your personal assistant and companion” with idyllic videos showing humans and robots living side by side.

Just days ago, the company made headlines by opening pre-orders. The first models available in tan, gray, and dark brown colors are expected to arrive in homes by 2026. NEO could be yours for $20,000 or with a $499 monthly subscription.

Figure AI, which started with industrial robots, has also pivoted toward the domestic space, revealing that their humanoids will begin “alpha testing” in homes in 2025. Since then, their robots have been busy washing dishes, folding towels, and doing laundry.

For aging societies, the impact goes beyond convenience. For a 75-year-old person living alone, a humanoid that carries groceries, reminds about medication, or helps with daily chores could mean the difference between moving to a care facility and staying independent at home.

If the smartphone made us “always connected,” humanoid robots could make us “always assisted.”

The question is not if, but how fast

Skeptics often argue that humanoid robots are too expensive or too awkward to be practical.

But I’ve heard these doubts before. People said the same thing about smartphones, personal computers or any other emerging technology. I remember when the first smartphones were clunky and overpriced. And then app ecosystems exploded, prices dropped, and suddenly we couldn’t imagine life without them.

Humanoid robots are at that same difficult-yet-exciting stage. Right now, they’re costly, imperfect, sometimes incredibly clumsy. But give them a decade, or less, and they will be everywhere.

At some point, robots will hit an inflection point driven by several factors. First, the growing pool of data will make VLA models smarter.

The rise of new training methods like reinforcement learning or simulation will help robots leap toward human-level capabilities and beyond. New safety standards will build trust. Improved supply chains will lower components price and production costs.

Finally, customers themselves will change. As more businesses and consumers understand the real benefits of humanoid robots, adoption will accelerate.

And just like smartphones, humanoid robots won’t be single-purpose tools. Smartphones went from being phones to becoming cameras, GPS devices, wallets, and entertainment hubs.

They didn’t just change how we communicate, but reshaped our attention spans, our relationships, our work-life balance, love life. Humanoid robots will spark equally profound debates. What happens when a robot provides care for an aging parent? What does it mean for privacy and safety?

I don’t underestimate the road ahead, but I also know how quickly technologies accelerate once they hit a critical adoption point. Yet, humanoid robots are not gadgets. They are infrastructure in the making.

Right now, they’re where smartphones were in 2007: just starting to reveal their potential. The real question is not if they will transform our lives, but how fast.

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