Trends and outlook for actuators: Muscles behind humanoid motion

The humanoid robotics industry is transitioning from prototype development and demonstrations toward structured pilot deployments and early commercial adoption. The new IDTechEx report "Materials for Humanoid Robots 2026-2036: Technologies, Players, Forecasts" expects 2026-2027 to represent key transition years, with more players moving from pilot testing toward production readiness and early-scale rollout. A major component at the heart of humanoid hardware is the actuator, which is responsible