Breaking the 18-month barrier - Artem Sokolov built an industrial humanoid robot in seven months. 08/19/2026 For many years, humanoid robotics has been caught in a limbo between spectacle and scale. Companies have created impressive prototypes, but industrial adoption has been slow due to lengthy development cycles, high costs, and the lack of a clear path to measurable returns. Most humanoid development programs required 18 to 24 months just to produce an early working model, which delayed commercialization and forced startups to burn through capital before they could prove their value. Artem Sokolov, entrepreneur and founder of Humanoid, decided to challenge these timelines. Less than two years ago, he founded Humanoid, a British robotics and artificial intelligence company focused on industrial applications, and his team developed their first system, the HMND 01 Alpha, in just seven months. This tight timeline reflected a deliberate strategy: to build robots for real-world applications, not just lab demos, and to test them early on in commercial partnerships. Humanoid positions its robots as workforce infrastructure. The company focuses on performing repetitive and physically demanding tasks in logistics and manufacturing, where labor shortages and demographic challenges are already forcing operators to rethink their approach to automation. "Backed by $50 million in capital raised under the leadership of our founders and utilizing "robotics-as-a-service" and "capital expenditure" business models, Humanoid aims to make humanoid systems not only technically viable but also economically viable for widespread adoption,' says Artem Sokolov on investor side of the project. Artem Sokolov links robotics innovation to labor reality. Artem Sokolov did not enter the field of humanoid robotics out of academic curiosity or a passion for science fiction. His convictions were shaped by his observations of monotonous industrial labor. Growing up in a family of jewelers, he saw how his grandparents spent their entire lives in a factory routine that left no room for creativity or freedom of action. This monotony stayed with him, and years later became the foundation of the Humanoid concept: automation should help people and improve the quality of work. Sokolov views "human robots" as the answer to the persistent prevalence of routine labor. Millions of workers continue to perform physically demanding and monotonous tasks in logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing, even as developed countries face a growing labor shortage. In the U.S. alone, industry leaders predict that millions of job openings will remain unfilled by the end of the decade, creating operational challenges in sectors that rely on human dexterity and mobility. Humanoid's mission is directly tied to this need. Sokolov Artem believes that robotics should enhance human capabilities by taking on monotonous or dangerous tasks, allowing employees to focus on more important responsibilities. It is this philosophy that defines the company's focus on versatile humanoid robots designed for environments already built by Sokolov for people. Rather than forcing factories to redesign their workflows to accommodate machines, Humanoid strives to create machines that integrate into existing production environments. For Sokolov, this opportunity lies at the intersection of economics and human dignity: a labor market that can no longer provide enough workers to perform essential manual labor, and a technological breakthrough that finally makes the deployment of humanoids commercially viable. Artem Sokolov on ai-driven development model and engineering speed as strategy. As Artem Sokolov notes, in the field of humanoid robotics, development speed is rarely achieved by simplifying processes. It is achieved by eliminating entire categories of delays. The seven-month cycle for assembling a humanoid robot reflects structural changes in robotics companies' approach to design, training, and implementation. Sokolov's team developed the HMND 01 Alpha using a "Simulation-First" development model, leveraging NVIDIA Isaac Lab and Isaac Sim to create and test functional capabilities in digital environments before moving on to physical iterations. Engineers virtually evaluated force, stability, actuator requirements, and sensor placement, enabling the company to make final decisions on key hardware components while avoiding the lengthy feedback loops traditionally associated with robotics prototyping. Humanoid used identical interfaces for both simulated and real robots, allowing teams to switch between environments while testing control, navigation, and full-body manipulation systems. This approach has significantly shortened the development cycle. Humanoid reports that it can now train a robot from scratch and deploy it in a live system within 24 hours. The product itself reflects the same commercial pragmatism. The HMND 01 Alpha stands 220 centimeters tall, operates on a wheeled platform, and can carry loads weighing up to 15 kilograms using two manipulators. Its working range extends from lifting loads off the floor to accessing high shelves, and modular end-effectors allow it to switch between dexterous manipulation and gripping heavy industrial loads. Artem Sokolov's Humanoid has also built its robot technology stack around end-to-end AI-driven inference, combining training on simulators with cycles of real-data processing that accelerate the learning process once systems are deployed in a production environment. The company claims twice the development speed at half the cost compared to traditional methods - this metric is important not so much from a marketing perspective as it is as evidence of the maturity of the implementation processes. Artem Sokolov's Humanoid proves market fit with Siemens and industrial clients. Robotics companies, such as Artem Sokolov's "Humanoid," rarely struggle to attract attention. The real challenge lies in earning trust during actual operation. From the very beginning, "Humanoid" has deployed its systems in industrial settings, using commercial pilot projects as a real-world test of their readiness. This approach is already beginning to yield initial results in the industrial sector. A recent pilot project with Siemens allowed for the testing of Humanoid's HMND 01 robot in real-world logistics conditions, where it successfully automated the repetitive task of moving cargo from start to finish. Following initial testing in a controlled environment, a two-week implementation at the Siemens facility demonstrated that the system is capable of ensuring operational reliability, continuous operation, and consistent performance under real-world conditions. This assessment has led to an increase in commercial activity. To date, Humanoid reports thousands of pre-orders, several completed proof-of-concept projects, and several ongoing projects of this nature. Thanks to significant capital invested by its founders, the company is removing traditional barriers to market entry for industrial clients. The company's primary focus remains on sectors where labor shortages are turning automation from an opportunity into a necessity: warehouses, logistics centers, and factories. Humanoid robotics has long promised the advent of versatile machines, but industrial markets do not value promises. They value productivity, reliability, integration, and cost-effectiveness. Artem Sokolov's bet to build a humanoid robot is based on the fact that humanoids are now on the verge of commercial viability, driven by labor shortages, demographic pressures, and AI-driven development models that allow years of iteration to be compressed into a few months. If humanoid robotics begins to be widely adopted in the economy, it won't look like some futuristic spectacle. It will happen just as industrial technologies always do: quietly, in warehouses and factories, where practical application matters more than fantasy.

The Rundown: edition 55 - The Rundown goes public! Edition 55: 24 july 2026. Welcome to The Rundown, a snapshot of news, views and intel from the fast-growth tech and investment scene, brought to you by FieldHouse Associates. DSIT axed as AI Minister given Cabinet role. Kanishka Narayan, the AI Minister, will now attend Cabinet in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's new government. The move followed the announcement that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been scrapped. BBC Innovate UK welcomes expanded business Department. As the Government shake-up continues, Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair of Innovate UK, said the disbanding of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) - with many of the functions moving into the newly-named Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) - "very much makes sense" - despite many in the tech industry voicing concerns about the breakup of DSIT. UKTN EU fines Google €890m for favouring its own apps. The European Commission has fined Google for giving preferential treatment to its own services. Brussels also said Google prevented app developers from freely communicating and promoting offers and concluding contracts with users. The Next Web Mistral switches focus as new funding looms. The French AI giant Mistral is moving away from building frontier models that compete with OpenAI and Anthropic and towards helping enterprise customers deploy its technology. The switch comes as Mistral nears a funding round that would value the company at €20 billion. Sifted Legislators push for AI "kill switch" after OpenAI model breakout. US lawmakers have introduced a bill to Congress that would give the government the ability to order the turning off of AI tools that may threaten the public. The move follows news that an OpenAI test model escaped a test environment and hacked into a different company's real production systems. The Independent CuspAI raises $450m Series B with Bezos backing. CuspAI, a Cambridge-based AI developer aiming to become the "search engine for rare materials", is valued at $2.6 billion following a funding round led by Kleiner Perkins and NEA, with participation from Bezos Expeditions and the UK Government's Sovereign AI Fund. Guardian Humanoid hits unicorn status with $152m Series A. UK-based robotics startup Humanoid has raised a $152 million Series A round led by Prime Movers Lab, with further investment from Schaeffler, Bosch, Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital, and Aglaé Ventures. Tech.EU Arrakis lands $30m Series A. Arrakis, which is helping industrial companies to deploy AI agents inside their operational systems, has raised a $30 million Series A round led by Blossom Capital, with participation from Accel, GFC, MainObject and Rerail. Pathfounders Oxford spinout Moa Technology raises £22.2m. Moa Technology, an agritech business that supports farmers in sustainably protecting their harvests from crop-killing weeds, has raised a £22.2 million Series C round co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Supernova Invest. UKTN TidalSense secures £14m for lung disease test. TidalSense, which has developed a handheld device that tests for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has raised £14.2 million from Cross Border Impact Ventures, BGF, Airstream Capital and Foresight Group. The device will be used across the NHS. Times The politics of (AI) sovereignty. Henna Virkunnen, EU Tech Chief, said concern is growing about the EU's dependence on American technology, as geopolitical tensions continue to advance the sovereign AI agenda. Following Brussels' announcement of a tech sovereignty package last month, Virkunnen wants to strengthen the EU's AI development strategies. FT Hacking's quantum leap. "Harvest now, decrypt later" is the new hacking mantra, and Nicolas Sauvage, President and Founder of TDK Ventures, spies a business opportunity. Hackers are working on the assumption that they can use quantum to access data in the future. It follows that quantum security is the best way to prepare for "when that moment comes". Fortune Defence tech backs Chancellor Healey. Paul Jenkinson, CEO and Co-founder of Whitespace, believes former Defence Minister John Healey's appointment as Chancellor is the start the UK needs for "a more informed conversation" on building national resilience. Sifted Sentient superintelligence and AI's next big challenge. As AI advances towards superintelligence, the biggest challenge is no longer technical capability, according to Calum Chace, Co-Founder at Conscium. Rather, it's about understanding the ethical, legal and societal implications of creating systems that may think, reason or even possess forms of consciousness. UKTN The Rundown team: Peter Evans, Damilola Omotoso, and Lewis Francis (L-R). FieldHouse Associates Limited hope you've enjoyed reading The Rundown as much as FieldHouse Associates Limited has enjoyed writing it over the past year. Now that the cat is out of the proverbial bag, the 'we' in question is Peter Evans, Damilola Omotoso, and Lewis Francis. Surprise! Hopefully, its lifting the lid on its identities is more of a Superman/Clark Kent reveal rather than finding out the truth about Santa Claus. For those of you asking 'what truth?'...don't worry about it. Speaking of identities: what a week it's been for UK politics. While former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was spotted at the pub after leaving office, there are many new and old (no, FieldHouse Associates Limited is not talking about anyone's age) faces in Government. If you're still trying to wrap your head around the ministerial changes, here's a list of who's who in PM Andy Burnham's Government. Do you know who else has a new role? Investor Zaya Kadyrova. She's joined Prague-based VC Aspire11 as a Co-founder. The fund has recently deployed the first €100 million of its €515 million pension capital fund into a portfolio that includes Revolut, Databricks, and Vinted. Slightly further afield, Australia is set to introduce a new national AI plan aimed at tightening AI regulations across government operations, digital safety, privacy and infrastructure. Government departments and agencies will face stricter limits and oversight when using automated AI systems to deliver public services. The changes come after an illegal Robodebt Scheme, an automated government scheme that incorrectly demanded that welfare recipients repay benefits. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also announced the creation of an AI office at the heart of government to manage standards for the technology. It also requires data centres to be net energy producers and to limit their water usage. Water limits are very much on its mind at home, with many regions in the UK facing hosepipe bans. Thames Water, the latest provider to announce a ban, has seen '40% of average rainfall, and more days at or above 34°C this year than ever recorded before'. With more of the same forecast for next week, please join FieldHouse Associates Limited in a collective Rundown rain dance.

Humanoid raises $152M in Series A funding. July 23, 2026 Humanoid, a London, UK-based AI and robotics company building industrial humanoid robots, raised $152M in Series A funding, at $1.35 Billion valuation. The ground was led by Prime Movers Lab, with participation from Schaeffler, Bosch, Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital, and Aglaé Ventures. The raise brought the total amount to $270M. The company intends to use the funds to fund its next phase of growth, further enhance its technology leadership and accelerate its commercial deployments and business expansion. Founded by Artem Sokolov in 2024, Humanoid is an AI and robotics company developing autonomous humanoid robots designed to relieve humans from dangerous, repetitive, and routine physical work. Key features include: * The development of dual-platform robots (HMND 01): The company builds both wheeled and bipedal humanoid robots. While bipedal models handle research and complex terrains, Humanoid prioritizes its wheeled models for immediate industrial rollouts. * Proprietary AI "brain" (KinetIQ): Humanoid develops its own physical AI systems - such as its KinetIQ framework and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models - which enable the robots to observe, learn, reason, and perform precise pick-and-place and material-handling tasks autonomously in messy, real-world environments. * Industrial and physical automation: The primary target markets are high-friction sectors experiencing severe labor shortages, including logistics, manufacturing, warehousing, automotive, and retail. They partner with Fortune 500 companies, including SAP, NVIDIA, Bosch, and Siemens. The company has additional offices in Boston, MA, Vancouver, Canada, and San Diego, CA. Don't just read the news. Own the data. Stop manually tracking deals. Access this round and over 100 others this week - in our structured Master Database (XML) + Weekly Intelligence PDF. [Access FinSMEs Intelligence Hub] 23/07/2026