Event highlights: RoboBusiness 2026 features robotics and AI experts plus networking via the Mix and Mingle reception and Women in Robotics Luncheon.
- Core challenge: Humanoid OEMs must bridge the gap between working prototypes and manufacturable, scalable products, with motion hardware timelines (months to samples, years to volume) lagging far behind software iteration cycles.
- Technical approach: The session reframes humanoid motion as a zone-by-zone architecture problem and offers a practical framework for evaluating motion partners and co-engineering support.
Humanoid robot OEMs face a stubborn manufacturing problem: bridging the gap between a working prototype and a manufacturable, scalable product. The bottleneck, as framed by Kollmorgen, is not concept design — it's timing. Software iterates in weeks, while motion hardware takes months to move from paper to functional sample and years to reach volume production. That mismatch is where many humanoid programs stall.
His session, "A Joint-by-Joint Guide to Humanoid Motion," is set for 11:30 a.m. PT on the first day of the show.
A Zone-by-Zone View of the Humanoid Body
Rather than treating humanoid motion as a single, uniform engineering problem, Umeno's session will focus on the unique demands of each body zone and the challenges of scaling for production. It's an approach with clear relevance for manufacturing engineers: a shoulder joint and an ankle joint do not share load profiles, duty cycles, or packaging constraints, and designing them as if they do invites trouble at the production stage.
"By reframing humanoid motion as a zone-by-zone architecture problem rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Umeno will outline the unique demands of each body zone and the challenges of scaling for production."
The session will also provide a practical framework for evaluating motion partners and highlight comprehensive solutions and co-engineering support — aimed at simplifying the path from prototype to volume production.
The Broader Show
RoboBusiness 2026 bills itself as the leading event for commercial robotics developers, featuring insights from experts in robotics and AI. Networking is part of the draw: the event will include a Mix and Mingle reception and a Women in Robotics Luncheon.
Discounts are also available for academia, associations, and corporate groups. Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are available, with inquiries directed to Colleen Sepich.
The timing is notable. Humanoid platforms including Apptronik's Apollo, Unitree Robotics' G2, Agility Robotics' Digit, and Figure AI's Figure 03 are pushing the category toward commercialization — and the prototype-to-production gap Umeno plans to address is precisely where that transition will be won or lost.
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