Humanoid robot news for Australians: November 2026

Humanoid robots make headlines almost daily, but most of it changes nothing for an Australian household. This monthly roundup picks the news that does: what you can buy here, what's coming, what's only a demo, and what happened in Australia. This edition covers late October to 3 November 2026.

By Domestic Robot · Editor: Christian Ganaban · Updated 3 November 2026

Researched, not testedA monthly roundup of humanoid robot news that matters to Australians, written from company announcements and news reports linked on this page. We haven't tested these robots. Reported claims are labelled as reported.

Quick answer

The short version: you still can't buy a home helper humanoid in Australia. The only humanoids sold here are Unitree's research and education robots. This month's biggest stories: Elon Musk said “No” to December Optimus orders after a report claimed reservations would open then; Meta reportedly built a humanoid prototype called Max with China's Fourier; LG reportedly targeted 2030 for home humanoids; Unitree's sales jumped 70% while profit fell; and humanoids are coming to Melbourne on 21 November for HFC I, with a Sydney event announced for January 2027.

This month at a glance

Date (2026)	What happened	What it means for Australians
30 Oct	Musk denies December Optimus orders	No reservation date; Tesla still in early production. Optimus tracker
31 Oct	Meta's humanoid prototype “Max” reported	Not for sale; internal research. Meta's humanoid
28 Oct	LG targets home humanoids from 2030 (reported)	No price; nothing for Australia yet. LG CLOiD
28 Oct	Unitree Q3: revenue up about 70%, profit down 17.4%	Unitree's R1 and G1 are the humanoids sold here. R1 in Australia
23 Oct	Figure 04 at design lock	Still no price or consumer sales. Figure at home
21 Nov	HFC I humanoid fights, Melbourne	Tickets on sale; HFC II Sydney set for January 2027. HFC I guide

Dates are when the news broke (US or Asian time zones for overseas stories). Checked 3 November 2026.

In Australia: humanoids come to Melbourne, then Sydney

The biggest local humanoid event is HFC I, the first Humanoid Fighting Championship, at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on Saturday 21 November. Eight EngineAI T800 humanoids, each piloted live by a human operator, fight a seven-bout bracket. HFC's website now also lists HFC II in Sydney in January 2027, with the arena to be confirmed and tickets due in November. Our HFC I guide has the format, tickets and what's unconfirmed.

In aged care, Melbourne company Andromeda's Abi companion robot runs full-time in 22 of mecwacare's Victorian aged care homes, and the new Aged Care Act turned one on 1 November. Our humanoids in aged care page covers what's real. For buying one yourself, the Unitree R1 sells through Australian resellers from about A$13,000 (often sold out) and the G1 from about A$43,000, both as research and education robots.

Tesla Optimus: a reported date, then a “No”

On 30 October the San Francisco Standard reported Tesla would open public Optimus reservations in early December, around the Humanoids Summit in California. The same day Musk replied “No” on X when asked whether Optimus ordering was coming in December. Tesla's own timeline, from its 21 October results, is early production at Fremont and deliveries to outside companies around the end of 2027, with no home or Australian date. Details are in our Optimus tracker.

Meta joins the race, LG sets a date

Meta: The Information reported on 31 October that Meta has built a humanoid prototype called Max with Shanghai's Fourier and is working on a second version. Reuters couldn't verify the report, and Meta has described the work as internal research with no plans to sell. See Meta's humanoid robot.

LG: On its 28 October earnings call LG reportedly said it plans to enter the home humanoid market in 2030 and to show a two-legged humanoid built with Nvidia in early 2027. LG's CLOiD home robot, shown at CES in January, is training in LG's factories first. See LG's home robot.

Home humanoid makers: who's selling, who's testing

1X NEO: still the only home humanoid you can order (US only, US$20,000 or US$499 a month). Reports of first US deliveries emerged in October, but we haven't seen an independently verified customer delivery. 1X says other markets follow from 2027. NEO tracker
Figure: chief executive Brett Adcock said in a company all-hands (posted 22 October) that Figure 04 has reached design lock. No price or consumer sales. Figure at home
Unitree: its first results since listing showed third-quarter revenue up about 70% but profit down 17.4% as research spending rose (Reuters, 28 October). Its new H2-X lost a leg during a public demo in Hangzhou in October. G1 price in Australia
AiMOGA (Chery): the car maker's robot brand opened global pre-orders for Mobo, a child-sized family companion humanoid, at its user summit in Wuhu. There's no price, delivery date or Australian detail yet.

For the three best-known home humanoids side by side, see Tesla Optimus vs Figure vs 1X NEO.

What it means if you're thinking of buying

No home helper humanoid is sold in Australia. Anyone offering one for delivery now is selling a research robot or something that doesn't exist yet.
Be wary of deposits. Tesla, Figure and LG take none; 1X's US$200 deposit is refundable and US-only.
Remote operators are part of the story. NEO uses them openly, and HFC's fighters are human-piloted. Ask who can see through a robot's cameras: our humanoid safety guide explains.
Prices for every humanoid are in our price guide, updated as they change.

This page is updated each month. The humanoid tracker shows every robot's status at a glance.

Breaking since this edition: Xiaomi says its robot AI ran a 50-task home trial (4 Nov). Business humanoids already offered here: AgiBot in Australia.

Common questions

Can I buy a humanoid robot in Australia?

Yes, but only research and education models. Unitree's R1 (from about A$13,000) and G1 (from about A$43,000) are sold by Australian resellers. No home helper humanoid, such as Tesla Optimus, Figure or 1X NEO, is sold here as of 3 November 2026.

Is Tesla Optimus coming out in December 2026?

No date has been confirmed. A US report said reservations would open in early December, but Elon Musk replied “No” on X when asked if Optimus ordering was coming in December.

Where can I see humanoid robots in Australia?

HFC I at Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, on 21 November 2026 features eight human-piloted EngineAI T800 humanoids. HFC has also announced HFC II in Sydney for January 2027.

Which companies are building home humanoids?

The best known are 1X (NEO), Tesla (Optimus) and Figure (Figure 03 and 04). Meta has reportedly built a prototype with Fourier, and LG plans to enter the home market in 2030.

How often is this page updated?

Monthly, and sooner when something changes for Australian buyers, such as a local price, a release date or an Australian event.

Sources

Get new reviews and price drops

One email when new reviews and price drops land. No spam, unsubscribe any time.