Humanoid buildup overlooks the robots already running factories

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Humanoid robots may be dominating the conversation about the future of work, but they represent only a fraction of the machines already operating in factories worldwide.

That’s according to the International Federation of Robots’ (IFR) latest World Robotics Report. Published last week, the report found that around 7,000 humanoid robots were sold for industrial and professional service applications in 2025, compared with roughly half a million industrial robots installed that year.

Overall, five million robots are now operating in factories globally, according to the IFR report. Asia accounted for the strongest growth, followed by the Americas, while Europe expanded more slowly.

As that installed base continues to grow, some in the industry argue that the focus on humanoids risks overshadowing the more pressing challenge of governing the machines already at work.

Kumar Sokka, group CEO of Acre Security and a former Rockwell Automation executive, said the humanoid is causing their industrial counterparts to be overlooked, despite their market dominance.

"The humanoid figure is the one everyone will quote, but on its own it's misleading," he said. "The machine workforce isn't coming. It's been here for years, and it doesn't look like a humanoid. The humanoid is the newest and smallest part of it."

A regulated workforce

As the number of connected machines operating in industrial environments grows, Sokka argued that organizations will need to think beyond the physical capabilities of robots and consider what they are authorized to do.

"The question that never gets asked in the excitement is who governs what these machines are allowed to do," he said. "Every one of them, humanoid or not, is a non-human actor moving through a physical space. It opens doors, enters restricted areas, works alongside people."

Humanoids' potential

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