Humanoid Robot Projects Launch in France and Japan to Tackle Labor Shortages

At the Machina Summit in Paris, French startup UMA presented its first industrial humanoid robot, featuring a "Real‑Time Learning" system that lets the machine observe a task, acquire the skill and continuously improve without extensive reprogramming. CEO Rémi Cadène said the robot is intended as a tool to help workers with repetitive, dangerous or labor‑intensive jobs, responding to global workforce deficits projected to reach 85 million people by 2030.

Separately, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry unveiled a roadmap to deploy 10 million humanoid robots by 2040. The plan, led by the Noetra consortium of SoftBank, NEC, Sony and Honda, targets sectors such as elder‑care, food production and disaster response, aiming to embed “physical AI” into daily operations. Both initiatives reflect a broader international push, with the United States, China, South Korea and other nations also investing in humanoid robotics as a response to demographic aging, reindustrialisation and energy transition challenges.