Overview

Matrix Robotics from Shanghai unveiled the MATRIX-3 on January 10, 2026, as the third generation of its humanoid flagship. The company is backed by Zhang Haixing, who previously worked on the Optimus program at Tesla. According to media reports, around 1,000 orders are on hand, with initial pilot deliveries announced for mid-2026. In July 2026, the manufacturer showcased several units at the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence WAIC in Shanghai.

Design

The bipedal robot is approximately 1.70 meters tall and weighs around 65 kilograms. The most striking feature is the outer skin made of three-dimensionally woven textile. It gives the robot a soft appearance, dampens contact, and registers touch through a distributed sensor network. The newly developed hands offer 27 degrees of freedom, are driven by cable actuation, and detect forces as low as 0.1 Newton at the fingertips. This enables the robot to grasp delicate and flexible objects.

Technology and AI

The MATRIX-3 is powered by integrated linear actuators that combine high power density with quiet operation. The gait was trained on large quantities of human movement data and appears correspondingly natural. Control is provided by Matrix Super Intelligence's proprietary neural network architecture. The manufacturer promises zero-shot capabilities: the robot should be able to perform new tasks in unknown environments based solely on voice instructions, without prior training.

Market Significance

With a unit price around 99,000 US dollars and customers such as coffee chains and hotels, Matrix Robotics ranks among the serious contenders in the Chinese race for production-ready humanoids. For 2026, the company cites delivery capacity of up to 5,000 units. So far, only a few hundred robots have been built, but the ambitions are unmistakable.