Methodology: How We Source, Score & Verify Data

Transparency is a feature, not a footnote.


How Entities Are Added

The Humanoid Index tracks manufacturers, investors, suppliers, deployers, research labs, and key people across the humanoid robotics ecosystem. Entities are discovered through:

Every entity is verified before publishing. We confirm the company exists, is active in humanoid robotics, and has at least one publicly verifiable data point (website, funding round, product announcement, or media coverage).


Source Hierarchy

Not all sources are equal. We use a tiered source hierarchy to determine data confidence. Higher-tier sources override lower-tier ones when they conflict.

TierSource TypeExamplesConfidence
1Primary SourcesCompany press releases, SEC/exchange filings, official investor decksVerified
2Tier-1 MediaReuters, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Wall Street JournalVerified
3Tier-2 MediaTechCrunch, The Robot Report, IEEE Spectrum, industry trade pressReported
4Analyst EstimatesGoldman Sachs, Omdia, ARK Invest, industry research reportsReported
5Inferred / Partial DataCalculated from partial disclosures, cross-referenced from multiple secondary sourcesEstimated
6Single-Source / UnverifiedSingle blog post, social media claim, anonymous tipUnconfirmed

Confidence Labels

Key data fields on entity pages carry a confidence label indicating how reliable the data point is. This tells you at a glance whether a number comes from a press release or an estimate.

VerifiedSourced from a primary document (company announcement, regulatory filing) or confirmed by Tier-1 reporting (Reuters, Bloomberg, FT).
ReportedSourced from credible secondary outlets with consistent reporting across multiple sources.
EstimatedInferred from partial data, model-based calculation, or unclear sourcing. Labeled as an estimate.
UnconfirmedSingle-source claim, rumor, or unverified report. Explicitly labeled as unconfirmed.

Confidence labels are applied to six critical fields: latest funding round, valuation, total funding, units shipped, price, and partnership status.


Capability Scoring: The 6 Dimensions

The Humanoid Index uses a 6-dimension capability model to assess humanoid robots. Each dimension is scored 0–10 based on published manufacturer specifications. The overall score is a weighted average of all non-null dimensions.

DimensionMeasuresData SourceScale
ReadinessProduction and deployment maturityCompany status (mass production, commercial, pilot, prototype, R&D)Mass production = 10, Commercial = 8, Pilot = 6, Prototype = 4, R&D = 2
DexterityManipulation capabilityDegrees of freedom from published specsLinear: 0 DOF = 0, 55 DOF = 10
MobilityMovement speed and agilityMax speed from published specsLinear: 0 m/s = 0, 4 m/s = 10
AutonomyAI capability and independent operationEditorial estimate based on demos, deployments, and published capabilitiesEditorial judgment (see note below)
PayloadLoad-carrying capacityPayload capacity from published specsLinear: 0 kg = 0, 30 kg = 10
EnduranceOperational durationBattery life from published specsLinear: 0 hrs = 0, 8 hrs = 10

Overall Score

The overall capability score is a weighted average of all non-null dimensions. Dimensions with missing data are excluded rather than penalized.

DimensionWeightRationale
Readiness1.5xMarket deployability matters most
Autonomy1.3xAI capability is the key differentiator
Dexterity1.2xManipulation capability drives use cases
Mobility1.0xBaseline weighting
Endurance1.0xBaseline weighting
Payload0.8xImportant but secondary to other factors

Readiness is weighted highest because market deployability is the strongest signal of real-world viability. Autonomy is weighted high because AI capability is the key differentiator between platforms.

Rankings reflect published data, not editorial recommendation.


A Note on Autonomy Scores

Autonomy is the hardest dimension to score objectively. Unlike degrees of freedom or speed, there is no single published metric that captures AI capability.

Our autonomy scores are editorial estimates based on:

  • Published demo capabilities
  • Real-world deployment evidence
  • Partner and customer announcements
  • Research publications

These scores represent our best assessment and will be updated as standardized benchmarks emerge. We welcome corrections — if you believe a score is inaccurate, please contact us.


Corrections & Updates

Getting data right matters more than getting it first. Our correction process:


What's Not Included

The Humanoid Index focuses on the publicly visible ecosystem. We do not track:


Limitations

No data platform is perfect. We believe in being transparent about ours.


Update Frequency

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