An official humanoid.guide publication

Humanoid Foundation Models

The brains are being rebuilt. Humanoid foundation models are shifting from VLAs to world models — and this 2026 report from humanoid.guide maps that turn, scores the 40 models that matter across ten capabilities, and puts dates on when generalist autonomy actually arrives.

Released June 2026100 pages24 chapters40 models scoredPDF
Get the Report — from $390 See what’s inside

Includes the Brain Score directory — all 40 foundation models rated 0–10 across ten capabilities.

100Pages
24Chapters
40Models scored
16Figures

What’s inside

Five parts. From first principles to playbook.

The full arc — what world models are, who builds them, where the compute and the geopolitics sit, and what to do about it in 2026–2030.

Part I

Foundations

  • 01Reshaping Physical AI
  • 02From VLAs to World Models
  • 03Inside a World Model
  • 04The Four Architectural Paradigms
  • 05JEPA & the Predictive Architectures
  • 06Generative World Simulators
  • 07Scaling Laws & the Data Question

Part II

The Models & Makers

  • 08Foundation Models I: NVIDIA’s Platform
  • 09Foundation Models II: The Challengers
  • 10The Humanoid Makers
  • 11Training Data & the Data Moat
  • 12Simulation & Sim-to-Real

Part III

Compute & Geopolitics

  • 13Compute & Infrastructure
  • 14USA: Innovation vs. Volume
  • 15China: State-Backed Scale
  • 16Europe, Japan & Korea
  • 17Geopolitics

Part IV & V

Applications, Evaluation & Outlook

  • 18Industrial Applications
  • 19Domestic & Service Robots
  • 20Benchmarks & Evaluation
  • 21Strengths, Shortcomings & Safety
  • 22Business & Investment
  • 23Scenarios
  • 24Playbook & the 2026–2030 Window

The Brain Score

All 40 models. Ten capabilities. One score.

Humanoid.guide’s editorial 0–10 rating of every foundation model that matters — so you can compare them on the dimensions that decide deployment.

Locomotion Whole-body control Bimanual coordination Dexterous manipulation Navigation Reasoning Sim-to-real transfer Cross-embodiment Real-time inference Long-horizon planning

The Brain Score directory is included in full — every model, every capability, every score.

Key findings

The turn is measurable.

What the report quantifies — a sample, fully cited.

$13.8BRecord robotics venture funding in 2025
~143×Growth in humanoid investment over four years
2×World-action models more than double generalization over VLA baselines
DreamZero 62.2% vs 27.4%
~90%China’s share of humanoid unit sales — and ~70% of the component supply chain
2028–30Base-case window for reliable, unattended generalist autonomy

Who it’s for

For everyone evaluating the brain layer.

If your decisions depend on which robot intelligence wins, this report was written for you.

Investors & corporate strategyWhere value pools as the robot brain becomes the product
Robotics & AI engineersArchitectures, benchmarks and sim-to-real — in one map
Foundation-model buildersThe competitive field, scored model by model
Humanoid OEMs & suppliersChoosing the ‘brain’ layer for your platform
Policy & compute teamsThe compute and geopolitics underneath it all
Anyone betting on embodied AIA reality check with dates attached

The Briefing

This week in robot intelligence.

Hand-picked foundation-model and embodied-AI news from the humanoid.guide desk — the same signals we track for the report.

View the full Briefing archive →

Curated by humanoid.guide · Latest briefing: 4 Sep 2026 · Sources linked on each story.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What exactly is a humanoid world model?
A foundation model that lets a robot simulate the outcome of an action before it takes it — the emerging alternative to today’s vision-language-action (VLA) models. Mapping that transition is the heart of the report.
Who is the report for?
Investors and strategy teams, robotics and AI engineers, foundation-model builders, and the OEMs and suppliers choosing a ‘brain’ for their platforms.
How does this differ from the Market Report and the Supply Chain report?
This one covers the intelligence layer — world models, VLAs, architectures and the people building them, plus the 40-model Brain Score directory. The Market Report takes the broad market view, and the Supply Chain report handles components and suppliers.
What is the Brain Score?
Our editorial 0–10 score for every model across ten capabilities, from locomotion and whole-body control through real-time inference and long-horizon planning.
What is the methodology?
Published results, benchmarks and primary industry sources, synthesized with full citations; the Brain Scores themselves are humanoid.guide’s editorial judgment.
Will it be updated?
Yes — buyers get free updates through the 2026 cycle as the field moves.
Can I get a preview?
Yes — email human@humanoid.guide for a sample or a briefing.

Get the report

Know the brains before you bet on the bodies.

Delivered immediately as a PDF. Just released June 2026. Purchases are handled securely on humanoid.guide.

Single User License

For individual use

$390
  • 100-page PDF report
  • All 24 chapters + Brain Score directory
  • Free updates through the 2026 cycle
  • Delivered immediately
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Enterprise License

For teams & organizations

$1,590
  • 100-page PDF report + Brain Score directory
  • Unlimited internal users at one organization
  • Internal distribution rights
  • Priority support + optional 60-min briefing call
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Preview available on request · Return policy

The brains are being rebuilt.

Map the shift from VLAs to world models — and get the playbook for the 2026–2030 window.

Get the Report