xTechHumanoid Winners Advance Military Exploration of Emerging Humanoid Capabilities
By Eleanor Kent, Army FUZE
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army named five companies as winners of the xTechHumanoid competition on September 11, 2026, capping an effort to assess how emerging commercial humanoid technologies could contribute to future military operations.
As the Army looks to robotics and autonomy to reduce Soldier exposure to dangerous and physically demanding tasks, preserve combat power, and give commanders more options, humanoid systems represent a growing area of exploration. That work extends across the Joint Force through the Humanoid Community of Collaboration (HCoC), established in December 2023, to advance the technical development and operational integration of humanoid capabilities.
In partnership with HCoC, Army FUZE xTech launched xTechHumanoid to identify promising commercial approaches and establish a technical baseline for an emerging capability area. The competition offered Army and Joint Force stakeholders a direct look at the maturity of technologies being developed across the commercial humanoid robotics market.
“Humanoid robots are part of a broader autonomy push to increase the depth and breadth of robotic platforms and components industry can provide for a range of missions,” said U.S. Army Chief Technology Officer Dr. Alex Miller. “We are identifying the problems, mission needs, and opportunities to enable our formations with the right mix of tools. xTech is our method of surveying the industry landscape and fast-tracking promising technology rather than falling victim to years-long studies.”
The competition drew 103 white paper submissions spanning baseline humanoid forms and advanced subsystem technologies. Ten companies advanced as finalists, with nine ultimately demonstrating their technologies September 9–10 at Marine Corps Base Quantico before military leaders, technical experts, and evaluators. Following the demonstrations, the Army selected five xTechHumanoid winners:
- https://www.acesgroup.com/energy – an integrated power system designed to address energy needs across humanoid robotic systems with scalable energy storage technologies for applications ranging from larger operational infrastructure to individual robot batteries
- https://robots.ihmc.us/ – Alex, a humanoid robot featuring impact-resilient actuators, ballistic protection, and hybrid autonomy combining artificial intelligence and human control for complex and dangerous missions
- https://hydroplane.us – a lightweight, compact mobile power-generation systems designed to provide long-duration power in contested logistics environments
- https://raslabs.com/ – highly sensitive fingertip tactile sensors designed to enable robotic systems to detect force, object form, slip, and other physical interactions
- https://www.velocityexplorations.com/ – software that builds on the company’s command-and-control technology to translate trusted information and command intent into discrete actions for humanoid robotic systems
For participating companies, xTechHumanoid created a direct connection between commercial technology development and operational demand, providing opportunities to challenge their solutions, sharpen their understanding of mission needs, and better identify where their capabilities could deliver military value. “The xTech competition is really an interesting and unique one because it allows you to pressure test your technology in a field exercise paradigm,” said Alec Leesberg, president and co-founder of Velocity Explorations.
“Do it,” said Dr. Anita Sengupta, founder and CEO of Hydroplane Limited. “Competing against other companies makes you better, connects you to a network of people across the military and industry, and ultimately allows you to develop a product for a real customer.”
With the competition complete, xTechHumanoid provides the Army and Joint Force a clearer picture of both the progress commercial industry has made in humanoid robotics and the technical challenges that remain, helping inform where continued development and experimentation can deliver the greatest value to the warfighter. HCoC is already building on those insights through its next lines of effort, including work to address power and energy constraints that could shape the operational employment of humanoid and other robotic systems.
About the Army FUZE xTech Program The Army FUZE xTech Program is the Army’s premier tool for scouting and accelerating dual-use technologies that directly enhance Soldier readiness and mission success. Through dynamic prize competitions like xTech|Search\, xTech identifies breakthrough solutions and opens doors for nontraditional companies to engage with and deliver capabilities to the Army. Since its launch in 2018\, xTech has awarded over $3 million in non-dilutive cash prizes across 5+ competitions – fueling innovation pipelines and delivering transformative technologies that matter on the battlefield.
Learn more at the Army PIT website: https://pit.army.mil/pathway/xtech/
About Army FUZE Army FUZE is the engine driving innovation within the Army’s integrated innovation ecosystem, strategically aligned under the Army's Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT). By uniting key programs such as xTech, Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer, Manufacturing Technology, and the Technology Maturation Initiative within a synchronized framework, FUZE accelerates advanced capabilities, strengthens the industrial base, and delivers readiness at the speed of relevance. Operating with a venture capitalist mindset, FUZE scouts broadly, takes calculated risks, and scales the most promising technologies, ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed toward solutions with both Army operational relevance and commercial viability. Through its alignment with PIT, FUZE underscores the Army's commitment to fostering innovation, streamlining technology transitions, and bridging the gap between emerging technologies and critical operational needs to maintain military overmatch.
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