According to Forbes, a company called EngineAI is selling a humanoid robot named the T800 for a starting price of $40,500. The basic model stands 5’8″, weighs 165 lbs, and features 29 joints, with a top speed of 6.7 mph and a battery life of 4-5 hours. Its key selling point is raw strength, with knee joints delivering up to 450 N·m of torque. For $80,800, a “Max” edition adds more computing power and sensors. The company is already deploying it as retail staff, but its promotional material heavily showcases the robot’s ability to punch, kick, and jump with startling agility.
The Impressive, And The Underwhelming
Look, on paper, the T800 is a beast. Aviation-grade aluminum, active joint cooling, 360-degree LiDAR and radar? That’s serious hardware for forty grand. The strength numbers, especially that 450 N·m knee torque, are legitimately wild. It’s built like a lightweight athlete. But here’s the thing: the hands seem like a major weak point. A five-kilogram grip strength is pathetic. I mean, you can probably carry more groceries in one arm than this thing can lift with its specialized hand. Compared to the 20-25 kg capacities touted by Figure, Apptronik, and Tesla, it’s not even close. So you’ve got these incredibly powerful legs and a wimpy grip. That tells you a lot about its intended purpose, doesn’t it?
Is This A Fighter Or A Worker?
And that’s the billion-dollar question. EngineAI’s own videos lean hard into the Real Steel vibe—showcasing fight moves, not warehouse logistics. It bends at the waist and has a turning neck for “social engagement,” which is cool. But basically, they’re selling the sizzle of a combat-ready bot. Now, using it as a high-tech greeter in a store is a clever, low-stakes application. It’s the opposite of “I’ll be back.” It’s more “I’ll be helping you find aisle three.” But for actual industrial work, where grip, dexterity, and payload are everything, the T800’s design seems mismatched. It might be the strongest in a punch, but can it reliably move a cardboard box? That’s the real test for any humanoid, and we just haven’t seen it.
A Reality Check On The Humanoid Hype
This launch really highlights the two divergent paths in humanoid robotics right now. You have companies like Figure and Boston Dynamics focusing intensely on fluid, useful movement and manipulation—the boring, essential stuff for work. Then you have EngineAI selling a high-performance, almost theatrical machine. The $40.5k price tag is fascinating because it’s not astronomical. It could lure in research labs, event companies, or even security firms looking for a platform. But for the manufacturing floor? If you need reliable, heavy-duty computing at the edge for control systems, you’d probably look to a dedicated supplier like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, not a bipedal robot doing roundhouse kicks. The T800 is a spectacular demo of strength and agility. Proving it’s a viable tool for business is a much harder fight.
