According to the Royal Bank of Canada, the market for humanoid robots could be worth $9 trillion by 2050. Reportedly, some of the first shifts will focus on the household sector, which is expected to contribute around 33% of the total addressable market. This trend has already been seen in the announcement of the Tesla Optimus, a humanoid robot that is designed for household chores.
The IEEE’s recent research, ‘The Impact of Technology in 2026‘, explored how UK CIOs, CTOs, IT directors, and other technology leaders anticipate the evolution of robotics, extended reality (XR) and digital twins.
The new UK findings show this is already well underway.
- 76% say humanoid robots may feel novel at first, but will quickly become everyday colleagues
- 40% of UK organisations plan to deploy humanoid robots across parts of their workforce next year
- UK respondents believe robotics (66%), autonomous vehicles (44%), and digital twins (20%) will see the biggest impact from AI in 2026
- 60% say XR and digital twins will be very important for designing, developing, and testing prototypes and manufacturing processes
- 34% say robotics programming will be a top skill they look for when hiring for AI roles next year, with 38% saying the same for machine learning
Commenting on the results, Ayesha Iqbal, IEEE Senior Member and Engineering Trainer at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, “The rise of digital twins, XR, and robotics is quietly reshaping how work gets done. What once felt experimental is now part of the day-to-day, from simulating production lines to training new starters in realistic virtual environments. In manufacturing, that means moving from reacting to issues to staying one step ahead and using real-time data to make even smarter decisions. As these technologies mature, the skills landscape is changing fast. We’re seeing the rise of humanoid robots, not as novelties, as valuable co-workers handling repetitive or hazardous tasks and freeing up human teams to focus on decision-making, problem-solving and oversight. But for this to work, we need to rethink the way we hire.
“The ability to programme a robot or interpret live data from a digital twin is no longer niche – it has become vital. What’s more, the roles that typically relied on manual experience now involve fluency in systems, modelling, and automation. This isn’t about replacing jobs, but about reframing them. As the tools scale and become smarter, the workforce must become more agile – and the industries that thrive will be those that invest not just in technology, but in the mindset and skills to harness it.
