Physical AI Companies to Watch in 2027

Physical AI is AI that perceives and acts in the real world through machines. If you are new to the idea, start with our guide, Physical AI Explained. This list covers the physical AI companies and startups actually building it.

The field splits into three layers: the models that act as a robot's brain, the robots themselves, and the companies already deploying robots in real operations. Here are the physical AI companies to watch in each, and what to look for from them in 2027.

The brains: robot foundation models

1. Physical Intelligence. A San Francisco startup building general-purpose models that let one system control many kinds of robots, from arms folding laundry to mobile manipulators. Its open releases have become a reference point for the research community. It was valued at $5.6 billion in November 2025, and Bloomberg has since reported talks to raise about $1 billion at a valuation above $11 billion. What to watch: whether its models move from impressive demos into paid deployments.
2. Skild AI. Pittsburgh-based and building what it calls an "omni-bodied" brain: one model that can drive any robot body. Co-founder and CEO Deepak Pathak opened AUTONOMOUS 2026 with exactly this case. In January 2026 it raised about $1.4 billion, led by SoftBank, at a valuation above $14 billion. What to watch: how many hardware partners ship with its model inside.
3. World Labs. Fei-Fei Li's company builds world models, AI that can generate and simulate 3D spaces. Its Atlas model is aimed partly at robotics, turning phone videos into simulated environments where robots can train. What to watch: whether robot makers adopt it to cut the cost of training data.

The bodies: humanoid robots

1. Figure AI. The highest-valued humanoid company, at $39 billion after its September 2025 round. Its robots have worked on BMW's production line in Spartanburg, South Carolina. What to watch: whether pilots at BMW and others turn into large, repeat orders.
2. Agility Robotics. Its Digit robot has one of the strongest real-world records of any humanoid, moving totes in logistics warehouses such as GXO's. What to watch: how fast it scales from hundreds of units toward thousands.
3. Apptronik. The Austin company behind Apollo, piloted with Mercedes-Benz. In February 2026 it raised $520 million at a valuation of more than $5 billion. What to watch: manufacturing scale and price per robot.
4. 1X. Unlike most humanoid makers, 1X is aiming at the home. Its NEO robot sells for $20,000, or $499 a month, with first US deliveries planned for 2026. What to watch: whether early buyers find it genuinely useful day to day.

For a deeper look at which humanoids are really working, see Humanoid Robots in 2027: Who's Actually Shipping.

Already working: robots in real operations

1. Dexterity and Pickle Robot both tackle one of the hardest problems in robotics: picking up varied boxes and items in messy, real warehouses. Both were on stage at AUTONOMOUS 2026. What to watch: speed and reliability, the numbers customers buy on.
2. Bedrock Robotics retrofits construction equipment, starting with excavators, to work autonomously. What to watch: how quickly jobsites trust machines working without an operator in the cab.
3. Wayve builds embodied AI for driving that learns from data rather than hand-written rules. Its Chief Scientist, Jamie Shotton, argued at AUTONOMOUS 2026 that world models could link self-driving to general robotics. What to watch: its automaker partnerships going into production cars.

How to read this list of physical AI companies

Valuations show where investors are betting, not who is winning. The signals that matter more in 2027 are paid deployments, repeat customers and robots running for months without constant human help. The gap between the best-funded companies and the ones actually working at scale is the story to follow this year.

Many of these companies were on stage at AUTONOMOUS 2026. To be in the room for 2027, join the waitlist.