The U.S. Army selected IHMC Robotics’ humanoid Alex as one of five xTechHumanoid winners on September 11, 2026, putting it in further assessment and experimentation for potential military use. The competition was designed to assess commercial humanoid technology and identify where continued development could benefit military users.
How xTechHumanoid reached its result
The competition moved from written submissions to finalist demonstrations before the Army selected its winners.
| Stage | Result |
| White-paper submissions | 103 submissions |
| Finalists | 10 companies |
| Demonstrations | Nine companies demonstrated at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, on September 9–10, 2026 |
| Winners | Five selected on September 11, 2026, including IHMC Robotics with Alex |
The other four awards covered an integrated power system from ACES Group, mobile power generation from Hydroplane Limited, fingertip tactile sensors from Ras Labs, and command-and-control software for humanoid robots from Velocity Explorations.
What the Army says about Alex
The Army describes Alex as having impact-resilient actuators, ballistic protection and hybrid autonomy—a combination of artificial intelligence and human control.
IHMC’s work on Alex predates the competition
IHMC describes Alex’s development as backed by a multiyear, multimillion-dollar Office of Naval Research project. The institute says research on its earlier humanoid Nadia informed Alex’s development, and estimates that Alex weighs about 187 pounds with its battery.
IHMC has also reported that Alex walked over rocky gravel, slick surfaces and uneven pavement during an off-site demonstration in Maryland. The institute says it is designing Alex to approach a building, open a door and move inside to assess a situation.
