The Download: AI roadblocks for humanoids and portable rubber dams

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. The hype around humanoid robots is reaching fever pitch. Much of it comes from the idea that the same AI advances behind ChatGPT and Claude could enable robots to imitate human movement the way chatbots imitate human language.

But many researchers are skeptical. They argue that such assumptions minimize the challenges of using an intelligence built on language and images to master the infinite variability of the physical world. They also point out that conflating humanoids with so-called generalist machines is misleading.

Across robotics labs, tensions have emerged over whether current forms of AI are all that’s needed to perfect all-purpose humanoids or whether an entirely new path is required. Read the full story on what it will take to build truly general-purpose robots. This story is a collaboration between MIT Technology Review and Aventine, a non-profit research foundation that creates and supports content about how technology and science are changing the way we live.

WaveSave is one of MIT Technology Review’s10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026, available exclusively to subscribers. As sea levels rise and flood risks worsen, WaveSave has emerged with an ingeniously simple tool: a portable rubber dam that’s quick to install when flooding starts. Anyone can unfurl the SlamDam on the ground along a riverbank or shoreline and pump it full of water until it swells into place.

And there it stands, up to 1.3 meters high, shielding nearby property or structures from damage as waters rise. WaveSave now plans to take its unusual approach to flood protection much further. Subscribers can now access the full 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch, spanning everything from smart turbines and sustainable cement to carbon dioxide batteries.

Our Climate Tech Companies to Watch list is always a little ray of hope for me—there are some fascinating ideas out there about how we power our world or move away from fossil fuels. Our chosen companies also reflect several aspects of the current moment. One is that China is the center of the climate and energy tech world.