No matter how humans feel about robots, humanoids and other forms of physical AI continue to capture imaginations and headlines. From factory floors to fulfillment centers to service centers and even neighborhood homes, the prospect of human-like robots taking on complex, physical tasks promises to redefine automation. While they are still in their infancy, technology consultancy McKinsey estimates in an October 2025 report that the humanoid robot market could reach more than $600 million by 2031, driven by labor shortages, aging workforces and the relentless pursuit of efficiency across logistics, manufacturing and retail.
While the race to build and deploy humanoids is accelerating, one critical piece of the puzzle remains missing: a scalable, dependable service infrastructure. Without this infrastructure, even the most advanced humanoids risk breaking down.
Engineering alone isn’t enough
Imagine buying a high-end car. You trust it with your safety, your time, your daily life. Then, one day, it needs a repair — and you discover there’s no service center, no certified mechanics and no spare parts. That’s the reality many humanoid manufacturers are heading toward.
The excitement of engineering breakthroughs often overshadows the practical demands of real-world deployment. Yet as early adopters begin to take delivery, what happens after installation will determine whether humanoids scale or stall. A malfunction missed part or untrained technician can turn a technological marvel into an operational liability overnight.
For the companies pioneering humanoid development, the question is no longer if the technology will work, but whether it can keep working in the field.
Two lives of every robot
As the McKinsey report notes, “Prototypes that are capturing headlines are impressive but still far from delivering consistent, reliable and economically justifiable performance in real-world settings.” In other words, every robot has two lives: one in the lab, and one in the field.
In controlled environments, performance looks flawless. But deployment introduces variables: lighting, floor conditions, training levels, even cultural acceptance. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have already taught the industry how easily minor real-world interference can disrupt operation. Humanoids, most of which are far more complex electromechanical systems, will face exponentially greater challenges with balance, dexterity and safety.
Without robust service frameworks that include preventive maintenance, trained field techs and remote diagnostics and fleet management software to track it all, the most sophisticated humanoids risk falling short where it matters most: in the customer environment.
In the world of mobile and collaborative robots, ongoing support has proven to cost up to three times the original product price over a system’s lifecycle. These costs balloon when companies treat service as an afterthought.
Downtime is a trust killer, not just an inconvenience. A single unplanned outage can idle operations, delay deliveries, and cast doubt on the reliability of an entire fleet. Conversely, OEMs that plan for service early flatten the cost curve, reduce reactive “break/fix” calls and ensure smoother scalability. The earlier service is planned, the cheaper and more controlled costs become over the long term.
Lessons from the first waves of automation
The AMR and cobot sectors have already revealed what happens when service readiness lags behind innovation. Too often, OEMS have underestimated the operational complexity of supporting field deployments. Reactive, untrained or understaffed support led to downtime and frustrated customers. One integrator recalled finding a robot in a warehouse labeled with a handwritten sign: “On Strike.” The robot wasn’t broken. It was simply misconfigured.
Those lessons underscore the value of proactive, engineered service strategies such as preventive maintenance, trained technicians, and close customer engagement. According to Roboworx’s own findings, the strategies have reduced break/fix incidents by as much as 90% and dramatically increase uptime and customer satisfaction.
Overcoming robot anxiety
Technology challenges are only half the story. Human psychology plays an equally powerful role in adoption. Employee resistance to change, fear of job loss, complexity and safety remain barriers to automation. Headlines about robots “replacing workers” only deepen that anxiety. In reality, even autonomous machines end up underused because operators don’t trust or understand them.
Consider autonomous cleaning robots that have started to play a role in retail stores. These machines are designed to operate independently yet are often driven manually by employees. The same behavior could easily repeat with humanoids unless companies invest in user training and change management.
As humanoids become more human-like in motion and interaction, building trust —through training, communication, and consistent reliability — will be essential for acceptance.
What customers expect: 'Always on' reliability
For warehouses and manufacturing facilities especially, automation is mission-critical infrastructure, no longer just an experiment. After reengineering workflows and retraining staff to accommodate robots, a breakdown can halt production entirely.
That’s why a growing number of customers now rely on OEMs for service and support, and outsourcing that maintenance is expected to be the highest growth segment by 2032, according to Data Library Research. These companies are buying more than just robots; they are buying reliable, successful results. This reliability is both technical and emotional. Customers need to believe their provider will respond quickly, resolve issues effectively and prevent future downtime.
The risk of waiting: Build service now — or in crisis later
History offers a cautionary tale. When Tesla’s vehicle sales outpaced its service infrastructure, customers faced months-long repair delays and growing frustration. Support couldn’t keep up. The humanoid sector appears to be following a similar trajectory: racing toward pilots without building the service ecosystem that ensures reliability at scale. When the first wave of humanoids encounters real-world stress, those without service readiness risk reputational damage that’s hard to recover from. Reliability builds loyalty. Neglect builds resentment.
To succeed with this reliability, humanoid OEMs should embed service design into their go-to-market strategies. Consider this three-pillar or better yet, “3R” framework:
- Readiness: Develop a network of trained, certified technicians familiar with robotics.
- Responsiveness: Minimize downtime with rapid dispatch, hot-swap replacements, and remote diagnostics.
- Reliability: Use predictive and preventive maintenance programs, feeding data back into R&D for continuous improvement.
This foundation transforms service from an afterthought into a strategic advantage, an advantage that supports customer confidence, accelerates scaling, and creates recurring revenue streams. In many industrial sectors, aftermarket support generates 40–50% of total OEM profits, according to a McKinsey report on the topic. The same opportunity awaits humanoid makers. A strong service offering not only ensures uptime, it deepens customer relationships, drives renewals, and fuels innovation through field insights.
As the humanoid category matures, differentiation will shift from engineering excellence to operational reliability. The brands that thrive won’t just build robots that move like humans. they’ll build organizations that stand behind them like trusted partners.
The final message: Build trust, not just technology
Humanoid robotics is on the brink of commercialization, but the next great leap will come from how well we keep hardware running, not from the hardware itself. OEMs that integrate service readiness today will define the humanoid industry tomorrow. Because at the end of the day, customers don’t just want robots that can walk and work, they want robots they can rely on.
