Humanoid Robots That Can Climb Stairs in 2026: Step Heights and Loads Compared

The DR02 ranks first because Deep Robotics publishes the most complete stair figures of any humanoid here: steps up to 25 cm, platforms up to 40 cm and slopes of 20 degrees. In August 2026 the company released footage of it climbing outdoor concrete stairs, and earlier clips show it running on uneven grass and jumping obstacles. It stands 175 cm tall, walks at 1.5 m/s and reached 4 m/s in lab tests. Its full-body IP66 sealing and a working range of -20 to 55 degrees Celsius let it climb outside in rain and dust, which few humanoids can claim. Arms and legs swap out quickly for repairs. The limit is that its stair tests come from the maker, not an outside lab. It suits plants, utilities and inspection teams that need a robot on outdoor stairs.

The Tron 2 ranks second because LimX Dynamics lists stair limits in a proper spec table: a maximum step height of 20 cm and a load of 20 kg while climbing stairs, against 30 kg on flat ground. It is a multi-form robot. The same upper body can sit on bipedal feet for stairs, on wheeled legs for speed, or on a desk for arm work. In walking mode it uses camera input to plan each step. Walking speed is 2 to 3 m/s, and up to 5 m/s on wheels. It supports Python, C++ and ROS, and its battery can be swapped. The limit is that its walking mode handles slopes only up to 15 degrees. It suits research labs that want stairs, wheels and manipulation in one platform.

The VR-M3 ranks third because it passed the hardest stair test on this list: in May 2026 VinRobotics showed the roughly 60 kg robot climbing stairs it had never seen, at 0.6 m/s, while carrying 5 kg. It did this with a single onboard camera, and with no LiDAR, no motion capture, no handrails, no remote driver and no map made in advance. The robot builds a 3D picture of the steps ahead, judges each foothold and shortens its stride when the footing looks risky. Its walking skill was trained entirely in simulation and moved to the real robot without extra tuning. The limit is that VinRobotics has not given a maximum step height. It suits research groups and industrial pilots in Vietnam and beyond that study stair walking on a heavy robot.

The AgiBot X2-N ranks fourth because it climbs stairs with no cameras at all. It feels its way through joint torque, foot pressure and a balance sensor, and reports say it has climbed stairs while carrying light loads. Its feet hold wheels, so it can switch between walking and rolling in under a second, rolling across flat floors and ramps, then walking up steps. That mix saves battery on long flat stretches. The limit is that feeling for steps is less suited to broken or irregular stairs than looking ahead, and AgiBot gives no step height. AgiBot names logistics, healthcare and public services as its target uses. It suits buildings that mix long corridors and ramps with short flights of regular stairs.

The Figure 03 ranks fifth because Figure has described in detail how it now walks stairs, without giving numbers. Its whole-body control model, part of Figure's Helix system, used to feel only its own body and needed manual mode switches on stairs. Figure gave it a view of the ground ahead and trained it across thousands of random terrains in simulation. The same model now climbs real stairs with no tuning on site, under varying light. The robot stands 173 cm tall and weighs 61 kg, with soft coverings and tactile hands aimed at home and service work. The limit is that Figure gives no step height or load figure. It suits households and service sites where the robot must move between floors on ordinary stairs.

Roger ranks sixth because Minerva Humanoids built it for stairways and wet decks, but a person drives it. An operator in a safe place wears a VR headset, body trackers and haptic gloves, and Roger copies their movements. Minerva's own software handles balance, fall recovery and navigation, so the operator can focus on the task. It weighs under 100 kg when outfitted, is light enough to ride in a car passenger seat, is sealed to IP66 and can wade through 260 mm of water. It was unveiled as a prototype in October 2026. The limit is that Minerva gives no step height. It suits oil and gas, bomb disposal and emergency teams that need a robot on stairs where a human would be at risk.

The Embodied Tien Kung 3.0 ranks seventh because X-Humanoid lists stair climbing among its moves but has published no stair figure for this model. Its standout number is obstacle clearance: high-torque joints of up to 400 N·m let it climb over obstacles one meter tall. It stands 169 cm, weighs 62 kg and has 43 degrees of freedom, so it can kneel, bend and work with millimeter precision in tight spots. It has a clear stair history too: an earlier Tien Kung robot climbed 134 outdoor steps at Beijing's Haizi Wall Park in February 2025, using vision to handle uneven step heights. The limit is the missing stair data for the current version. It suits full-size research and factory trials with rough, cluttered ground.