The x402 has made new progress: it has expanded from AI payment to robot payment.

Introduction:

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If you believe the future belongs to AI and robots, then you must follow this latest development!

If you believe the future belongs to AI and robots, then you must follow this latest development!

Stablecoin issuer Circle and bot network OpenMind are collaborating to develop payment standards between bots. When x402 first appeared, everyone thought AI was the future, so x402, which could be used for payments between AIs, was very important. After a period of low interest, people have suddenly discovered that x402 can now be used for payments between bots! Here's a systematic analysis of the latest developments regarding x402, along with some related observations: 1️⃣ To understand the significance of this, we need to first clarify the relationship between AI, robotics, and blockchain. We can observe that two technological advancements are currently being rapidly developed: AI and robotics. Many people are amazed at how intelligent AI is becoming; and how robots, especially humanoid robots, are becoming more and more like humans. So, what exactly is the relationship between AI, robots, and blockchain? Simply put, AI is the brain, robots are the body, and blockchain is the wallet and ID card. If we want AI and robots to create new economic models, blockchain is essential. Because in our real world, the flow of funds and identity verification are based on "natural persons," for example, only natural persons can open a bank account. So, what about AI agents or robots? This is where blockchain-based identity and currency come in. When AI agents and robots form a network, in this economy, value exchange is needed between individuals, making payments particularly important. The x402 payment protocol emerged to fill the gap in AI payments and robot payments. 2️⃣ Why are Circle and OpenMind doing this? It's worth noting that the x402 payment protocol was initially driven by Coinbase, aiming to seize the cutting-edge field of AI payments. However, when entering the lucrative robot economy, Circle and OpenMind are indispensable players. Circle is the issuer of the largest compliant stablecoin, USDC, while OpenMind is a leader in decentralized bot projects. Circle controls the settlement layer of stablecoin payment networks, while OpenMind provides the intelligent execution layer for bots. Circle has minted over 77.2 billion USDC, making it the second-largest stablecoin, but its use is primarily limited to DeFi and human transactions. OpenMind, on the other hand, focuses on decentralized bot coordination but lacks a reliable payment layer. After combining the two, Circle provides USDC + x402, while OpenMind contributes real-world applications, creating a closed loop. 3️⃣ What exactly is the x402 proposal from Circle and OpenMind? This proposal is an improvement on the x402 protocol. x402's original goal was to enable small, real-time payments between AIs, which places high demands on blockchain performance. Currently, blockchain throughput is still insufficient for large-scale applications. Circle wants to solve this problem using its own Gateway system, an off-chain payment gateway. Therefore, the core of this proposal is how to integrate x402 with Circle Gateway to achieve efficient, secure, and cross-chain payments. The specific payment process can be seen in this flowchart: (1) The buyer deposits money into the Gateway contract, generating an EIP-3009 signature (authorized transfer). (2) After the buyer pays the seller via x402, the seller submits a signature to the Gateway (/settle call). (3) Gateway off-chain verification: Check the buyer's balance, lock funds, and immediately notify the seller of receipt. (4) Gateway batch accumulation of signatures and periodic on-chain submission (batch on-chain settlement can save costs). The whole process is actually very similar to Alipay's balance payment + batch reconciliation: You scan a QR code to pay, and the payment is deducted instantly (off-chain), but the bank's backend records the transactions in batches every hour (on-chain). Gateway is essentially a unified multi-chain balance account for users. Users can deposit balances into the Gateway contract and then pay as needed. More importantly, Gateway can be seamlessly and easily embedded into the x402 v1 protocol (standard process) without altering the original structure, achieving plug-and-play functionality. OpenMind ecosystem robots can use x402 + Gateway to achieve inter-machine micro-payments using USDC. 4️⃣ In summary, this proposal is a crucial step for Circle in moving x402 from a theoretical standard to a practical tool. Circle's collaboration with OpenMind prioritizes its application in the robotics economy, enabling high-frequency, low-value payments via robots. OpenMind was a very early adopter of x402, conducting its first humanoid robot payment in May 2025. OpenMind is building an open and scalable ecosystem for machine collaboration, meaning it provides x402 with a completely new payment scenario. In payment services, the scenario is paramount. AI payment and robot payment are undoubtedly two crucial payment scenarios for the future. The x402 payment ecosystem has great potential, and we should continue to pay close attention to it.