Humanoid robot industry thrives in China

①: Cruzr S2, a wheeled humanoid robot, works with an unmanned autonomous delivery vehicle. (Photo courtesy of UBTech Robotics Corp Ltd.)

②: Intelligent educational robots developed by UBTech Robotics Corp Ltd. (Photo courtesy of UBTech Robotics Corp Ltd.)

③: A Tiangong Ultra robot competes in the 1,500-meter race at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. (Photo courtesy of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center)

Four humanoid robots recently raced in a 100-meter sprint final at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, with competitors including two Unitree H1 models from Chinese firm Unitree Robotics and two Tiangong Ultra robots developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center.

Ninety robots from 23 teams competed in the 100-meter sprint, the games' most contested event. A Tiangong Ultra robot won with an adjusted time of 21.5 seconds, receiving a 0.8 coefficient bonus for autonomous operation despite a Unitree H1 robot finishing first across the line.

This sporting spectacle reflects broader momentum building across China's humanoid robot industry. Sales of humanoid robots in the country are expected to surpass 10,000 units in 2025, marking a 125 percent year-on-year surge. Companies are deploying humanoid robots in pilot programs across manufacturing, retail, logistics and catering as the sector moves toward large-scale rollout.

Policy support has provided crucial momentum for the industry's expansion. Embodied artificial intelligence was featured in China's government work report for the first time this year, while the State Council recently issued guidelines to implement the "AI Plus" initiative.

Local governments have responded with targeted incentives. Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province included humanoid robots, software algorithms and core components in its municipal key research projects. Beijing established a 100 billion yuan ($14 billion) fund over 15 years targeting future industries, including AI and robotics. Shanghai aims to grow the core output of the embodied AI industry beyond 50 billion yuan by 2027.

Industry observers note that several companies have achieved milestones in the mass production and delivery of humanoid robots.

Han Fengtao, founder and CEO of Chinese embodied AI startup Spirit AI, said the humanoid robot sector is moving toward integrated technological development. At the hardware level, core components such as joint actuators and sensors increasingly follow unified technical paths and standardized specifications.

"Mass production has significantly reduced the costs of core components," Han said. "The price of next-generation joint modules has fallen from over 1,000 yuan to just a few hundred yuan, and we expect overall humanoid robot costs to decline further."

Liu Wei, director of the Human-Computer Interaction and Cognitive Engineering Laboratory at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said that with large-scale applications, humanoid robot development will bring ethical and social challenges.

While accelerating innovative applications, it is also crucial to conduct interdisciplinary research in areas such as robotics, human factors engineering and the psychology of human-machine interaction, to promptly assess the potential risks and impacts that humanoid robots may bring to humans in specific scenarios and to implement timely control and governance measures, said Duan Weiwen, a researcher at the Center for Cultural Development and Promotion of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

China's humanoid robot sector has made steady progress in innovation and engineering, backed by increasingly sophisticated industrial ecosystems. Han cited three pillars driving the technology's development: hardware innovation, enhanced model capabilities and high-quality data collection.

Jiao Jichao, vice president of UBTech Robotics Corp Ltd., a Chinese robot manufacturer based in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, said the core components in humanoid robots need to be more stable and smaller. For example, advancements in harmonic reducers, high-power-density motors and various sensors can drive progress in designing and manufacturing humanoid robots' joint modules and dexterous hands, Jiao said.

Beyond hardware, another driving force for humanoid robots is algorithms. In recent years, advances in large AI models have led to rapid breakthroughs in their mobility, perception and intelligence.

In addition to continuous innovation and iteration in software and hardware, the development of humanoid robots also relies on supporting technologies such as satellite navigation and 5G communication.

UBTech recently unveiled its Walker S2 industrial humanoid robot, standing 1.76 meters tall with 52 degrees of freedom and industrial-grade dexterous hands. The robot can carry 15-kilogram loads within a vertical range from ground to 1.8 meters while performing complex movements like touching the ground, squatting and reaching extended distances. It can also swap its own batteries without human assistance.

Humanoid robots require precise coordination among dozens of joints and deep integration across mechanical structures, drive systems, sensors, control algorithms and AI, Jiao said.

Multiple humanoid robots have entered Chinese factories for practical training over the past two years. Such training allows robots to validate and optimize performance in real-world environments while generating scenario data for algorithm training and industrial model optimization, Jiao said

"So far, we have deployed more than 100 industrial humanoid robots in actual factory settings for training, achieving 30 percent to 40 percent of human-level efficiency," Jiao added.

Liu noted that humanoid robots will play important roles in future society. In the production sector, they will serve as a vital supplement to the workforce; in the service industry, they can provide assistance, tutoring and other services, meeting the diverse needs of different groups.