Unitree’s Humanoid Robots: A New Frontier in US-China Tech Competition
At the headquarters of China’s pioneering robot maker Unitree, visitors are invited to push and kick the G1 — a 1.3-metre-tall, silver humanoid — to test its balance.
The Rise of Humanoid Robots in China
The Hangzhou-based group is demonstrating the strength of its effort to transform the nascent industry to build humanlike machines. The robots are powered by open-source software that allows buyers to code them to run, dance or execute roundhouse kung-fu kicks.
Unitree leads a pack of Chinese start-ups in the sector — including AgiBot, Engine AI, Fourier and UBTech — garnering attention in recent months with made-for-social-media video demonstrations. During China’s big spring festival gala, 16 of Unitree’s H1 bots performed a synchronised folk dance during a live show broadcast to millions of viewers.
The Industry’s Potential
It was an impressive illustration of China’s capabilities in building humanoid hardware that may become the new frontier in US-China tech competition. Investment banks’ analysts predict the sector could produce the next widely adopted device after smartphones and electric vehicles, and Unitree’s chief executive and founder Wang Xingxing sees the industry experiencing a breakthrough "iPhone moment" within five years.
Goldman Sachs expects the global humanoid robot market to be worth as much as $205bn by 2035. Bernstein research analysts estimate annual robot sales of up to 50mn in 2050. Citibank forecasts 648mn humanoid robots by 2040, while Bank of America sees 3bn by 2060.
The Competition
The US competition includes carmaker Tesla, big tech companies such as Google and Meta and robotics start-ups that include Boston Dynamics, Figure and Agility Robotics. For now, the big four industrial robot makers from Japan and Europe have focused on building collaborative robots to work alongside humans, rather than making humanoids.
The Chinese Advantage
But China’s deep electronics and EV supply chain has given the country a head start, according to researchers, with many of the components for humanoid robots already made in the country and included in electric vehicles. They include actuators that convert energy into motion, as well as batteries and vision systems such as lidar. Still, the US has leading technologies for moving parts and Nvidia AI processors remain the brains of most humanoids, analysts say.
The Road Ahead
The US has a significant lead in software innovation, but China’s low-priced hardware has begun to open up the field to the kind of experimentation once concentrated in a few select labs and start-ups such as Boston Dynamics, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spin-off.
Conclusion
China’s humanoid robot industry is poised to become a major player in the global market, with a predicted worth of $205bn by 2035. The country’s deep electronics and EV supply chain has given it a head start, and the low-priced hardware has opened up the field to experimentation. While the US has a significant lead in software innovation, China’s progress is comparable to how it has come to dominate the electric vehicle market.
FAQs
Q: What is the predicted worth of the global humanoid robot market by 2035?
A: $205bn, according to Goldman Sachs.
Q: Who are the major players in the humanoid robot industry?
A: Unitree, AgiBot, Engine AI, Fourier, and UBTech are some of the leading Chinese start-ups in the sector.
Q: What is the advantage of China’s deep electronics and EV supply chain?
A: It has given the country a head start in building humanoid robots, with many components already made in the country and included in electric vehicles.
Q: What is the current state of the humanoid robot industry in the US?
A: The US has a significant lead in software innovation, but the big four industrial robot makers from Japan and Europe have focused on building collaborative robots to work alongside humans, rather than making humanoids.
