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Robotics

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Robotics
As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to stay ahead in China's evolving competitive landscape.
Shaping up: Chinese EV manufacturers including BYD and Xpeng are now accelerating plans to mass-produce humanoid robots. Photo: Kyodo
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV giants challenge Tesla in race to commercialise humanoid robots

After years of competing with Tesla in electric vehicles and self-driving technology, Chinese manufacturers are targeting humanoid robots.

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Indonesia

Indonesian police in the market for hi-tech Chinese equipment

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Hong Kong

Chinese researchers tackle AI training bottleneck for household robots

Unitree Robotics

US public cheers dancing Unitree robots while Congress looks to ban them

Eight Unitree G1 humanoid robots performed an elaborate dance routine on America’s Got Talent, alongside a Chinese dancer from Sichuan.

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Unitree’s G1 humanoids received high praise from judges on America’s Got Talent on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
Nvidia

China just beat Nvidia on a global robotics ranking. Is a new tech war brewing?

Spirit AI says its foundation model for embodied intelligence is the first from China to top the RoboArena global leaderboard.

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China economy

Opinion | How foreign investors should view China’s ‘little giants’ scheme

The label has its uses but it proves nothing about commercial success, product quality, financial health or global competitiveness.

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Mainland China

Unitree clears Shanghai IPO hurdle as China’s humanoid robot wave gathers pace

Listing plan highlights Unitree’s push to invest more in robot ‘brains’ as it joins competitors in China’s humanoid rush.

A Unitree robot works in a hardware store in Pocking, Germany. The robot operates in supervised mode and its goal, according to the store operator, is to support employees, not replace them. Photo: EPA
Mainland China

World of humanoid robots set for new blueprint as Nvidia teams with Asian firms

The tech trio team up to create a state-of-the-art robot reference design allowing researchers to build, fine-tune and deploy skills faster.

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Unitree Robotics

‘Arms race’: why investors can’t let go of robotic hand developers in China

Funding blitzes spotlight the dexterous hand sector, which is focused on the toughest component in humanoid hardware.

South Korea

Video | Robots take to the catwalk at Seoul fashion show

The AI fashion event offered a glimpse into a future of tech-driven, human-robot coexistence.

Robots take to the catwalk at Seoul fashion show
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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Embodied AI and autonomous agents are increasingly viewed by investors as one of the next major growth areas for the sector, UBS says.

A customer interacts with an AgiBot humanoid at a car dealership in Shanghai, April 8, 2025. Photo: Reuters
China stock market

Unitree’s IPO progress spurs stock buying of firms with exposure to robot maker

As the robot manufacturer moves a step closer to its IPO, stocks of its investors and supply chain makers have shot up.

Artificial intelligence

As China’s humanoid-robot hype cools, Unitree sees profit plunge

A filing shows adjusted profit fell 53 per cent, even as revenue continued to rise, highlighting tough competition in humanoid robot sector.

Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets the chairman of Alibaba Group, Joe Tsai, on Sunday. Photo: handout
China technology

Every humanoid robot in China set to receive personal identification number

The national initiative will give every bipedal humanoid a unique code, like a national ID but for robots.

Every humanoid robot in China will be given an identification code under new national policy announced Friday. Photo: AFP
China technology

Video | Meet China’s home-cleaning robot

A home cleaning service launched on 58.com puts robots to work assisting professional cleaners by carrying out repetitive tasks.

Trending in China

Ancient Chinese texts show ‘immortal mirror’ linking to early notion of robots

Imagination and folk legend in imperial China came up with objects that could display people’s internal organs and a flying wooden magpie.

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Elon Musk

Inside the Chinese auto-glass maker whose chairman sat beside Elon Musk

Fuyao Glass, which holds 35 per cent of the world market for automotive glass, banks on automation to cement its position.

Intelligent equipment manufactures automotive glass at the Fuyao Glass production facility in Hefei, Anhui province, on May 19, 2026. Photo: Ann Cao
Singapore

Why Singapore wants to become the world’s ‘living lab’ for physical AI

These machines are set to complement humans in the workplace, but safety should be a priority for their deployment, analysts say.

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Artificial intelligence

China unveils first humanoid robot for household chores, ready as early as 2027

Companies are still improving data required for robots to perform complex household tasks, some of which require embodied AI.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese firm Xpeng builds driverless cabs, challenging Tesla’s FSD software

The EV maker has embarked on mass production of robotaxis using its own chips and plans to trial the tech before the end of the year.

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Xpeng’s first robotaxis roll off its production line. Photo: Handout
Mainland China

Video | Robo-monks lead Seoul’s Lotus Lantern Festival

South Korea’s Lotus Lantern Festival, or Yeon Deung Hoe, was added to Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.

An android robot monk waves its hand in front of monks during a Lotus Lantern parade ahead of Buddha's birthday in Seoul, South Korea, May 16, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
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Unitree Robotics

Editorial | China’s AI-enabled robots set to transform global playing field

Chinese companies’ proven capability in making affordable, high-quality robotics is poised to be an engine of growth for the future.

Unitree Robotics

Video | China’s Unitree unveils manned mecha

The 500kg mecha is capable of transforming into a four-legged mode.

Unitree Robotics

Unitree debuts US$574,000 ‘mecha’ robot that ‘transforms’ from 2 legs to 4

The GD01 expands the Hangzhou-based company’s portfolio at a time when Chinese manufacturers are significantly outstripping their US rivals.

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The Unitree GD01 ‘mecha’ robot seen in bipedal mode. Photo: Handout
South Korea

Robots to the rescue? South Korea looks for solutions to falling army numbers

South Korea’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000 amid a record-low birth rate.

Boston Dynamics robot dog Spot accompanies Hyundai Motor’s executive chairman Chung Eui-sun on stage at the 2022 International Consumer Electronics Show. Photo: EPA-EFE
China manufacturing

China robotics to drive next chapter of manufacturing dominance: Morgan Stanley

Strategic state-led investment and low production costs are expected to lift the nation’s manufacturing export share amid deployment of advanced automation.

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Japan

Baggage bots: Chinese humanoids clock on at Japanese airports amid labour crunch

Chinese-made humanoids are being deployed at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as Japan’s aviation industry struggles with a shrinking workforce.

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