Beijing. The explosive growth of humanoid robots represents a notable transformation in China’s innovation landscape during 2024.
As an influx of capital fuels the emerging sector, human-like machines are being honed for superior agility and their versatile applications are becoming increasingly evident in a range of scenarios.
Humanoid robots have now reached the educational level of a middle school or high school student, and are expected to take the college entrance exam next year, auguring for their deployment in more scenarios.
said Hu Debo, general manager of Kepler Robot in Shanghai.
New capabilities
In March, Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics posted a video showing its 50-kilogram Unitree H1 humanoid robot performing a standing somersault, a first for a full-scale electric humanoid.
Two months later, a robot developed by RobotEra of Beijing ascended the Great Wall, showing its stability and strength in different types of terrain. The new Star1 model, from a newly created firm based in Beijing, also completed a long-distance race in the Gobi Desert in October, where it reached a speed of six meters per second.
Engine AI from Shenzhen introduced the robot with the most human-like gait and the promotional video immediately went viral.
The evolution of these robots has captured the attention of the public on platforms and has secured venture capital to fuel their growth.
From January to October 2024, there were at least 69 humanoid robot funding events globally, raising more than $1.51 billion. Of those events, 56 took place in China, according to partial data from GGII, a Shenzhen-based consulting firm for emerging industries.
The size of the humanoid robot market in China in 2024 is about 1.76 billion yuan, a recently published price guide showed.