China creates a unique digital ‘ID’ for humanoid robots to ensure their traceability

The platform, presented at the end of May by the Humanoid Robotics and Embedded Intelligence Standardization Committee (HEIS), under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, acts as the operational axis of a new national regulation, which requires that each humanoid robot have a unique identity code.

The assigned identification will allow the robots to be tracked throughout their entire life cycle, from manufacturing to recycling.

The 29 digits that will accompany each robot are not arbitrary, but are divided into four numerical segments with a specific meaning.

The first two correspond to the country of origin and allow tracking of cross-border shipments and sales; Next, a block of four digits identifies the manufacturing company, followed by six digits that correspond to the robot model.

The last 17 digits constitute the serial number, a unique identifier of each unit that allows its precise traceability throughout its entire life cycle, from manufacturing to recycling.

Yu

The initiative already applies to more than 100 Chinese humanoid robot manufacturers, and more than 28,000 robots of about 200 models have received a digital identity.

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The move comes at a time of growing interest in humanoid robotics in China, where authorities have identified these systems as one of the strategic areas of technological development.

The global humanoid robot market expanded by 508% last year, with some 18,000 units of total shipments worldwide in which Chinese manufacturers are “occupying a leading position supported by a comprehensive industrial supply chain,” according to data from consulting firm IDC cited by the South China Morning Post.

This Monday, one of the most visible firms in the humanoid robot sector in China, Unitree, which gained visibility for its demonstrations such as the Lunar New Year gala on state television CCTV, received permission from the Shanghai Stock Exchange to list and is scheduled to go public with an expected fundraising of around 4.2 billion yuan ($610 million).