In what’s been considered a major milestone in robotics, China’s humanoid robot, Tiangong Ultra, took the world stage this last April. It recently claimed victory at the world’s first humanoid half marathon in Beijing! The Tiangong Ultra character has a human-like form and is dressed in a sports singlet. This forward-thinking development represents the nation’s desire to be at the forefront of humanoid robotics. Countries are in a race against each other to build their technological capacity robots. This accomplishment takes place in that intense competition, similar to a 21st century space race.
Internationally, the competition is intense, with the United States likewise hoping to improve its own robotic technologies. Jeff Cardenas, chief executive of US robotics company Apptronik, referred to this rivalry as “the space race of our time.” The introduction of national programs and equally massive investments has raised the stakes in this competition tremendously in both countries.
China’s humanoid robot race illustrates not only technological ambition but strategic state planning. In 2023, the Chinese government announced its first national plan. Their aim is to establish a world-leading humanoid robotics industry by 2027. To bolster this initiative, it announced a one trillion yuan ($214 billion) fund dedicated to supporting startups in sectors like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
The Rise of Humanoid Robotics in China
So far in 2024, Chinese firms have launched a stunning total of 36 new humanoid forms. By comparison, US companies were able to issue just eight over the same period. This striking contrast serves as a reminder that China is moving forward at an incredible and alarming pace. These bots are more than just pretty faces. They are designed to punch, kick, and transfer things like oranges from one plate to another.
The goals driving these initiatives go well beyond just boosting competitiveness. Chinese newcomers such as MagicLab are utilizing bleeding-edge AI models to enhance their robots’ talents. Others include DeepSeek, Qwen, and ByteDance’s Doubao. Wu Changzheng from MagicLab noted, “DeepSeek has been helpful in task reasoning and comprehension, contributing to the development of our robots’ ‘brains.’”
Experts believe that China has maintained a clear advantage due to its dominance over the manufacturing supply chain that produces the necessary hardware. Claude Sammut, a computer science and engineering professor from the University of New South Wales, explained, “You can find everything you need in certain industrial hubs, so that’s why they’ve been able to drive the cost down.” He raised questions about the practical applications of these advancements, stating, “Really the big question is, how useful are they going to be?”
The Global Competition and Future Prospects
The global race in humanoid robotics is not just a hardware competition. In aggregate, Robert Potter, a visiting fellow from the Australian National University, said, “China has put in a lot of money. He thinks the democratic world continues to have a significant edge in the competition. He noted that in a certain subset of fields, such as camera-based AI and surveillance technology, China really excels. This innovation is largely oriented by market forces controlled by state appetites, not consumer appetites.
As nations push forward in their robotic endeavors, the question remains: what is the ultimate goal of these technologies? Sammut noted, “It’s really not quite clear what the end goal is because [industry] is producing this great looking technology but exactly how they can be deployed, people are still working it out.” And while there’s a lot of unknowns about their eventual real world applications, the promise for humanoid robots to transform entire industries is real.
Now companies like Tesla are entering the humanoid race. They even presented their model, Optimus, at the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing. This diversification of players in the market is a positive sign of growing confidence in humanoid robotics as an industry with long-term potential.
Government Backing and Investment Landscape
Support from national and international governments has been key to establishing the humanoid robotics landscape. Together with the Chinese government’s massive investment, this shows intent to dominate the sector. By using government funding, supporting startups, and creating collaborative environments between universities and incumbents, China pursues the goal of creating a nationwide environment for rapid innovation.
US robotics companies continue to struggle even as their technical capabilities are world class. Cardenas emphasized the importance of competition in this arena: “I do think this will be a global race and I do think it will be important for us to really compete and win.” As countries compete to make the biggest strides in AI and robotics, mutual destruction will of course depend on technological progress and profitability.
Although some experts are still cautious about the arrival of consumer-ready humanoid robots, there are those who believe a transformative moment may be just around the corner. Grace Brown remarked on this potential shift, stating, “That’s going to be like the iPhone or a ChatGPT moment for humanoid robots. It’s very near.” These kinds of predictions come from a place of optimism and an expectation that breakthroughs will soon transform humanoid robots from specialty tools to ubiquitous assistants.
