Electric Car Emblem Assembly... Chinese Robots Becoming Scarily Humanlike, US on Alert [Humanoid Tech War]

Chinese Company Ubitech's Stock Soars 88% in One Day
Unitree Develops Fastest Biped Robot
"Tech Competition Between US and China Has Already Begun"

As China accelerates the development of humanoid robots, the US-China rivalry in the humanoid industry is intensifying. While the US has an advantage in technology due to its early entry into robot development, China’s aggressive investments are fueling a strong pursuit.

According to industry sources on the 18th, the stock price of UBTECH, a leading Chinese robot company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, surged more than 110% compared to the beginning of the year. When it was listed on December 29 last year, the stock traded at 90 Hong Kong dollars (about 15,000 won), but it began to rise on the 5th of this month with an 8.34% increase. The next day, it jumped 88.13% in a single day, pushing its market capitalization well beyond 13 trillion won.

UBTECH's humanoid Walker S is undergoing training, including assembling electric vehicle emblems. [Image source=UBTECH YouTube]

The sharp rise in UBTECH’s stock price came after a video was released showing its humanoid model Walker S undergoing training at an electric vehicle factory. The video included scenes of walking, joint movements, gripping tools, and assembling parts while walking along the production line. This demonstrated the possibility of humanoids being deployed in factories, attracting funds despite the company recording losses exceeding 560 billion won over the past three years due to research and development (R&D) costs.

Chinese companies are rushing to release models. Besides UBTECH, Unitree, famous for its quadruped robots, recently attracted attention by developing the world’s fastest bipedal robot. Called 'Evolution V3.0,' the company’s H1 robot stands 1.8 meters tall and can run at a speed of 7.4 miles per hour. Foreign media noted that it is "slower than human speed," but added "for now," implying that the running speed could increase with technological advancements. A recently released video by Unitree also showed the H1 robot carrying objects, climbing stairs, turning around, and descending.

Humanoid robot H1 by Unitree.
[Image source=Unitree YouTube]

The Chinese government is actively supporting humanoid development. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) aims to mass-produce humanoid robots by 2025 and achieve top-level performance by 2027. Major cities are strategically fostering the humanoid industry, with a mass production factory planned for construction in Shanghai.

China’s push for humanoids is driven by the expected rapid growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) robot market. According to data from global market research firm NextMSC, the worldwide AI robot market is projected to grow from $95.6 billion (about 126 trillion won) in 2021 to $184.5 billion (about 243 trillion won) by 2030, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 30%. These robots could replace humans in physical labor at logistics warehouses and factories. Once mass production becomes feasible, it could address population decline and reduce labor costs.

The US has expressed concerns over China’s strengthening of humanoid robots. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit IT think tank, recently stated in a report titled “How Innovative Is China’s Robot Industry” that "it is only a matter of time before Chinese robot companies become leading innovators based on massive government subsidies." It warned, "If the US cannot find robot demand domestically, it will fail to grow its robot industry and will eventually be overtaken by China."

US big tech companies are increasing domestic investments. Figure AI recently received investments worth about 900 billion won from companies including Microsoft (MS), OpenAI, and Nvidia. BMW plans to pilot Figure AI’s humanoid model Figure 01 at its automobile factory in South Carolina, USA. Amazon has deployed Agility Robotics’ humanoid robot Digit in its logistics centers.

Tesla humanoid robot Optimus 2nd generation model [Image source=Tesla YouTube]

Tesla has announced a second-generation humanoid model that is 10 kg lighter and 30% faster in walking speed since unveiling the humanoid Optimus in 2022. Tesla plans to introduce it for parts transportation at its factories within three years and mass-produce it for under $20,000 within five years.

Researcher Yang Seung-yoon of Eugene Investment & Securities said, "We hear about humanoid-related developments in China almost every week," adding, "Although not officially confirmed, the technological competition between the US and China has already begun." He explained, "Videos released by Chinese robot companies show some shortcomings, but they emphasize the integration of AI and software with robots like the US, so they cannot be ignored."

The development level of humanoids in other countries is relatively lower. Toyota announced the T-HR3 in 2017, and in South Korea, Rainbow Robotics released Hubo 2, but neither has shown growth comparable to US and Chinese companies. Norway’s X1 is performing relatively well. It released the humanoid model Eve in 2023 and is developing Neo, which can recognize natural language by applying OpenAI’s large language model (LLM). However, X1 is also evaluated as lacking in hardware technology related to the robot itself.