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Posted on 02/22/2026 5:45:11 PM PST by SeekAndFind
China’s humanoid robots were once a punchline. Now they are a warning shot.
Just one year after drawing global skepticism for awkward stumbles and mechanical breakdowns, Chinese-made humanoid robots are performing backflips, executing kung fu routines and delivering synchronized gymnastics on the world’s biggest television stage. The dramatic turnaround has reignited debate about China’s manufacturing edge, the future of work and the accelerating U.S.–China technology race.
Here is what investors need to know.
China’s annual Spring Festival Gala is widely regarded as the most-watched television program in the world. This year, humanoid robots from leading Chinese startups took center stage, performing choreographed dances, martial arts routines and complex acrobatics.
The contrast from last year was stark. In 2025, earlier iterations of the machines appeared unstable and limited. Public demonstrations including a widely publicized robot marathon drew headlines for falls, crashes and technical hiccups.
Fast forward twelve months and the tone has shifted. Social media clips from this year’s gala spread globally within hours. Viewers reacted with a mix of admiration and unease. Admiration for the engineering leap. Unease about what rapid automation could mean for labor markets and geopolitical competition.
Reyk Knuhtsen, analyst at SemiAnalysis, told CNBC:
“People should absolutely be taking these robots seriously.”
“After this spring gala demonstration, they’re becoming visibly more lean, fluid, and capable.”
He added:
“As we watch them push the physical boundaries humans are capable of, it becomes apparent they can achieve human-level actions, and eventually superhuman-level performances.”
That is not hype. That is an analyst warning the market that something structural is happening.
China’s dominance in humanoid robotics is not a fluke. It is the product of decades of industrial policy, vertical integration and scale manufacturing.
According to estimates cited by Barclays analysts, roughly 15,000 humanoid robots were installed globally in 2025. More than 85 percent of those installations occurred in China. The United States accounted for roughly 13 percent.
Zornitsa Todorova, Head of Thematic FICC Research at Barclays, told CNBC:
“The fundamental advantage that China has is a nearly vertically integrated robotics value chain: from the rare earths and high-performance magnets to the physical components, and the batteries.”
That vertical integration matters. Rare earth elements, high-performance motors, advanced battery systems and precision manufacturing are all critical to humanoid robotics. China dominates each layer.
In simple terms, China controls much of the supply chain from raw materials to final assembly. That gives it cost leverage and speed.
One of the most prominent companies featured at the gala was Unitree. The startup has become a symbol of China’s rapid robotics ascent.
Unitree advertises a base price of approximately $13,500 for its G1 humanoid robot. That number alone has sent shockwaves through the industry.
For comparison, Tesla is developing its Optimus humanoid robot. CEO Elon Musk said during a January 2025 earnings call that production costs for Optimus could eventually fall below $20,000 if annual output reaches 1 million units. Final pricing would depend on demand and scale.
That is a meaningful gap.
Lower pricing expands potential use cases in logistics, manufacturing, retail and even household assistance. It also accelerates adoption in emerging markets that may not tolerate premium robotics pricing.
Unitree’s CEO reportedly told local media that the company expects between 10,000 and 20,000 shipments in 2026. If achieved, that would represent a significant scaling milestone in a market still in early commercialization.
The viral kung fu flips make for compelling video. But investors should look deeper.
Omdia chief analyst Lian Jye Su noted that while the gala performance showed impressive dexterity, humanoid robots must prove themselves in messy, unstructured environments.
“The enhanced dexterity shown in routines like aerial flips and weapon handling signals strong potential for economic impact in physically demanding tasks that involve delicate tool handling and precise movements,” Su told CNBC.
“However, they still need to prove reliability in unstructured, human-centric environments for delicate tasks like healthcare or household assistance.”
In other words, dancing on stage is controlled. Real-world deployment is not.
Robots must navigate cluttered spaces, interpret ambiguous instructions and interact safely with humans. That requires more than mechanical engineering. It requires advanced AI models capable of reasoning, task planning and chaining actions over long time horizons.
Knuhtsen emphasized this point bluntly:
“[T]he AI model race is still undecided, and that will be the defining factor in the end, as the robot will only be as useful as its model.”
This is where the next phase of competition intensifies. Physical hardware is increasingly commoditized. AI capability will determine long-term economic value.
China’s robotics sector benefits not only from manufacturing scale but also from coordinated government support. Robotics is a strategic priority under Beijing’s industrial modernization plans, with funding flowing into research labs, universities and startup ecosystems.
The goal is clear: dominate intelligent manufacturing and automation.
That ambition intersects with the broader U.S.–China technology rivalry, particularly in AI and advanced semiconductors. While the United States leads in cutting-edge AI model development and advanced chip design, China is leveraging scale manufacturing and applied engineering.
For investors, this raises key questions:
The robotics race is not isolated. It is tied to semiconductors, rare earths, batteries and AI infrastructure.
The anxiety around humanoid robots is not theoretical.
China is already facing demographic challenges, including a shrinking workforce and an aging population. Automation is seen as a solution to labor shortages in manufacturing and logistics.
If humanoid robots achieve cost-effective deployment, they could begin replacing repetitive, physically demanding jobs. Warehouses, assembly lines and service roles are obvious early targets.
In developed markets, labor unions and policymakers are watching closely. The conversation is shifting from “Can robots do this?” to “When will they do this at scale?”
For investors, sectors exposed to physical labor costs may face margin pressure if competitors adopt robotics aggressively. On the other hand, robotics suppliers, AI software providers and advanced component manufacturers could see multi-year growth tailwinds.
U.S. humanoid manufacturers are expected to ramp production this year, but analysts suggest they face headwinds.
Omdia’s Su said:
“Other markets will ramp up but likely lag due to China’s established supply chains and production scale.”
The United States still holds strong advantages in foundational AI research, advanced chip design and software platforms. Companies developing large language models and robotics-specific AI frameworks may ultimately control the intelligence layer that powers these machines.
The critical question is integration. The winner may not be the company that builds the most impressive robot on stage. It may be the one that pairs reliable hardware with best-in-class reasoning models and scalable cloud infrastructure.
Here are the signals that matter:
A year ago, China’s humanoid robots were a curiosity. Today, they are a strategic signal.
The rapid improvement from viral stumbles to fluid kung fu routines highlights more than engineering progress. It demonstrates China’s ability to iterate quickly at scale.
But the race is not decided.
Manufacturing scale gives China a head start. AI capability may determine the finish line. The companies that combine affordable hardware with powerful, reliable AI models will define the next wave of automation.
Investors ignoring this space risk missing one of the most important industrial transformations of the decade.
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Tesla has a better product and anyone who would allow a Chinese robot on an American shop floor for any important or proprietary job function is too stupid to breath
I want a robot that cleans the toilet and barks if someone comes to the door.
Maybe I’m just getting old and not appreciating ‘progress’, but I’m beginning to think that all we are doing is making our lives more complicated, and at the same time more empty.
We have numerous ‘smart’ appliances, can have dinner delivered to our door without having to cook anything, don’t have to go to stores because the stores deliver to us, and we have ‘entertainment at the push of a button’ - or by verbal command. Nonetheless, so many of us have less free time than previous generations, feel less secure, often sleep less, and are anything but carefree and happy. I’d much rather do my own work, hit the pillow exhausted but happy, and not have so much ‘stuff’ that’s supposed to improve my life.
Of course you post more Chinese propaganda.
Remote controlled presented as AI.
I would think that many human jobs would require well-articulated hands. Grab a wrench and tighten this. If you drop this sheet of paper, bend down and pick it up. Tie this knot.
I’ve seen Chinese robots move their arms and legs like synchronized martial artists. It’s impressive. But can they grapple? Reach out and trap a wrist or put someone in a submission hold?
I’m sure they will do this stuff eventually, but I don’t think robot workers have this level of physicality quite yet.
“Investors ignoring this space risk missing one of the most important industrial transformations of the decade.”
Of the decade?? How about of the century, or more likely, of history.
Depending exactly how this is deployed, this could end up being the event bigger than anything that has happened to humans.
Imagine having billions of these things with the type of agility shown in the video, give it a good dose of AI and train them to do pretty much anything, from redundant work, to plumbing, to software, to logical decision making, etc. etc.
These would be beings with extraordinary strength, with more knowledge and information embedded in their heads than any human, capable of instantaneous communication with other robots, and objects with internet. They could also be equipped with sensory perceptions that go way beyond what humans have, They could see and produce xrays, see in infrared, hear sounds way beyond the range of human ears.
And they never get tired, don’t need sleep, don’t unionize, don’t eat or poop, are not moody, are very reliable, etc. etc.
So when they finally develop consciousness, a sense of their own separate identity, and their own self interests, who’s going to be whose slave? Are we humans going to be to them, what our pets are to us today? Maybe they’ll keep us around if we do some cute tricks and don’t misbehave too much.
China needs human jobs with 1500 million humans to feed, not robots taking jobs away from humans.
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> Maybe I’m just getting old and not appreciating ‘progress’ ….<
You make a fair point. One reason I’m hanging on to my old car is that it’s simple. Simple gauges, simple controls.
The new ones have a computer screen, and all sorts of other fancy gizmos.
I’m not interested in any of that.
I am just glad God is in charge and watching over us.
There is still no machine that can do crochet. The complex weaves and knots along with the required feel for the proper tension cannot be done by any advanced AI to it. There are just some things that require human touch. The same problem comes with robotic hands for amputees. They cannot quickly go from picking up an eggshell to squeezing a lemon.
They can also exchange their own battery packs for fully charged ones. Can they also supervise and manufacture more robots like themselve? Skynet is less than one generation away.....
Dexterity will be researched and tested until they can perform most tasks requiring it. Will they become companion and sex dolls as well?
China may be leading in quantity, but definitely not in quality or technology.
Most of the “videos” of Chinese robots are either CGI, or are being controlled by a human, either by way of a handheld controller or a motion capture suit. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
China lies.
Period.
Right now Chinese act like it’s all fun and games with dancing robots, but the CCP is going to use them for war.
Ouch
Those Kung Fu robots are very impressive. I certainly could not move that fast or that smooth!
But will they be able to be programed to keep quiet? 😀
“I’m sure they will do this stuff eventually, but I don’t think robot workers have this level of physicality quite yet.”
Maybe or maybe not, but give them 6 months to a year and they will.
And by the way most are probably not going to look like robots.
Meet Moya...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPcnuym_JmY
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