AgiBot overtakes Unitree as top global humanoid robot vendor in first half amid IPO push | South China Morning Post
Robotics TechTech Trends # AgiBot overtakes Unitree as top global humanoid robot vendor in first half amid IPO push AgiBot’s shipments surged 562 per cent year on year, supported by a portfolio of full-size bipedals, compact units and wheeled robots 2-MIN R...
Key takeaways
- The U.S. has just banned new imports of Chinese‑made humanoid and quadruped robots, citing national‑security concerns, while Chinese manufacturers continue to dominate the market: AgiBot overtook Unitree as the world’s largest vendor, shipping 8,400 units (44 % of global shipments) in the first half of 2026; Unitree shipped about 5,900 units.
- Global shipments rose 272 % year‑on‑year to 19,100 units in H1 2026, with 97 % of the volume coming from China.
- In the U.S., Tesla is still testing its Optimus line internally, and Boston Dynamics is pushing its Atlas robot toward commercial production, though industrial‑scale deployment remains limited.
- A San Francisco‑based start‑up, Tau Robotics, has launched a pilot that lets residents pay $30 per hour for a 50‑k‑dollar robot to clean their homes.
- Meanwhile, New York legislators have introduced a bill that would ban schools from employing humanoid robots as classroom assistants after a local district’s pilot.
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TechTech Trends
AgiBot overtakes Unitree as top global humanoid robot vendor in first half amid IPO push
AgiBot’s shipments surged 562 per cent year on year, supported by a portfolio of full-size bipedals, compact units and wheeled robots
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An Agibot humanoid robot is pictured at the company’s facility in Shanghai, on August 4, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Richard Chen
China’s AgiBot has surpassed its domestic rival Unitree Robotics to become the world’s largest humanoid robot vendor in the first half of 2026, according to new research, as both industry heavyweights prepare for public listings amid a physical AI boom. Shanghai-based Agibot captured 44 per cent of the global market after shipping roughly 8,400 humanoid robots from January to June, San Francisco-based research firm Smart Analytics Global (SAG) said in a report published on Sunday.
AgiBot’s shipments surged 562 per cent year on year, supported by a diversified product portfolio that included full-size bipedal A-series models, compact X-series units, and wheeled G-series robots, the research firm noted.
Hangzhou-based Unitree fell to second place, shipping about 5,900 units to secure 31 per cent of the global market, SAG reported. Unlike AgiBot’s multi-line push, Unitree’s humanoid shipments remained concentrated in its flagship G1 model, with education, research and performance deployments making up a substantial share. The shift comes as both companies race towards capital markets.
The Unitree Robotics booth at the China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference in Shanghai, August 3, 2026. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
The Unitree Robotics booth at the China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference in Shanghai, August 3, 2026. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
Unitree is preparing for a closely watched listing on Shanghai’s Star Market, an offering widely seen as a bellwether for mainland China’s emerging humanoid sector. The company set its initial public offering price at 150.8 yuan per share, expecting to raise roughly 6.1 billion yuan (US$904 million), according to a filing on Thursday.
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