China rolling out more humanoid robots in 2026 as Beijing charts future industries development - The Tanzania Times
> The industry widely views 2025 as the first year of mass production for humanoid robots, “with the sector poised for takeoff and strong growth prospects ahead,” according to Zhang Yunming, the Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Key takeaways
- Boston Dynamics unveiled new footage on May 20 2026 showing its electric Atlas humanoid lifting a mini‑fridge and, in a later test, a fully loaded refrigerator weighing over 100 lb, highlighting a shift from locomotion toward robust, whole‑body manipulation for real‑world industrial tasks.
- The same week, Figure AI streamed a marathon‑style package‑sorting test in which its humanoid trio logged more than 30,000 sorted parcels over 24 hours, demonstrating continuous‑shift capability and drawing millions of online views.
- In Europe, the startup Humanoid announced a binding, phased agreement with Schaeffler and a partnership with Bosch to integrate its HMND platform into live manufacturing lines in Germany, with the first deployments slated for late 2026 and a robot‑as‑a‑service model that includes fleet management and 24/7 support.
- Singapore‑based Doozy Robotics expanded its global footprint on May 21 2026, rolling out its physical‑AI platform—combining a forthcoming industrial super‑humanoid, autonomous mobile robots and the Eywa‑OS orchestration layer—across the United States, the GCC and Asia to address persistent labor shortages.
- Meanwhile, Forbes reported that Shanghai’s Agibot now commands roughly 39 % of the global humanoid market, having shipped over 10,000 units and offering robots‑as‑a‑service in more than 17 countries, signaling a transition from prototype to early commercial deployment.
The industry widely views 2025 as the first year of mass production for humanoid robots, “with the sector poised for takeoff and strong growth prospects ahead,” according to Zhang Yunming, the Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Landmark projects are taking shape nationwide as Beijing advances the country’s first space computing innovation center, while Shanghai builds the world’s maiden humanoid robot component pilot platform.
In Shanghai, the world’s first pilot platform for humanoid robot components is taking shape.
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