China’s Humanoid Robot Bubble: Good News For America? - Forbes
Earlier this year, a Peter Diamandis report found about 100 companies working on humanoid robots globally. A few short months later, there are 150 just in China.
Key takeaways
In August 2025 Ubtech unveiled the Walker S2, an industrial‑grade humanoid that can autonomously swap its battery, demonstrating self‑sufficient operation in a multi‑robot training program at a smart factory. A month later, Deep Robotics introduced the DR02, the first all‑weather humanoid with an IP66 dust‑ and water‑resistance rating, aimed at outdoor security, logistics and industrial inspection in harsh construction sites. In September, the startup Humanoid released its first bipedal model, the HMND 01 Alpha, which can begin walking within 48 hours of assembly after a rapid integration of its wheeled prototype platform. November’s “Top 10 robotics developments” highlighted Agile Robots SE’s launch of Agile ONE, a collaborative industrial humanoid, while California‑based 1X Technologies opened pre‑orders for Neo, a consumer‑ready humanoid priced at roughly $20 k and marketed for household assistance. SoftBank announced on 1 December 2025 that it is pairing edge‑AI with office robots to improve real‑time coordination between human workers and robotic assistants. A December 2025 IEEE survey noted that companies such as Agility Robotics, Figure AI and Tesla are moving humanoids from research labs into pilot deployments across offices, hospitals and retail, accelerating adoption with advances in AI, sensors and safety standards. Forbes’ December 2025 analysis warned that, despite projections of a $154 billion market by 2035, humanoid dexterity remains limited by a lack of high‑resolution tactile data, while a separate Forbes piece reported that China’s rapid expansion to about 150 humanoid firms has prompted government warnings of an “overheated bubble,” which analysts say could reshape global competition.
Earlier this year, a Peter Diamandis report found about 100 companies working on humanoid robots globally. A few short months later, there are 150 just in China. In fact, the humanoid robot hype is getting so potentially overheated that China’s economic planning agency is warning its robotics sector that too many companies are working on the technology. Too many companies are working on humanoids in China right now, says Li Chao, the spokesperson for China’s the National Development and Reform In an odd way, that’s probably good news for the United States.
Trimming the number of companies making humanoid robots will certainly be efficient, resulting in fewer duplicative products, Chao says. The question for America is whether it will be more effective in the long run.
Probably not, according to former leader of NASA’s robotics and AI unit, who is currently chairman of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for consulting giant Alliant. Humanoid robots are incredibly important, Ambrose says, for national competitiveness and geopolitical power over the next decade and beyond. The Russia-Ukraine war – dubbed the First Drone War by Ambrose – shows how important robots are in the military. That includes flying robots (drones) but also land-based and seagoing robots.
MORE FOR YOU
But robots are critical for peacetime success as well.
Mentioned in this article