Humanoid robotics sales booming as China captures 97pc of market
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Key takeaways
- The most recent coverage shows that humanoid robots are becoming a flashpoint in U.S.–China competition, with the White House banning imports of next‑generation Chinese‑made mobile robots, including humanoids, on July 28 2026, while Chinese manufacturers continue to dominate global shipments, accounting for 97 percent of first‑half deliveries and expanding into overseas markets through new export‑insurance policies and tariff‑code reforms.
- Shanghai‑based AgiBot has surged ahead of rival Unitree, capturing 44 percent of the worldwide market and posting a 562 percent year‑on‑year shipment increase, while Unitree is gearing up for a Shanghai Star Market IPO that could raise roughly $900 million.
- In the United States, Agility Robotics plans to launch its Digit V5 humanoid in December, promising safe, cage‑free operation alongside workers, and a San Mateo County supervisor has introduced a permitting proposal aimed at regulating untethered humanoid robots in commercial settings for safety and economic impact.
- Meanwhile, analysts note that sales of industrial and commercial humanoid robots have tripled over the past year, driven largely by applications in manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics, even as consumer‑grade home‑service models remain years from mass adoption.
Silicon Republic
TECHNOLOGY
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE COMMS START-UPS ALL SCIENCE
INNOVATION MACHINES CLIMATE ALL CAREERS
ADVICE PEOPLE EMPLOYERS JOBS NEWS ALL AI MORE
AI POLICY ADVERTISE FOLLOW US CONTACT ABOUT COOKIE & PRIVACY POLICY
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE COMMS START-UPS ALL
Humanoid robots sales to triple as China captures 97pc of market
by Suhasini Srinivasaragavan
10 Aug 2026
Two humanoid robots hitting each other in a boxing match.
Unitree humanoid robots in a boxing match. Image: Unitree, 2025
Industrial and commercial applications accounted for more than 70pc of humanoid robot shipments.
Humanoid robot sales have skyrocketed 272pc in a year as the maturing technology proves its use in industrial settings, a new report finds. The analytics firm said general-purpose home-service humanoid robots, something Meta is working towards with its recent acquisition of Assured Robot Intelligence, is unlikely to reach mass market scale in the next five years.
Reports suggest that Meta has made “significant” investments in this category with goals to create humanoid robotic hardware to help with household chores.
Recent US restrictions on foreign-made robots could create additional issues for Chinese sellers looking to expand into mature markets, the report found.
Similarly, the EU’s scrutiny over AI applications across autonomous robots in manufacturing and personal assistance also places hurdles for growth. 28 Jul 2026
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