Humanoid robots: China builds them, but Germany could supply the joints and hands

According to SAG, China is currently winning the race to develop AI-powered humanoids. Agibot, a company based in the greater Shanghai area, alone has delivered 8,400 robots. US firms such as Tesla, Figure AI and Agility Robotics are lagging behind.

However, the number of humanoid robots in commercially productive use is still low. Mass production off the assembly line has not yet been reached, and despite China’s high shipping volumes the market is far from settled.

With government backing, China’s industry is working hard to accelerate the rollout of humanoid robots into widespread use.

The goal is clear: humanoid robots in manufacturing, logistics and warehousing. In these areas, robots could perform clearly defined tasks, SAG notes. A new production method could also cut manufacturing costs by more than 25 percent and reduce material consumption by over 75 percent. That makes the strain wave gear competitive.

"The re-shaped strain wave gear is another example of how we are industrially advancing core robotics components and preparing them for high-volume series production," says Schaeffler’s President Humanoid Robotics, David Kehr. The company is creating solutions "designed for quality, cost-effectiveness and scalability". Series production is expected to start in mid-2027. Together with consultancy P3, IPA has examined what opportunities this opens up for industrial suppliers.

They already have the expertise and production facilities for the components humanoids urgently need — and, according to recent comparisons, a specific advantage over Chinese parts of this kind.

IPA expects the market to be worth around 30 billion dollars by 2030.

China dominates global deliveries of humanoid robots

Around 19,100 humanoid robots were delivered in the first half of 2026. A huge share of them — 97 percent — came from China, according to data from research company Smart Analytics Global (SAG) published in August 2026.

For the whole of 2026, researchers expect around 60,000 robots to be shipped, rising to half a million by 2030.