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Robotics

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Robotics
As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to stay ahead in China's evolving competitive landscape.
Unitree Robotics’ R1 is one of the world’s most affordable humanoids. Photo: Handout
Alibaba

Unitree to debut cheapest humanoid robot globally via Alibaba: sources

The international launch of the company’s cheapest humanoid robot next week is expected to cover North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore.

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Science

Is a leading US AI-robot scholar about to join China’s tech talent pool?

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Trending in China

China ‘sexual intelligence godmum’ returns, paper robots for ancestors, mum goes bald tutoring son

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Autonomous vehicles

Meter running: CaoCao backs heavy-asset play to scale robotaxis

Geely-backed firm targets 100,000 autonomous vehicles by 2030, banking on tighter control of cars, tech and operations to drive efficiency.

Chinese ride-hailing company CaoCao, backed by Geely, is betting on a heavy-asset strategy to emerge as a leading robotaxi operator. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Shenzhen robot maker turns to Hong Kong for computing power and listing

EngineAI, whose robots have been bought by Mideast companies, needed cloud-based computing that could be seamlessly accessed from anywhere.

Mainland China

UBTech powers up as humanoid robot sales jump 23-fold

Rapid growth in ‘embodied intelligence’ is beginning to translate into real orders as Chinese robotics firms scale production.

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IPO

Breathing fire: Manycore first of the ‘Six Little Dragons’ to near Hong Kong IPO

Spatial intelligence firm moves ahead of tech peers after clearing a key Hong Kong listing hurdle.

Hangzhou-based Manycore, operator of the world’s largest spatial design platform. Photo: Weibo
China jobs

AI ‘collusion’ could force wages down, warns ILO economist

Young people’s unemployment woes ‘mostly related to the current economic slowdown, more than to specific AI’, says Ekkehard Ernst.

Marathons

Humans, robots to run together again at Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon: organisers

More than 300 humanoid machines representing at least 100 company and university teams will compete in the race on April 19 in Beijing E-Town.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s lidar giants pivot to robotics in boost supply chain dominance

Hesai will spend US$28.9 million this year to design and manufacture ‘eyes and muscles’ for robots, creating a new growth engine.

The Hesai booth at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, January 9, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
China technology

Why China’s humanoid robots are still waiting for their ‘ChatGPT moment’

Limited training data and unresolved hardware challenges continue to hold back humanoid robots from mass adoption, say experts.

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A humanoid robot serves candied hawthorn on sticks at the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing, March 25, 2026. Unlike ChatGPT, the robotics industry has yet to find its sweet spot. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

Video | Here’s what it takes to get a robot ready for the world

Each robot requires eight hours of rigorous testing to be ready for customers.

Banking & finance

HKIC, Gobi Partners and HKU launch fund to back university research start-ups

Gobi-HKU Fund I makes first bets at launch, investing in robotics and AI drug design spin-offs born from university research breakthroughs.

Unitree Robotics

Inside Unitree’s landmark IPO: what to know about China’s humanoid giant

Listing, if approved, would be a bellwether of investor appetite for so-called embodied AI companies.

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Students view a humanoid robot based on the Unitree G1 platform in Zagreb, Croatia, on February 25, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
China society

Opinion | Why China’s AI automation push is a risky social experiment

Without reforms to improve wages, housing access and childcare, automation could entrench a low-fertility crisis and destabilise the social contract.

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A robot helps with a task during a media tour to the Beijing Humanoid Robot Pilot Verification Platform, in Beijing on March 20. Photo: EPA
China manufacturing

China developing first tourist submersible for trips 1,000 metres under the sea

The Chinese prototype would enter commercial operation offering adventure-seeking holidaymakers spectacular deep-sea experiences by 2030.

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China manufacturing

AI, flying cars drive economic transition in China’s Kunshan

City at heart of Yangtze River Delta region sees new tech dreams emerge as old ones based on mass production of electronics fade.

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Artificial intelligence

Nvidia’s Huang calls China ‘formidable’ in robotics as firm bets on physical AI

China’s microelectronics, motors, rare earth and magnets – which are foundational to robotics – are the world’s best, says Huang.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during the company’s global AI conference in San Jose, California, March 17, 2026. Photo: Reuters
IPO

China’s Unitree Robotics rides humanoid tide as it targets US$610m IPO

Prospectus reveals that company’s revenue jumped 335 per cent last year, while net profit surged nearly eight times.

Mainland China

Video | Robot tennis player takes on humans

The robot developed by Tsinghua University and Galbot is able to return 88.69 per cent of shots it faces.

Artificial intelligence

How Chinese robot makers are tapping OpenClaw to take on real-world tasks

OpenClaw AI is being integrated into robots for real-world tasks, from household chores to enterprise services.

OpenClaw is being integrated across the wider robotics industry. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

US sounds alarm over China’s humanoid robots amid security concerns

AI and robotics executives warn American lawmakers that China’s rapid advances – led by Unitree – threaten US dominance.

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Humanoid robots by Unitree Robotics on display at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 3, 2026, where Chinese firms showcased advances in AI and mobile technology. Photo: Xinhua
China manufacturing

China’s industrial robot output accelerates as factories ramp up deployment

Output of industrial robots jumps 31 per cent in year’s first two months, while production of service robots rises 1 per cent in same period.

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US-China relations

Opinion | 3 realities shaping China-US tech competition

Beijing’s policy priorities point to a more intense, multidimensional contest, with a smaller but still meaningful space for cooperation.

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Science

Could China build an ‘army of centaurs’ with this non-invasive cyborg tech?

Chinese scientists develop a wearable human-robot device enabling soldiers to carry heavy loads in rugged terrain.

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This wearable human-robot hybrid could enable soldiers to push beyond their physical limits while walking and hauling loads in tough environments. Photo: Handout
ChatGPT and other generative AIs

Why are people in Los Angeles filming themselves doing housework?

Gig workers in Los Angeles are earning extra cash through video capture, filming themselves performing chores to teach AI and robots.

Los Angeles resident Salvador Arciga films himself doing the laundry for a data collection job in Los Angeles, California. Photo: TNS
Science

This weird-looking humanoid robot could help China conquer the moon: scientists

Highly dexterous robot built on a wheeled platform will traverse the lunar surface while performing construction, maintenance and sampling.

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China's population

Can AI help China cushion economic fallout from its rapidly ageing population?

As fertility rates fall, Asian economies face a daunting challenge – sustaining growth with fewer workers.

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