Zhejiang Robot Industry Association
Zhejiang University Robotics Institute
Golden Conference & Exhibition Group
Shanghai Top Sequoia Exhibition Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Berrick Exhibition Co., Ltd.
2025 is hailed as the Year of Mass Production for humanoid robots, which are being rapidly deployed in automobile manufacturing plants, household service and many other real-world scenarios.
On April 19, the world’s first half-marathon for humanoid robots kicked off in Beijing E-Town. Over 20 teams from enterprises and universities brought self-developed robots to the race, turning the event into a landmark highlight across the AI and robotics sectors.
From the CCTV Spring Festival Gala stage to the Asian Winter Games venues, from exhibition booths to factory production lines, humanoid robots have taken the country by storm in 2025. Data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) shows that output of industrial robots and service robots reached 149,000 units and 2.604 million units respectively in the first quarter, up 26% and 20% year-on-year.
The technical performance demonstrated by robots during long-distance locomotion signals that the humanoid robot industry has officially entered a fast-growth phase. Wang Yao, Senior Engineer at the Tai'er System Laboratory of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), shared his insights with Oriental Outlook Weekly:“Humanoid robots are now at a pivotal stage transitioning from technological innovation to large-scale industrialization, and this half-marathon carries multi-layered significance. It drives technical iteration and breakthroughs while boosting robust industrial development. The event offers a centralized platform for demonstration and exchange, sparks nationwide public discussion, attracts more innovation resources into the sector, encourages cross-industry exploration of robot deployment, and deepens public awareness, understanding and recognition of humanoid robots.”
Standing only 75 cm tall, the “0306 Giant Junior” developed by Beijing Vocational University of Science and Technology was the shortest competitor at the Beijing E-Town humanoid robot half-marathon. Its R&D team disclosed that the robot was specially optimized for uneven terrain, fitted with 180-degree rotary joint motors and rubberized foot soles.
Another lightweight contestant, Mini Hi, developed by Guangzhou Gaoqing Electromechanical Technology Co., Ltd., stands 82 cm high and weighs merely 17 kg. Huang Peixin, Algorithm Engineer of the company, explained that Mini Hi is equipped with human-like leg joints, enabling running, obstacle crossing and stair climbing.
“Long-distance locomotion for humanoid robots hinges on three core technical pillars,” Wang Yao told the magazine.“First, stability during prolonged continuous movement, alongside reliability of core components including joints and sensors as well as the overall mechanical structure. Second, battery endurance and convenient power replacement solutions. Third, holistic structural design quality. All three factors determine how well a robot performs in marathon-style races.”
From a technical perspective, Wang Yao noted that most domestic humanoid robots can now stably execute basic movements such as walking, running and jumping, paired with preliminary human-machine interaction capabilities, marking the industry’s “fundamental capability maturity” phase. Certain models can even perform complex routines like dancing and martial arts. Building on this foundation, enterprises are accelerating trials in manufacturing and public service scenarios, with prototypes capable of completing simple primary operational tasks.
The industry is witnessing faster iteration as robots move from lab prototypes to real competitive trials. Liang Liang, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, commented that the unprecedented half-marathon served as an industrial dialogue and massive training drill, without prior experience or benchmark data to draw on.“We aim to validate the industry’s technological achievements through this event and advance technology to better serve humanity,” Liang said.
As the host city, Beijing prioritizes robotics as a strategic emerging industry and has delivered remarkable progress in policy support, technological innovation, scenario application and industrial agglomeration.
The Beijing Robotics Industry Innovation and Development Action Plan (2023–2025) sets clear targets for 2025: foster 100 high-tech, high-value robot products and 100 replicable national-level application scenarios, with core robotics industry revenue exceeding RMB 30 billion.
On February 28, 2025, multiple municipal authorities including the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Zhongguancun Science Park Administration jointly released the Beijing Embodied AI Technology Innovation and Industrial Cultivation Action Plan (2025–2027). It targets notable leaps in original innovation capacity by 2027, including no fewer than 100 breakthrough core technologies covering embodied large brain-cerebellum models, dedicated embodied AI chips and full-body motion control, over 10 world-leading software and hardware products, and largely domestically self-reliant upstream and downstream industrial chains for embodied intelligence.
Beijing is far from alone in accelerating humanoid robot industrial layout. In recent years, the integration trend of “robots + real scenarios” has grown prominent. Many cities leverage robot competitions to showcase technical strength and fuel local industrial upgrading under the concept of “race a marathon, test core capabilities”.
Shenzhen focuses on mass production and deployment of industrial robots, registering a total robotics industrial chain output of RMB 179.7 billion in 2023.
Hangzhou centers its competitiveness on low-cost mass manufacturing and scenario innovation, with local firms such as Unitree and Deep Robotics capturing over 60% of the global quadruped robot market share.
Shanghai takes humanoid robot mass production as a core breakthrough, pioneering group standards including the Classification Guidelines for Embodied AI Intelligence Levels. It is building a world-class integrated innovation cluster of “AI + robotics” to seize the commanding heights of new quality productive forces.
Recently, dozens of Walker S1 industrial humanoid robots developed by UBtech Robotics have undergone practical training across multiple complex zones within Geely Zeekr’s 5G smart factory in Zhejiang, including the general assembly workshop, SPS instrument panel area, quality inspection station and door assembly line. The robots autonomously complete collaborative sorting, material handling and precision assembly tasks.
A UBtech representative revealed that its industrial humanoid robots have finished the first phase of trial operation at vehicle manufacturing plants. The company plans to expand cooperation with more factories, roll out multi-robot collaborative training on a wider scale, and deepen large-scale deployment of humanoid robots across industrial use cases.
The 2025 Government Work Report proposed establishing a growth mechanism for investment in future industries to nurture cutting-edge sectors including bio-manufacturing, quantum technology, embodied AI and 6G. Embodied AI has risen into public view in recent years, defined as intelligent systems tightly coupled with physical bodies that generate intelligent behaviors via physical interaction with the environment. Humanoid robots stand as the most representative carrier of embodied AI, with early adoption underway in factories, universities, research institutes and AI companies.
Wang Xueshi, Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Wuhan Sports University, stated that the marathon fever for humanoid robots stems from dual drivers: technological breakthroughs and cross-industry industrial coordination.“Humanoid robots have made marked progress in core technologies covering motion control, perceptual interaction and decision-making intelligence, while policy backing and capital injection have injected powerful momentum into industry growth.”
Since 2020, the central government has rolled out successive supportive policies for humanoid robotics. The Guidance on the Innovative Development of Humanoid Robots, issued by MIIT in 2023, outlines phased targets: an initial humanoid robot innovation ecosystem to be established by 2025; by 2027, drastically upgraded technical innovation capacity, secure and self-sufficient industrial and supply chains, a globally competitive industrial ecosystem, and world-leading comprehensive industrial strength.
Data from IT Juzi, a venture capital and emerging tech data service provider, shows Chinese humanoid robot developers secured nearly RMB 2 billion in new financing across 20 funding deals in the first two months of 2025, outperforming the RMB 1.2 billion raised through four transactions in the same period last year.
China’s robotics sector firmly occupies the world’s top tier: it has retained the title of the world’s largest industrial robot market for 11 consecutive years, with over 190,000 registered patents accounting for roughly two-thirds of the global total. More than 3,000 robotics enterprises cluster across the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, while Chinese firms make up over one-third of the global Top 100 humanoid robot enterprises. Robotics is designated a strategic emerging industry under China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, and 2025 is widely recognized as the mass production year for humanoid robots, which are rapidly rolling out to automotive workshops and household service sectors.
Wang Tianmiao, Honorary Director of the Robotics Research Institute at Beihang University, explained that robotics development long relied on pre-set programming, until the arrival of large AI foundation models in 2022. Capable of simulating human brains with generalization and transfer learning capabilities, large models have catalyzed the rapid evolution of humanoid robots as an entirely new product category.
Zhang Jin, President of SIASUN Robot & Automation Co., Ltd., believes that next-generation artificial intelligence constitutes the primary growth engine for humanoid robots, endowing them with AI “brains” and gradual generalization competence.
“Humanoid robots will follow an iterative development path of ‘technology – product – application’,” Wang Yao predicted. “Starting with simple vertical-industry tasks such as quality inspection, assembly and patrol in manufacturing, they will gradually evolve to handle scenarios requiring sophisticated motor skills and advanced artificial intelligence.”
The booming robot marathon events coincide with technical breakthroughs alongside inherent risks and challenges. Industry experts stress that widespread public concerns over robot stability and safety — these “growing pains” — must be fully addressed.
During the human-robot half-marathon, a range of real-world test scenarios unfolded: some robots tumbled but quickly stood back up, waved to spectators and rejoined the race; others lost their heads mid-run yet resumed competition after technicians reattached the components; certain models required regular battery swaps, with staff lifting the robots by handholds to maintain balance. Many observers commented on these candid moments: “No growth journey comes without stumbles.”
“The development of humanoid robots is fraught with challenges spanning technical hurdles, ethical dilemmas and social impacts, all demanding interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative solutions,” said Liu Wei, Distinguished Researcher and Director of the Human-Machine Interaction and Cognitive Engineering Lab at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. “While technological advances will expand robots’ roles across numerous sectors, large-scale popularization still calls for resolving critical technical, social and economic bottlenecks.”
Industry insiders shared data showing core components including joint bearings and sensors are the most frequent failure points, caused mainly by excessive motion load and insufficient environmental adaptability. R&D teams must also advance material science applications — such as high-strength lightweight materials and wear-resistant coating technologies — to cut component wear rates.
“Sports events embody humanity’s pursuit of transcendence through the motto ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together’. The same spirit applies to humanoid robots running marathons. Every fall and recovery marks another step forward for embodied intelligence,” Wang Xueshi remarked.
A senior robotics engineer revealed that every robot fall generates thousands of sets of abnormal background data, recording real-time status alongside actionable parameters for joint torque distribution and stride frequency adjustment across varied terrain. This data enables manufacturers to boost robot stability and environmental adaptability, accelerating real-world industrial deployment through repeated extreme stress testing.
Humanoid robot motion is coordinated by three core modules: the “brain”, “cerebellum” and mechanical ontology. Take the simple task of pouring a glass of water as an example: the “brain” handles instruction decomposition, environment recognition and path planning via multi-layer decision-making logic; the “cerebellum” delivers precise control for physical actions including walking, gripping, pouring and handover. Unitree’s robot that performed Yangko dance at the Spring Festival Gala is cited as a prime example of well-developed “cerebellum” with superior motion control performance.
Zhang Weinan, Deputy Dean of the School of Computer Science and Executive Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence at Harbin Institute of Technology, pointed out existing bottlenecks for robot “brains”: no groundbreaking products comparable to general large foundation models have emerged globally. Software-wise, high-quality, large-scale cross-scenario training datasets remain scarce. Hardware-wise, dedicated computing chips for robot brains require further R&D and mass commercialization.
Though the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon has concluded, the marathon for the entire humanoid robot industry has only just begun. Wang Yao emphasized that the event delivered invaluable practical experience for technical iteration and real-scene deployment. Technical insights accumulated by participating teams offer vital reference for enhancing robot endurance, stability and reliability during long-hour operations across manufacturing, logistics, public services, commercial retail, home care and emergency rescue. Moving forward, developers will explore wider industrial applications aligned with technical progress and scenario demands, translating robotic capabilities into tangible value. Guided by real-world deployment requirements, the sector will ultimately achieve the leap from “completing a half-marathon” to “solving practical industrial and daily-life problems”.
By Jian Hongni, Reporter
Source: Oriental Outlook Weekly