With the rapid iteration of technology, delivery service robots and stir-fry robots have begun to appear more and more in our lives, and these humanoid robots with more similar appearance and action to humans have also frequently refreshed people's perception of science and technology.
As an industrial product with a high degree of integration and involving a variety of cutting-edge technologies, what can humanoid robots do now? How long does it take to enter the lives of ordinary people? What bottlenecks need to be broken through in the future?
Tech giants are craving humanoid robots
With the help of the motion tracking system, as the staff raised their arms, a silver-black humanoid robot also slowly raised its right hand, opened its palm to catch a bottle of mineral water, and then clenched it, handed it to the staff next to it and let go. The whole process is smooth and natural, as if a human is interacting with a companion.
This is the test scenario shown at Leju (Shenzhen) Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. The company's "Kuafu" high-dynamic humanoid robot, weighing about 45 kilograms, about 1.6 meters tall, with a pace of up to 5 kilometers per hour and a rapid continuous jump height of more than 20 centimeters, can realize multi-scenario intelligent connection applications through the open source HarmonyOS operating system, and has been gradually applied in scientific research, education, business services and other fields.
Humanoid robots, also known as humanoid robots and bionic robots, usually have features similar to human appearance such as heads, torsos, arms and legs, and have certain motor and perception abilities.
The rapid development of Chinese humanoid robots has attracted the attention of the global scientific and technological community. Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of Figure AI, a star American humanoid robot company, once praised Leju Robot on social media.
In recent years, technology giants around the world have continued to increase artificial intelligence and intelligent interconnection, and breakthroughs and innovations have been made in the field of humanoid robots. At the 2025 International Consumer Electronics Show, tech giants, including NVIDIA, showcased the latest progress in their humanoid robots, which became one of the core highlights of the show.
Tesla's humanoid robot "Optimus Prime" is already capable of walking like a human, can achieve abilities such as natural turns, and is able to pass eggs precisely between the left and right hands. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that in 2025, Tesla will have several thousand humanoid robots put into work, and official commercial mass production will start in 2026.
According to incomplete statistics from the Production and Research Institute of Shenzhen New Strategy Media Co., Ltd., as of June 2024, there are more than 160 humanoid robot manufacturing enterprises in the world, of which more than 60 are Chinese companies, accounting for 37%, making it the country with the largest number of humanoid robot manufacturing enterprises in the world. The United States and Japan ranked second and third, accounting for 19% and 11% respectively.
At present, the mainstream humanoid robot in the market is expensive, and the high price even exceeds 500,000 yuan. In order to allow more customers to feel the charm of humanoid robots, Yao Qiyuan, founder and marketing director of Shenzhen Zhongqing Robot Technology Co., Ltd., said that the company adheres to the cost-effective strategy, and the SE01 humanoid robot is sold at a price of about 20,000 to 30,000 US dollars, with universities and research institutes as the main target customers, and hundreds of units have been sold.
What humanoid robots can do
In January 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other 7 departments issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Innovation and Development of Future Industries", which proposed to strengthen future high-end equipment, break through high-end equipment products such as humanoid robots, and drive the industrialization of new technologies with complete machines to build a world-leading high-end equipment system.
Leng Xiaokun, chairman of Leju Robot, said that when the humanoid robot technology is stabilized, "it can do everything that people do, and there is a lot of room for imagination."
According to the forecast of the International Association of Robotics, from 2021 to 2030, the global humanoid robot market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 71%. Data released by the Chinese Institute of Electronics also shows that by 2030, the market size of Chinese humanoid robots is expected to reach about 870 billion yuan.
Tan Min, chief brand officer of UBTECH, said that industrial manufacturing, commercial services and home companionship are the three major application scenarios of humanoid robots. Humanoid robots have been initially applied in commercial services and industrial manufacturing scenarios, "UBTECH is very optimistic about the continued application of humanoid robots in intelligent manufacturing, commercial services and home fields." It is expected that humanoid robots will enter thousands of households in the future and become a necessity for every family.
A special report on the robot industry by Zhongtai Securities pointed out that humanoid robots have been used in experimental applications in many fields such as home services, shopping mall reception, and flexible manufacturing. In the future, the replacement of manual labor by robots will begin with the flexible production link of intelligent manufacturing.
The greatest significance of the application of humanoid robots in the industrial field lies in the fact that enterprises do not need to transform production lines for mechanization. "We found that there are still a large number of links in the factory scene that rely on manual labor and cannot be solved by industrial robots. The humanoid robot can be adapted 1:1 to the existing production line and can be used without modification. Leng Xiaokun said.
The design of the human body and kinetic energy means that humanoid robots are more likely to become participants in human social activities. Enabled by artificial intelligence technology, humanoid robots will have the ability to learn independently, be able to think like a human, and to a certain extent, they can achieve communication and emotional companionship.
Tan Min said that humanoid robots have significant potential to alleviate the crisis of an aging population, especially in providing daily assistance, health monitoring and emotional companionship. "Humanoid robots can not only help the elderly complete some simple daily tasks, but also monitor the physical condition of the elderly in real time."
The technical bottleneck still needs to be broken
At present, humanoid robots are still far from mass production and application. "Hiring" humanoid robots to work in factories and supermarkets is still a "fashionable" rather than an absolutely "affordable" choice.
For example, in the factory sector, humanoid robots are still in the small-scale experimental stage, and only a small number of advanced factories have begun to explore the use in certain workflows. Industry insiders expect that it may take three to five years for more humanoid robots to enter the production line, while it will take longer to truly enter people's lives with higher accuracy and safety.
In addition, how to overcome technical bottlenecks and reasonably control costs has become the key to the mass production of humanoid robots. Humanoid robots, which integrate mechanical, electronic, material, computer, sensor, control technology and other disciplines, have a highly complex industrial chain and many core technologies that need to be improved. At present, the humanoid robot products of each company show a high degree of customization, and there is a lack of truly universal parts, resulting in high manufacturing costs.
When talking about the future development of the humanoid robot industry, Tan Min believes that "patient capital" is crucial. He said that as a cutting-edge technology, the R&D and commercialization of humanoid robots require long-term investment and continuous innovation.
It is widely expected that 2025-2030 will be a critical period for humanoid robots to shift from "proof of concept" to "large-scale commercialization".
Yao Qiyuan suggested that the implementation of relevant standards for humanoid robots should be accelerated, and application scenarios should be continuously opened to allow humanoid robots to be "applied first".
Leng Xiaokun believes: "Compared with foreign countries, China has more abundant application scenarios, which is conducive to the full training of humanoid robots. It is expected that policies, technologies and needs will jointly promote the development of the humanoid robot industry. "