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On June 19, 2025, two humanoid animal robots were exhibited at the China Mobile booth at the Shanghai Mobile World Conference.
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Human robots have made significant technological advances this year, probably on a cliff of investment and popularity similar to Chatgpt’s, or at least that’s what many in the industry believe.
The so-called humanoid robots are artificial intelligence-driven machines designed to resemble human appearance and movement, and have intended use cases in the industry and service sectors.
The manufacturers of these robots have been working on this technology for many years. Now, they say they are ready to release technology into the world.
“Our industry has reached a consensus that the Chatgpt moment for human robots has arrived,” said Xiong Youjun, general manager of the Beijing Human Body Robot Technology Center in a group in Singapore on Thursday, along with other professionals in China’s robotics industry.
“This year is defined as the first year of mass production of humanoid robots,” Xiong, chief technology officer and executive director of robotics company UBTECH, said in a CNBC translation. He added that mechanical bodies and AI-powered “brains” are progressing rapidly.
The original “changpt moment” happens in At the end of 2022When Openai released groundbreaking AI chatbots to the public, it led to a large number of adoption of large language models and widely recognized its potential.
Tesla’s Optimus Prime gesture at its unveiling ceremony in Los Angeles on October 10, 2024.
Tesla | By Reuters
Robotics players who hope to reproduce this impact Tesla’s Optimus Prime. Meanwhile, more and more humanoid robot startups are emerging in China, with companies such as Unitree, Galbot, Agibot and Ubtech robotics technology bringing products to the market.
While humanoid robots have not yet reached a small part of adoption that generates AI, many experts do hope the technology will have a transformative impact on the global economy over the years.
Meanwhile, from factories to technical conferences and sports events, robots have begun to appear.
Humanoid animal steam
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects the company to produce 5,000 Optimus Prime this year, and the technology is expected to eventually make up the robot Most of EV manufacturers’ businesses.
Meanwhile, China’s humanoid robot companies say their products are already used in factories and commercial services.
Galbot chief strategy officer Zhao Yuli said Thursday that the startup has deployed nearly 1,000 robots in different businesses.
According to local media reports, other companies, such as UBTECH Robotics and Galbot, have also installed robots in local factories.
According to Zhao, these deployments are linked to a surge in investors’ interests and government support for the industry and the maturity of robotics and generative AI technologies.
Industry experts point out that technological maturity has been exhibited in many conferences and events this year, such as China’s World Humanoid Animal Robot Game, which sees robots compete in real-world situations.
Galbot won the gold medal in the Robot Skills event for the first time in the Pharmaceutical Classification Challenge.
Improvements in Chinese humanoid robot motion control have also been on display in sports events such as marathons and boxing competitions.
Guo Yandong, founder and CEO of AI²Robotics, added that the improvements in generating AI also enable robots to learn to work, rather than relying solely on preset commands, a shift that could expand the use of humanoids across sectors.
Not so fast
Despite the hype of Human Robots, many experts reject the idea that mass public adoption will soon take place.
“Humanoids won’t arrive at Chatgpt moments at once, but gradually move into more and more positions as their capabilities improve,” said Reyk Knuhtsen, an analyst at Semi-Analys, an independent research and analysis firm. He added that their first use will be low-risk, prone to failure tasks.
Not to mention the long-term manufacturing schedule and high costs, adoption will also slow down compared to generating AI, he added.
UBTECH human robots are on display during the Beijing International High-Tech Expo held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, China on May 8, 2025.
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Even UBTECH’s Xiong admits that there are still some obstacles in the department, such as ethical considerations, laws and regulations that need to be addressed.
Nevertheless, analyst Knuhtsen hopes to continue investing as robot autonomy continues to improve.
“The market opportunities for humanoids are huge, depending on the performance of AI … If the technology runs, it will have the opportunity to change many labor processes around the world,” he said.
Merrill Lynch analysts recently estimated in a study that global human robot transport will reach 18,000 units in 2025 from 2,500 last year. It also predicts that the global robot “population” will be 3 billion by 2060.
