TL;DR: Chinese robotics firms like Unitree are shipping 36 times more humanoids than US rivals like Tesla and Figure, riding a massive manufacturing advantage.
If you think the US is running away with the humanoid robot market, think again. Chinese companies are currently moving way faster and shipping in much higher volumes.
A recent Forbes report showed global humanoid shipments hit over 13,000 units last year. The companies leading that charge? China’s Agibot and Unitree. In fact, Unitree reportedly shipped roughly 36 times more units last year than heavyweights like Tesla and Figure combined.
The secret weapon here is the supply chain. China built a massive hardware foundation through its electric vehicle boom. That means sensors, batteries, and motors are cheap and readily available. Companies can iterate their hardware at breakneck speed. They are pushing past flashy tech demos and focusing on real-world factory and warehouse jobs.
The US isn’t sitting still. Boston Dynamics plans to pump out 30,000 of its new Atlas bots a year by 2028. But right now, the sheer speed to scale belongs to the East.