China humanoid robot makers seek commercial adoption

At the World Robot Conference in Beijing, more than 300 Chinese humanoid robot companies showcased over 2,000 exhibits, seeking to prove their machines can generate economic value beyond viral demonstrations. The event coincided with Unitree Robotics's Shanghai stock market debut, where shares soared nearly six-fold after an IPO oversubscribed more than 8,000 times. Industry leaders and analysts emphasized the shift from demos to deployment, with many robots still used in 'data factories' for training rather than productive work. Companies like Lumos Robotics, Chery's AiMOGA Robotics, and Leju Holdings highlighted logistics and industrial applications, while the Hangzhou Robot School, backed by Zhejiang University, trains robots for specific jobs. The conference also underscored the US-China tech rivalry, as Washington banned imports of foreign humanoids in July. Despite investor enthusiasm, experts caution that large-scale commercial adoption remains years away, with challenges in training robot 'brains' and gathering real-world data.