[Source/Observer Network Global] "Who will win the human-shaped robot race?" On April 25, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published an article with this title, reporting on the journalist's experience of being invited to visit the Hannover Messe Industrial Fair in Germany and interacting with the human-shaped robot G1 manufactured by Unitree Robotics.
The article does not hide its admiration for the G1 robot, citing analysis and data indicating that China has recently established a very large supply chain and ecosystem for human-shaped robots, making "iterative development and research easy." At the same time, many European and American companies in the same field also highly rely on Chinese-made sub-components. A scholar pointed out that the answer is already clear, "Chinese enterprises are likely to dominate the market."
The article mentions that at the time, the G1 robot on display at the Hannover Messe Industrial Fair amazed everyone present.
The G1 is 130 centimeters tall, smaller and cheaper than other human-shaped robots on the market, and has a highly fluid range of motion and flexibility. At the conference site, attendees would stop and try to interact with the G1: when the G1 waved or bent down, they would laugh; if they accidentally bumped into the G1, they would apologize to it. Other robots on display could not achieve this.
The sales manager of Unitree explained that customers can program the G1 themselves after purchasing it to achieve autonomous functions.
Recently, the Unitree G1 was showcased at the Hannover Messe Industrial Fair - BBC
The article states that in recent years, dozens of companies worldwide have emerged developing humanoid robots, with Unitree being one of the leading enterprises. The potential of humanoid robots is enormous; they can form a workforce for businesses that do not require holidays or raises, and may also become household appliances.
All international institutions predict a huge development prospect for the humanoid robotics industry. Goldman Sachs estimates that by 2035, the global humanoid robotics market size will reach as high as $205 billion. Citibank predicts that by 2040, the sales volume of humanoid robots will reach 648 million units. Bank of America, however, estimates that by 2060, the sales volume of humanoid robots will reach 3 billion units.
However, this technology still has great room for development and needs to solve technical and safety issues before being introduced into factories and households.
A spokesperson for Unitree told the BBC: "Artificial intelligence has not yet reached a breakthrough moment. Today's robotic AI can discover basic logic and reasoning, but understanding and completing complex tasks in a logical way remains a challenge." Currently, the main buyers of the Unitree G1 are research institutions and tech companies domestically and internationally, who can use the company's open-source software for development.
At present, countries around the world, led by China and the United States, are vying to invest in the humanoid robotics industry.
For example, Tesla, owned by Musk, is developing a humanoid robot named Optimus. BMW recently introduced a humanoid robot in one of its factories in the U.S. Hyundai Motors ordered tens of thousands of robots from Boston Dynamics.
Regarding this, Thomas Anderson, founder of robotics research company STIQ, believes that Chinese enterprises are likely to take the lead in this industry. The company tracks over a hundred robotics companies, of which 49 develop humanoid robots.
Anderson explained: "China's robotics supply chain and entire ecosystem are very large, making iterative research and development and development very easy." He used the example of the Unitree G1, which costs far less than its peers, priced at only $16,000.
Anderson also pointed out that such investment benefits Asian countries. The company noted in a recent report that nearly 60% of humanoid robotics funds were raised in Asia, with the remaining funds mainly coming from the U.S.
In early April, the Financial Times also published an article pointing out that thanks to mature supply chains, fast-paced innovation, and policy support from the government, China has already taken the lead in the humanoid robotics sector and will replicate its dominance in the electric vehicle sector.
The article analyzed that first, made-in-China components are much cheaper than those in the U.S. Analysts from Bank of America estimate that if Chinese components are used, the cost of Tesla's second-generation Optimus robot will be reduced by about one-third.
According to the Financial Times statistics, 25 Chinese companies provide components for the hands of humanoid robots, while only 7 do so in the U.S. In terms of linear actuators for humanoid robot legs, there are 30 suppliers in China and 6 in the U.S. Additionally, except for AI chips, the number of Chinese suppliers exceeds that of U.S. suppliers for all parts.
At the same time, domestic industrial policies in China have driven the rapid growth of Chinese enterprises. In addition to central policy and financial support, local governments like Hangzhou and Shenzhen have also joined in, striving to attract businesses and provide subsidies to establish industrial supply chains.
The BBC reported that Brendan Pearce from Bristol, UK, founded three robotics companies, with his latest company, Kinisi, just launching the KR1 robot. This robot was designed and developed in the UK but will be manufactured in Asia.
"As a European or American company, the problem you face is that you must first buy all these sub-components from China," Pearce told the BBC. "Therefore, buying motors, batteries, resistors in China and shipping them to various places for assembly becomes very foolish; you can completely assemble them in the place of origin, which is Asia."
Pearce said that whenever possible, the KR1 is made using mass-produced components. "My philosophy is to buy as many off-the-shelf products as possible. So our motors, batteries, computers, cameras, etc., are all commercially available, mass-produced parts."
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