Korean media: Are Chinese human-shaped robots surpassing the US just like electric vehicles? On April 19, South Korean media The Herald Economy published an article stating that there is an analysis suggesting that in the competition to develop humanoid robots, the US is being overtaken by China. The semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) research analysis firm SemiAnalysis said in a recent report that "China has the potential to replicate its influence in the electric vehicle industry within the humanoid robot sector." The study shows that Chinese companies are leading the way in the humanoid robot field, similar to how Chinese company BYD's sales have surpassed Tesla, which dominates the electric vehicle market. In the US, Tesla's Optimus is considered the leader in humanoid robot development. Tesla plans to produce around 5,000 units this year. The report points out that Tesla has an advantage over American competitors like Apptronic and Boston Dynamics, which have yet to enter the mass market. However, this does not apply when compared to Chinese companies. Last month, Unitree Technology, headquartered in Hangzhou, China, sold two models of humanoid robots on the e-commerce platform JD.com. Meanwhile, Zhiyuan Robotics, a Shanghai-based robotics startup, aims to produce 5,000 units this year, similar to Optimus. Tesla plans to deploy over 1,000 Optimus units in Tesla factories this year, but companies like BYD and Geely have already deployed Unitree robots in some of their facilities. Besides Unitree Technology and Zhiyuan Robotics, electric vehicle manufacturers such as Xiaomi, BYD, Chery, and XPeng have also joined the humanoid robot development race. A research report from Morgan Stanley in February showed that over the past five years, China had 5,688 patent applications involving the term "humanoid," far exceeding the 1,483 in the US. China also leads in price competitiveness. The expected price for Optimus is $20,000. If the conditions of large-scale production, short R&D cycles, and low-cost Chinese components align, this is possible. Unitree Technology launched a humanoid robot last May with a price of $16,000. The report stated, "Unitree Technology is currently the only operational humanoid robot on the market and is completely independent of American components," adding, "The only country capable of obtaining economic benefits in the smart robotics system, especially in the humanoid robot field, is China, while the US lags behind in all aspects." Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829798297594892/ Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.