British media: Getting to know the Chinese robot revolution, how far is it from science fiction?
A Guardian reporter visited 11 companies in five cities including Shanghai and Beijing, and found that China is accelerating the industrialization of humanoid robots by leveraging deep learning and massive data.
In 2025, China established a strategic technology fund worth 100 billion pounds, with about 140 companies competing in the humanoid robot sector. Unitree, a company, shipped more than 5,500 humanoid robots last year, ranking first globally. Its entry-level model costs about $1,600, far lower than similar products in the United States, which cost tens of thousands of dollars. Galbot's robots have been dispensing medicine around the clock in several pharmacies in Beijing, with a single unit cost of about 700,000 RMB. Leju Robotics has established a large robot training center in Beijing, where about 100 remote operators work in 8-hour shifts to collect robot motion data, with monthly salaries ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 RMB. In the Huawei factory in Hefei, the automated equipment of the robot (Guchi) has achieved fully automatic installation of dashboard and window components.
There are differences in the technological approaches between the US and China. The US pursues general-purpose humanoid robots, while China, relying on its vast supply chain advantage, dominates the mass production and export of low-cost, specialized robots. Western buyers, such as General Motors, have already purchased large quantities of Chinese automation equipment. The Trump "manufacturing re-shoring" vision actually relies on Chinese technology.
Journalists' on-site experience found that current robots still rely on manual remote operation training. Full factory automation is expected to be achieved by the mid-2030s, with technological iteration and social impact coexisting.
The biggest bottleneck remains the lack of training data; the "ChatGPT moment" for robots has not yet arrived.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860089292917131/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.