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Robotics

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Robotics
As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to stay ahead in China's evolving competitive landscape.
Xpeng’s first robotaxis roll off its production line. Photo: Xpeng
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese firm Xpeng builds driverless cabs, challenging Tesla’s FSD software

The EV maker has embarked on mass production of the robotaxis using its own chips and plans to trial the tech before the end of the year.

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Mainland China

Video | Robo-monks lead Seoul’s Lotus Lantern Festival

Unitree Robotics

Editorial | China’s AI-enabled robots set to transform global playing field

Unitree Robotics

Video | China’s Unitree unveils manned mecha

The 500kg mecha is capable of transforming into a four-legged mode.

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Unitree Robotics

Unitree debuts US$574,000 ‘mecha’ robot that ‘transforms’ from 2 legs to 4

The GD01 expands the Hangzhou-based company’s portfolio at a time when Chinese manufacturers are significantly outstripping their US rivals.

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South Korea

Robots to the rescue? South Korea looks for solutions to falling army numbers

South Korea’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000 amid a record-low birth rate.

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China manufacturing

China robotics to drive next chapter of manufacturing dominance: Morgan Stanley

Strategic state-led investment and low production costs are expected to lift the nation’s manufacturing export share amid deployment of advanced automation.

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A guest interacts with a humanoid robot at the 2026 Chery International Business Summit in China’s Anhui province on April 28. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Baggage bots: Chinese humanoids clock on at Japanese airports amid labour crunch

Chinese-made humanoids are being deployed at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as Japan’s aviation industry struggles with a shrinking workforce.

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Mainland China

Video | What is this robot at the Met Gala?

In China, humanoids like this AgiBot are being put to work everywhere from factories to city streets.

Mainland China

Hype or real: China’s robot boom faces reality check as commercialisation lags

Capital floods into China’s robotic sector but profitability remains elusive as challenges emerge with the industry’s business model.

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One of Agibot’s wheeled robots works at a supermarket checkout as the robotics sector reconsiders its business model to make the venture profitable. Photo: Handout
Mainland China

China’s robots step into real-world roles, from cleaning to directing traffic

Robots appear in settings from dirty kitchens to dangerous steel mills as country pushes development of embodied AI.

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An X Square Robot that is capable of picking up rubbish in Beijing on April 21. Photo: AP Photo
US-China relations

Exiting China market a ‘self-inflicted wound’ for US tech, think tank warns

ITIF argues that regional sales help finance domestic R&D and block local rivals, while warning that a full exit would be a self-inflicted wound to innovation leadership.

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Mainland China

Video | Hangzhou’s ‘robocops’ direct tourist traffic

The squad of 15 intelligent traffic management robots is trained to control crowds during “golden week” holidays.

Trending in China

Quirky China: robot ‘dies’ for pesticide warnings; bot hugs girl, in-car toilet approved

In-vehicle, under-seat convenience gets nod from officials; robotic ‘park ranger’ sparks online stir; hugging automaton grabs student.

Quirky China: a robot, designed to prevent tourists from disturbing dandelions, enhanced its pesticide warnings by pretending to be dead; a malfunctioned bot embraced a young woman and patent for a voice-controlled in-car toilet approved. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/RedNote
China technology

From phones to humanoid robots: China’s supply chain eyes next growth curve

A slowdown in global smartphone shipments is driving Chinese electronics suppliers to pivot towards humanoid robots.

Trainers supervise the training of a humanoid robot at the Qingdao Humanoid Robot Data and Training Centre in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but China-US cooperation might

US medical anthropologist Arthur Kleinman looks for path out of a social paradox: longer lives without a defined social role.

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Mainland China

Video | Sophia the robot makes classical music debut

The AI-themed concert, featuring a robot developed in the city, merged traditional art forms with innovation.

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IPO

Chinese industrial robot maker Inovance joins Hong Kong IPO queue

Company aims to enhance internationalisation strategy with listing expected to raise up to US$2 billion.

Staff members work on a production line at Inovance in Nanjing, in east China’s Jiangsu province, on March 17, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Jensen Huang

AI | China’s physical AI prowess on roads, in skies and factories

Innovation and competition drive rapid advances in Chinese humanoid robots, drones, autonomous vehicles and flying cars. America is playing catch-up.

China technology

Editorial | Robots are all well and good – so long as they do no harm to humans

Advanced robots in daily lives are both inevitable and desirable. But it’s more important that they work as humanised machines.

Shenzhen

From supply chain to record growth: Shenzhen dominates China’s robotics sector

The output of the city’s robotics industry hit a record in 2025, rising 20 per cent year on year to over US$35.4 billion.

X Square Robot CEO Wang Qian demonstrates a robot that can pick up rubbish during the unveiling of the Chinese firm’s new Wall-B model in Beijing on April 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters
China technology

As DJI duels Insta360, China sharpens global hardware edge amid US scrutiny

Western competitors like GoPro face shrinking footprints as strategic shifts of Chinese firms disrupt the status quo while navigating FCC-led national security bans.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China energy security

Why China is spending billions on a robot army to run its power grid

China’s grid operators plan to purchase thousands of robots in 2026 alone, including devices to inspect and maintain vital infrastructure.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers bet on in-house chips to make cars smarter and more autonomous

Chinese EV makers are showcasing advanced in-house chips at Auto China, powering smarter vehicles and challenging global tech leaders.

Artificial intelligence

Video | AI ping-pong robot beats top human players

The Sony robot achieved a milestone for AI and robotics, competing against and defeating top-level human players at table tennis.

Sony AI autonomous robot Ace returns a shot back against its human opponent, table tennis player Yamato Kawamata, during a match in December 2025, as seen in this photograph released on April 22, 2026. Sony AI/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
China trade

Canton Fair defies global trends as overseas buyers flock to buy robots, drones

Foreign buyers queue up to test the latest technological hardware at China’s largest trade show despite softening international demand.

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The 139th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, brought together 46 enterprises to showcase technological innovations and application capabilities in China’s service robot sector. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

Chinese tech giants advance robotics push as sector sees rapid growth

From marathon-winning humanoids to potential robot guide dogs, tech firms showcase breakthroughs as Beijing backs robotics as growth driver.

Science

China’s armed police mull riot control with zero human contact

The People’s Armed Police Force has shown how drones, uncrewed armoured vehicles and robot dogs could autonomously contain urban unrest.

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