Market researcher TrendForce indicates that humanoid robot deployments in China are expanding into diverse sectors including automotive, consumer electronics, aviation, logistics, and energy, which brings the challenge of product commercialization to the forefront. The 2026 World Robot Conference (WRC), held on August 19, introduced its first-ever "Procurement Day" to facilitate purchasing negotiations and supply chain connections, signaling that the industry's focus has shifted from mere technology demonstrations to addressing real-world demand.
TrendForce projects that China's humanoid robot market will reach RMB 15 billion in 2026. Furthermore, with mass production scaling up and new application scenarios emerging, the market is expected to sustain growth of at least 60% in 2027.
According to TrendForce, humanoid robots were a central theme at this year's WRC, with major players unveiling new products. For instance, Unitree Robotics released a video of its new "Superman" model prior to the event, showcasing its ability to perform a standing high jump of 2 meters and reach a top speed of 12.66 meters per second. This highlights the rapid pace of hardware performance improvements among manufacturers. However, the market's primary concern is whether these products can successfully transition from exhibition halls to commercial environments. Consequently, beyond showcasing complex acrobatics and AI capabilities, exhibitors actively demonstrated their robots' abilities in material handling, quality inspection, and logistics tasks.
An examination of recent developments among China's leading humanoid robot makers reveals that Zhiyuan Robotics had cumulatively produced 15,000 units by June 2026, with ongoing integration into 3C manufacturing facilities. UBTech Robotics has secured clients such as Airbus, and its U1 model has received 13,361 pre-orders by the end of June. Meanwhile, Galbot has partnered with CATL and won a RMB 236 million procurement project for embodied intelligence equipment.
Despite the growing variety of deployment scenarios, TrendForce points out that humanoid robots are still at different stages of adoption, including formal procurement, pre-orders, letters of intent, and pilot collaborations. A significant gap remains before achieving large-scale, standardized repeat purchasing. For companies, the real validation lies in whether initial customers will place follow-up orders after the first deployment, and whether hardware, maintenance costs, and actual work efficiency can deliver a reasonable return on investment.
Unitree Robotics serves as a key indicator for observing the commercialization of humanoid robots in China. The company made its debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market on August 19, with its market value briefly surging to RMB 444.9 billion, reflecting strong capital market expectations for the sector's growth potential. Looking at Unitree's recent financial performance, its 2025 revenue reached RMB 1.699 billion, a year-over-year increase of more than threefold. Although revenue is projected to grow by another 36% to 45% in the first half of 2026, recurring net profit is expected to decline by 6% to 22% year-over-year. Additionally, first-quarter 2026 profit has already fallen by 52.55% annually. These figures illustrate that leading manufacturers face temporary cost and profitability pressures even while growing their top line, highlighting the challenge of achieving cost advantages through shipment volumes and improving profitability after entering mass production.
TrendForce suggests that beyond the robot showcases at WRC, market observers should focus on which products have secured confirmed customers, are beginning batch deliveries, and whether initial clients can be converted into repeat buyers. For China's humanoid robot industry, the next phase of development will depend not just on technological competition, but also on demonstrating sustained delivery capabilities and profitability.