China launches nearly 100 embodied AI products since 2024, capturing 70% of global market: MIIT official

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By Zhang Weilan in Wuxi (Global Times) 09:13, April 27, 2025

Xiong told the Global Times on Saturday that domestic humanoid robots now have stable walking, running, and standing functions, comparable to their international counterparts. "These capabilities are mainly due to advancements in motion control algorithms, which have significantly improved the robots' balance and stability," Xiong said.

According to Xiong, Chinese companies are capitalizing on their well-established manufacturing strengths to develop differentiated advantages in two key areas: the domestic production of core components and the accumulation of training data for robots.

Since the beginning of this year, China's humanoid robot technology has accelerated its iteration - AI powered robots danced with humans during the Spring Festival Gala and also completed a half-marathon in Beijing.

They are capable of standing firm, walking steadily, and running fast, Du said.

The country's first Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robot Games held in Wuxi from Thursday to Saturday saw over 100 robot-related enterprises and tech innovation teams participate in 10 categories, including athletic challenges such as sprinting, off-road racing, football, basketball, and dancing, as well as application-focused contests like material handling, intelligent grasping, and indoor rescue scenarios.

The event followed the successful world's first humanoid half-marathon held in Beijing, blending technology and sport in a historic event. Zhong Xiangyun, a humanoid robot industry observer told the Global Times on Saturday that the recent sports events in Wuxi and Beijing have further highlighted AI robots' capabilities, indicating that they are taking a path to transitioning from laboratory experiments to large-scale production and commercial applications.

A vivid example is humanoid robot Atom developed by Shenzhen-based Dobot Robotics. As the world's first full-size humanoid robot with "agile operation and straight-knee walking" capabilities, Atom is equipped with a self-developed high-precision operating system, and can complete tasks such as assembling chocolate boxes, fetching milk, shaking hands, and delivering flowers under voice commands, Li Jiaxian, a representative from Dobot Robotics told the Global Times on Saturday.

Li said that Atom is mainly used in industrial scenarios such as car assembly preparation, coffee shop drink preparation, and pharmacy night shifts. As of 2024, the company had shipped over 80,000 collaborative robots to overseas markets in more than 80 countries and regions.

At the forum, Chen Ying, vice president and secretary-general of the Chinese Institute of Electronics, said that the sports meeting serves as both a milestone review of the technical advancements in embodied AI and the launchpad for constructing a comprehensive industrial ecosystem. As AI models continue to evolve at a rapid pace and technology companies ramp up their research and development efforts, the market potential for embodied AI is poised for significant expansion, Chen added.

According to a report from Head Leopard Shanghai Research Institute, China's embodied AI market size reached 418.6 billion yuan ($58 billion) in 2023 and is expected to reach 632.8 billion yuan by 2027, driven by breakthroughs in AI technology, the Securities Daily reported.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)