In the manufacturing of humanoid robots, humans have only a short history of about a hundred years. In 1893, Canadian George Moore designed a walking machine; in 1927, American Westinghouse Electric engineer Wensley created a humanoid robot named "Herbert Televox"; in 1933, Wensley's team invented the Elektro robot.
Although these early attempts were rudimentary, they could not stop human imagination about humanoid robots. From the legend of Yanshi creating "humanoid robot" dancers in ancient times, to the gear-mechanical "humanoid" devices in the Western Middle Ages, and philosophical reflections, humans' thousand-year imagination of humanoid robots only began to see the possibility of realization in recent decades.
The development of China's humanoid robot industry has roughly gone through four stages:
- 1990-2000: Embryonic period
In 1990, the National University of Defense Technology developed China's first bipedal walking robot, only four years later than Honda's E0. In 2000, the National University of Defense Technology developed China's first humanoid robot "Pioneer" with human-like appearance and ability to simulate basic human actions. During this period, research was mainly conducted in university laboratories.
- 2000-2016: Initial stage
During this stage, humanoid robots gradually moved from laboratories into the industry. In 2006, Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center developed small humanoid soccer robots; in 2012, UBTECH was established, becoming China's first humanoid robot company; in 2016, UBTECH's Alpha 1S robot appeared on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. During this period, developments in industrial robots, sensors, reducers, and other fields laid the industrial foundation for humanoid robots.
- 2017-2022: Maturation period
These six years were the "eve" of the industry's explosion. Companies like UBTECH and CloudMinds continuously optimized their technologies; tech companies like Xiaomi entered the field; some state-owned enterprises also began to layout. Although the public might not have seen many products debut, many companies had already planted seeds in the industry chain.
- 2023 to present: Explosion period
2023 can be called the first year of explosion for China's humanoid robots. Many new companies were born, cross-industry companies increased, and products continuously debuted. From the perspectives of company establishment, social recognition, and scenario exploration, the development in this year or so can be described as "one year equals ten thousand years in the past."
Emerging companies such as Xingdongjiyuan, Stardust Intelligence, Zhuji Power, etc., have showcased humanoid robot products with comprehensive operational capabilities. Supported by multimodal large models, these robots can complete complex tasks, possess generalization and transfer abilities, and cover various complex scenarios.
[Link to more detailed information about the development history of Chinese humanoid robots]
[Link to related materials on the technological development of humanoid robots]
[Link to analysis of the current status of the humanoid robot industry]