中国正迅速成为人形机器人发展的中心，规模和速度在全球占据优势。分析机构预测，到2035年全球每年将出货约1,000万台人形机器人，到2050年在用数量将达10亿台，其中约3.02亿台在中国，而美国约为7,770万台。中国企业数量明显占优，200多家公司从事人形机器人研发，而美国仅约16家。成本差距同样显著，中国制造的人形机器人售价往往仅为美国同类产品的十分之一。
杭州企业宇树科技处于领先位置。其四足机器人2023年的销量约为波士顿动力的10倍，累计售出近2.4万台。宇树利用高度整合的本土供应链，将核心零部件成本压缩到约3,272美元，并推出多款人形机器人：H1、G1（约13,500美元）以及R1（39,999元人民币，约5,700美元）。相比之下，美国同类产品价格往往高达数万美元。宇树还计划在上海上市，估值目标约70亿美元。
技术进展仍受限于数据、灵巧操作和智能水平。当前机器人多依赖人类遥控或演示学习，缺乏真正的自主能力。中国研究机构通过大规模人工操作采集训练数据，加快模型迭代。部分专家认为机器人“ChatGPT时刻”可能在1至5年内出现。美国企业担忧在迭代速度、制造和成本上落后，认为若不借鉴中国式产业政策和供应链整合，将难以在未来人形机器人竞争中取胜。
China is rapidly becoming the center of humanoid robot development, with scale and speed that dominate globally. Analysts predict annual shipments of about 10 million humanoids by 2035 and a global installed base of 1 billion by 2050, with roughly 302 million in China compared with about 77.7 million in the United States. More than 200 Chinese companies are developing humanoids, versus roughly 16 in the US. Cost differences are stark, with Chinese-made humanoids often priced at about one-tenth of comparable American models.
Hangzhou-based Unitree is a leading player. In 2023 its quadruped robot sales were about ten times those of Boston Dynamics, with nearly 24,000 units sold. By leveraging China’s tightly integrated supply chains, Unitree cut core component costs to about $3,272 and launched multiple humanoids: H1, G1 priced around $13,500, and R1 at 39,999 yuan, or about $5,700. Comparable US humanoids often cost tens of thousands of dollars. Unitree is reportedly targeting a Shanghai IPO valued at roughly $7 billion.
Despite rapid progress, major technical limits remain in data, dexterity, and intelligence. Most robots still rely on human teleoperation or demonstration learning and lack true autonomy. Chinese research institutes are accelerating iteration by collecting massive amounts of training data through human operators. Some experts believe a robotic “ChatGPT moment” could arrive within one to five years. US firms worry they are losing on iteration speed, manufacturing scale, and cost, and argue that without China-style industrial policy and supply-chain integration, they may struggle to compete.