China debuts economic data on service robots as humanoid industry grows

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South China Morning Post

Tue, Mar 18, 2025, 2:30 AM 3 min read

China's authorities statistic bureau has introduced a caller information bid connected "service robots" successful its monthly concern output report, successful summation to the existing "industrial robots" category, offering a clearer presumption of the country's increasing robotics industry.

While China is already the world's starring concern robot market, accounting for implicit fractional of planetary installations, the country's work robot assemblage - including professional, consumer, and aesculapian robots - is besides rapidly expanding, fuelled by the emergence of start-ups specified arsenic Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics and Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics.

According to information released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) connected Monday, the output of work robots successful China - utilized for tasks similar transportation and cleaning - jumped 35.7 per cent to astir 1.5 cardinal units successful the archetypal 2 months of the year.

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Service robots outperformed concern robots successful some maturation and output. In January and February, the output of concern robots reached 91,088 units, a 27 per cent summation from a twelvemonth earlier, NBS information showed.

Crowds ticker a robot execute a somersault astatine an accumulation successful Beijing. Photo: Kyodo alt=Crowds ticker a robot execute a somersault astatine an accumulation successful Beijing. Photo: Kyodo>

NBS statistician Sun Xiao said successful a connection that the combined output from some segments, on with concern power computers and systems, contributed to a 9.1 per cent maturation successful the added worth of integer merchandise manufacturing.

The determination by the statistic bureau to supply information connected work robot output underscores the increasing value of robotics successful China's economical landscape. The expanding integration of work robots into regular life, spanning hospitality to education, has fostered a booming marketplace with immense potential.

Chinese brands specialising successful cleaning robots, a large class of work robots, person been increasing successful caller years. In 2024, Beijing-based Roborock surpassed American person iRobot successful shipments, according to marketplace probe steadfast IDC.

Among the apical 5 cleaning robot manufacturers past year, 4 were Chinese: Roborock, Ecovacs Robotics, Xiaomi, and Dreame. iRobot ranked 2nd with a planetary marketplace stock of 13.7 per cent, trailing Roborock's 16 per cent.

The Chinese authorities has been putting greater accent connected the robotics sector. In its latest enactment study presented during the yearly meetings of the country's apical legislature and advisory assemblage known arsenic the "two sessions", the word "embodied intelligence" was mentioned for the archetypal time. The conception refers to the exertion of artificial quality successful carnal systems, specified arsenic robots.


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