At the CES show at the beginning of the new year in 2025, humanoid robots are undoubtedly the brightest stars. World-renowned manufacturers such as NVIDIA, Robosense, and Elephant Robotics have launched their latest products, demonstrating technological innovation and market potential. China Exportsemi will analyze the development trend of humanoid robots from the technical highlights, application scenarios and market prospects of the exhibited products.
Ⅰ. Humanoid robot highlights at CES 2025
1. NVIDIA: A comprehensive layout from the ecosystem to the application layer
Nvidia brought 14 humanoid robots, six of which are from China, indicating that its ecosystem has covered multiple markets around the world. Its release of the Isaac GROOT Blueprint and Cosmos platform has become the focus of the industry. These platforms provide full support from data generation to application development, significantly shortening the robot development cycle and enabling more efficient training through a simulated environment.
NVIDIA also launched GROOT-Teleop and GROOT-Mimic, which further enhance the robot's capabilities in remote operation and motion imitation, making it suitable for complex mission environments.
Pictured: Nvidia showcased 14 humanoid robots at CES2025
2. Chinese manufacturers are emerging
- Based on Qualcomm SoC, UltraMagnus is a model for domestic manufacturers to integrate with global technology.
Figure: Chengdu High-tech Zone AidLux Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.'s "Ultra Magnus" humanoid robot has attracted attention
- RoboSense’s Papert 2.0 dexterous hand shows the breakthrough of domestic manufacturers in precision mechanical design and sensor technology, and its 20 degrees of freedom design is impressive.
- With sub-millimeter precision design, Vizum's "Xiaowei" robot provides higher controllability and adaptability for industrial and service applications.
3. Robots for diverse scenarios
- Elephant Robotics' Mercury X1 is a wheeled two-arm robot with flexible movement and high intelligence, which can handle complex scenarios.
- Unitree's Unitree H1 has attracted wide attention with its running ability and advanced motion control technology, demonstrating the leading level of Chinese manufacturers in the field of kinematics.
- Realbotix and IntBot focus on the development of realistic humanoids and interactive capabilities, opening up new imagination for the future consumer market.
Pictured: Realbotix simulated humanoid robot
Ⅱ. Humanoid robot technology trends
1. Combination of data-driven and analog technology
NVIDIA's Cosmos platform greatly improves the efficiency of physical AI development by generating highly realistic synthetic data and supporting the training of machine learning models. This technology trend suggests that future humanoid robot R&D will rely more heavily on virtual training environments, reducing cost and time commitments.
2. Independent R&D and localization
Chinese manufacturers have made significant progress on key components, such as RoboSense's LiDAR technology and the humanoid five-fingered dexterous hand XHAND1 of the Star Age Era. This enhancement of independent R&D capabilities not only alleviates the dependence on imported components, but also promotes the localization of the supply chain.
3. Multimodal AI interacts with nature
From AidLux's "Ultra Magnus " to Fourier's GR-2, these robots have achieved human-like intelligent interaction capabilities through multimodal AI technology. For example, the AidLux robot can deliver objects accurately and interact with people fluently, further narrowing the interaction gap between humans and machines.
4. Precision motion and structural design
RoboSense's dexterous hands and Vizum's precision design are typical cases of humanoid robots in kinematics and mechanical design. The dexterous hand with 20 degrees of freedom allows the robot to perform more complex operations, opening up the possibility for applications in the service and manufacturing industries.
Ⅲ. Humanoid robot market outlook
1. The application scenarios are constantly expanding
Humanoid robots are rapidly making their way into multiple industries:
- Manufacturing: for automated assembly and quality inspection.
- Logistics: Improve the efficiency of warehouse management and terminal distribution.
- Medical field: assistance in rehabilitation training, surgical assistance.
- Home services: Become a housekeeping assistant or companion robot.
2. Competitive landscape in domestic and foreign markets
- Domestic manufacturers: pay more attention to hardware breakthroughs and supply chain optimization. For example, the research and development in the fields of motors, reducers and other fields is gradually narrowing the gap with the international leading level.
- Foreign manufacturers: Focusing on software ecosystem construction and cutting-edge algorithm research and development, such as NVIDIA's general robot platform, which further promotes the transformation of technology into products.
3. Challenges and opportunities
At present, humanoid robots are in a critical stage of transition from concept presentation to large-scale application. Key challenges include:
- Supply chain maturity: The cost and stability of key components still need to be further improved.
- Market acceptance: The market demand for consumer-grade humanoid robots has not yet been fully unleashed.
- R&D costs: High technology development costs form a certain threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises.
However, with the advancement of technology and the growth of market demand, humanoid robots are expected to show value in more fields. For example, the retail and education industries may be the first to commercialize them, further driving the automation of society.
Ⅳ. Conclusion: A new blueprint for industrial development
CES 2025 showcased the diversity and market potential of humanoid robotics. From the complete ecosystem built by NVIDIA to the breakthroughs made by Chinese manufacturers in hardware, humanoid robots are moving towards a new era of large-scale application with an irreversible trend. In the next 5 to 10 years, humanoid robots are expected to be an important force for social change. Global manufacturers will compete fiercely in technology research and development, industrial chain layout and market strategy to jointly promote this industry forward.
