As of November 2024, perception system and linear actuator system have become the two key directions in Chinese's humanoid robot technology route, with 6,976 and 6,796 patent applications, respectively. Among them, the perception system is mostly composed of visual sensors, millimeter-wave radar and voice communication, focusing on the improvement of environmental perception and interaction capabilities. The linear actuator system integrates frameless torque motors, planetary roller screws, torque sensors, encoders, actuators and joint structural components to emphasize precise control and motion performance. The rapid accumulation of patent data shows that these two systems are at the heart of the R&D boom.
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei: Build a regional ecology with complementary advantages and coordinated development
In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the humanoid robot industry has gradually formed a coordinated development pattern with Beijing as the source of innovation and Tianjin and Hebei as the industrial support. Beijing has abundant scientific and technological innovation resources, and is the city with the largest concentration of R&D strength in the region, gathering complete machine enterprises such as Xiaomi, Galaxy General, Xingdong Era, and Accelerated Evolution, as well as core component enterprises such as In-Time Robot, Chietom, and Qingneng Dechuang. Beijing has also successively issued the "Action Plan for the Innovation and Development of the Robot Industry (2023-2025)" and the "Several Measures to Promote the Innovation and Development of the Robot Industry" to provide policy guarantee for the development of the industry.
Tianjin and Hebei rely on their own solid manufacturing foundation and industrial transformation needs to become the landing and large-scale application bases of robot technology. Many enterprises have adopted the model of "R&D in Beijing and production in Tianjin and Hebei" to promote the deep integration of the industrial chain between regions. For example, Tianjin has gathered Tianjin SIASONG, Chenxing Robot, Langyu Technology, Shenzhilan and other enterprises; Hebei has developed a number of enterprises with manufacturing capabilities, such as Tangshan Kaiyuan, CITIC Heavy Industries, Langfang Xingrun, Xianghe Haoda, Scott, and Kangde Heavy Industries. The policies of the three places have also echoed, such as the "Tianjin Three-year Action Plan for the Development of the Robot Industry" and the "Several Measures to Support the Development of the Robot Industry in Hebei Province", which reflect the great importance attached to the field of humanoid robots.
Figure: Patent applications for major systems of Chinese humanoid robots as of 2024 (unit: items)
Yangtze River Delta: The development of the humanoid robot industry has a deep soil
With the long-term accumulation of industrial robot industry foundation, the Yangtze River Delta region has built a relatively complete humanoid robot industry chain. The industrial robots in the region have large production capacity, high technical maturity and sound supporting system, and have the first-mover advantage in the development of humanoid robots. In addition, active investment and resource agglomeration also provide a good environment for innovative enterprises, making the Yangtze River Delta an important position for the rise of the humanoid robot industry.
Pearl River Delta: A global supply chain hub with outstanding core technologies
As a high-density agglomeration area of the core supply chain of global humanoid robots, the Pearl River Delta region has significant advantages, especially in key technical fields such as control and servo systems. Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan and other cities have gathered a number of enterprises with global influence and key component manufacturers. In Shenzhen, there are not only complete machine manufacturing enterprises such as UBTECH, Zhuji Power, and Leju Robot, but also core suppliers of control systems and actuators such as Inovance Technology and Han's Transmission, and the local government has issued the "Shenzhen Action Plan for Accelerating the Application of High-quality Development of Artificial Intelligence (2023-2024)" to inject policy momentum into industrial upgrading.
In Guangzhou, robot manufacturers such as Ligong Industry and supporting core enterprises such as Guangzhou CNC and China Design Robot have gathered, and the local government has also promoted the continuous optimization of the industrial chain through policies such as the "Three-year Action Plan for the High-quality Development of Guangzhou's Modern High-end Equipment Industry Chain".
In general, from patent popularity to regional distribution, from enterprise pattern to policy support, Chinese's humanoid robot industry is forming a new development trend of "multi-polar collaboration, technology first, and policy escort". Technological breakthroughs in perception systems and linear actuators will provide a solid foundation for the next take-off of this industry.
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Insight into the 2025 Blue Book on Humanoid Robotics Industry Development (1)
Insight into the 2025 Blue Book on Humanoid Robotics Industry Development (2)
Insight into the 2025 Blue Book on Humanoid Robotic Industry Development (3)
Insight into the 2025 Blue Book on Humanoid Robotics Industry Development (4)
