The robot revolution is Chinese

Welcome to Tech in Asia’s daily newsletter, your essential dose of Asia’s tech and startup buzz. Not yet a subscriber? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.

In focus

• The firms establishing China’s robotics dominance
• Why teaching robots how to see is easier said than done
• The Indonesian trucking platform eyeing Middle East expansion

Hello reader,

Since I was a child, I’d always assumed that the US had the world’s leading robotics industry, thanks to famous Hollywood robot movies like The Terminator and Transformers.

That belief changed only after I delved into China’s robotics industry, which is home to pretty much any kind of robot you can imagine short of a T-1000.

Chinese firms dominate robotics categories domestically, winning over 90% market share in four out of five categories. In some markets – like drones and collaborative robots – homegrown champions like DJI and Jaka are also global leaders.

Now the country is zeroing in on humanoids – the next battleground in the robotics industry. Besides startups like Unitree, Ubtech, and Agibot, established traditional robot manufacturers like Estun and Midea, as well as smartphone and electric vehicle makers like Xiaomi and Xpeng, are also jumping in.

What astonishes me most, however, is the Western media’s limited coverage of China’s robotics firms.

For example, US-based 1X’s Neo humanoid robot, which opened for pre-order in late October, amassed 1.9 million views in an experience video on The Wall Street Journal‘s YouTube channel. In contrast, Ubtech announced shortly after that it made the first mass delivery of its humanoid robots, but I could find little coverage of this feat in US newspapers.

We at Tech in Asia aim to help close this gap. We’ll be reporting more on robotics developments in China, and today’s newsletter issue is set out to contribute to that mission.

Duc Tran, data journalist

Top Story

The companies making China a robotics powerhouse

Image credit: Arsal Ysfin

After winning all robotics categories domestically – industrial robots, cobots, service robots, mobile robots, and drones – Chinese firms are now pushing hard to become the leader in the next frontier: humanoids.

From our archives

Trending news