China expands in South Korea’s advanced robotics market

Chinese robotics firms are expanding in South Korea from task-oriented service robots into advanced products like exoskeletons and humanoids.

Hypershell, a Chinese maker of leisure exoskeletons, launched its Hypershell X series in Korea last week through retailer VD Robotics; the 2kg wearable uses AI to regulate power and starts at 1.5 million won (US$1,021).

The company said it has sold more than 30,000 units globally, and VD Robotics said a Wadiz pre-order raised 100 million won (US$68,272) as of Feb. 18, reaching 3,721% of its funding target.

Unitree, a Chinese maker of humanoid and quadruped robots, was featured at Emart’s new robot store opened Jan. 30 in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

Data from the Korea Association of AI Robot Industry show Chinese firms hold over 70% of Korea’s service robot market and 54% of the vacuum cleaner market.

🔗 Source: The Korea Times

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Disputed sales numbers underline China’s concrete push into robotics

UBS puts humanoid shipments in 2025 at about 18,600 units, yet the market is young so counts vary widely.
Unitree said its 2025 humanoid shipments passed 5,500 units sold and delivered to end customers, above the roughly 5,000 UBS cited 1.
China’s state-backed “industrial commons” model has a practical edge. Robotics firms draw on spillovers from established electric vehicle (EV) and battery supply chains, including motors, power systems, and precision manufacturing know-how 2.

Robot leadership is turning into a contest of national plans

South Korea is moving fast with a national plan called the “M.AX Alliance.”
The government-backed coalition links more than 250 partners who compete as a “national team,” aimed at matching China’s state-led scale 3.
Three paths now compete globally. The U.S. leans on Big Tech’s AI research, China relies on state-backed scale, and South Korea bets on an alliance-based ecosystem strategy 3.
Access to real-world data could decide the race. China taps its vast industrial base, while the Korean alliance plans to use data from advanced manufacturing plus medical settings to train robots 3.