Summary of Key Points
On August 25th, the state publicly solicited feedback on the "Guidelines for the Construction of a Humanoid Robot Industry Standard System (2026 Edition)" in order to establish "rules" for the rapidly growing humanoid robot industry and promote its healthy development. Currently, China's humanoid robot industry is quite large: revenue exceeded 300 billion yuan in 2025, with an average annual growth of 20% over the past five years; in the first half of 2026, revenue reached 165.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.5%, and China accounted for 97% of global shipments. However, the industry also faces challenges, such as too many companies leading to "reinventing the wheel" and the lack of unified international standards. The guidelines aim to establish a standard system covering foundational, technical, application, and safety aspects, to be completed by 2028. Additionally, efforts will be made to enhance China's influence in international standards, foster industry collaboration, and address safety and ethical issues, turning these standards into a competitive advantage.
Why Establish Standards Now? —— Rapid Industry Growth but Lacking "Rules"
The humanoid robot industry has seen significant growth in recent years, with an expanding range of applications (such as in factories and hospitals). However, this has brought along problems:
- Competitive Siloing: There are over 140 robot manufacturers, and another 116,000 new companies were established in the first half of the year. Each company develops its own technology, resulting in incompatible parts and software, leading to wasted resources and slowed progress in research and development.
- Lack of International Standards: There is no global definition for humanoid robots, allowing some companies to label any machine that resembles a human as a humanoid robot, causing confusion.
- Safety and Ethical Risks: As robots enter households and society, there is a risk of overreach (such as unauthorized access to user data) or infringement (such as causing harm). Therefore, establishing standards is essential for the industry to transition from unregulated growth to regulated development.
What Does the Standard System Cover? —— Six Key Areas
The guidelines focus on the following six areas:
1. Fundamental Commonalities: Defining humanoid robots, such as specifying they must be AI-driven, humanoid in appearance, and capable of autonomously performing complex tasks. This sets clear boundaries for the industry.
2. Brain and Computing Power: The "brain" and computing capabilities of robots, including how AI algorithms are designed and the required computing speed to ensure adequate intelligence.
3. L limbs and Components: Standards for robot limbs, joints, and hands, such as the range of joint motion and component sizes, to ensure interoperability between different companies' products.
4. Complete Robots and Systems: Performance standards for the overall robot, such as stability, load-bearing capacity, and battery life.
5. Application Scenarios: Specific requirements for robots in different environments, such as dust resistance in factories and sterilization in hospitals.
6. Safety and Ethics: Robots must not violate laws or engage in harmful behaviors, such as stealing user data or implementing dangerous features.
The goal is to establish these standards by 2028, creating a comprehensive set of rules for the industry.
How to Transform Scale into Influence? —— Competing for International Standard Setting
China accounts for 97% of global humanoid robot shipments and is the largest market in the world, but it has lacked influence in setting international standards. The guidelines aim to change this:
- Proposing Chinese Definitions: Providing a clear definition of humanoid robots contributes to global standards and sets the tone for the industry.
- Participating in International Standardization: Encouraging companies and institutions to participate in international standardization meetings to promote Chinese technology and standards.
- Promoting Standard Recognition: Aligning Chinese standards with those of other countries to facilitate product exports. In other words, using China's market size to influence global standards.
How Do Standards Reduce Reinventing the Wheel? —— Unified Rules for Better Collaboration
The current situation, with too many companies developing their own technologies, leads to resource waste. Standards can address this by:
- Standardizing Software and Hardware Interfaces: Ensuring that robot operating systems and sensor interfaces are compatible, allowing for the use of interchangeable components.
- Building an Open Source Ecosystem: Encouraging the sharing of technology (e.g., by making software code available) to reduce duplication.
- Data Sharing: Sharing common data (e.g., walking algorithms) to accelerate research and development.
By unifying these aspects, companies will no longer need to reinvent the wheel, reducing costs and enabling better-quality, more efficient products. This will also help eliminate less competitive companies and accelerate the growth of better ones.
Why Are Safety and Ethics a Priority? —— Preventing Robot-Induced Problems
As humanoid robots become more widespread, safety and ethics are critical:
- Safety: Robots must not harm people or steal user data.
- Ethics: Robots should behave within legal and ethical boundaries; companies should not create overly dramatic features (e.g., combat-capable robots).
If safety and ethics are neglected, it can harm consumers and undermine the entire industry. The guidelines emphasize these aspects to ensure that robots are safe and compliant.
In summary, the standard system serves as a set of "traffic rules" for the humanoid robot industry, enabling faster and more stable development while maintaining global recognition, with the ultimate goal of maintaining China's leading position in this field.