China Humanoid Update July Episode 1:

**Uking Sun** (0:00)
Welcome to the latest update of China's physical AI sector. We start from some national news in China. In the first five months, China exported 10.38 million robots worth 20 billion RMB to more than 150 countries and regions, with the EU and ASEAN the main destinations. Cleaning robots led the growth, accounting for more than 70% of total export value, while smart, bionic robots reached wider use in inspection, research, education and public services. Humanoid robots are evolving fast. They aren't just moving boxes in factories anymore. They are officially moving into our living rooms, with a sudden wave of new companion bots designed to emotionally connect with humans hitting the market. Things are getting real fast. Because of this, China is stepping in early to say, hold on, we need to keep this safe. The China Humanoid Robot 100 Association and the China Machinery Industry Federation just dropped a joint initiative calling for strict ethical guidelines on emotional companionship humanoid robots. They are urging the entire tech industry to bake strict safety and ethical guardrails right into the code, from initial product design and AI training all the way to how these bots are advertised and used in everyday homes.
Interestingly, Beijing X Humanoid has voiced support to this imitative, even though its strategic investor, Ubtech, is actually a leader in launching companionship humanoid robots. Speaking of Ubtech, they are also facing some skepticism right now. In response to recent doubts, Ubtech stated that the 2-4 hour battery life of its humanoid robots is actually in line with the current industry norm. The company emphasized that short battery life remains a universal limitation for full-size humanoids right now, rather than an issue unique to their own products.
Meanwhile, at a recent forum, Unitree Robotics co-founder Chen Li says robots have yet to see large-scale adoption, mainly because the AI foundation models are still immature. He believes the next two to five years will require a unified end-to-end foundation model for robots, alongside cheaper and more durable hardware, mass production, and low-cost computing power. Moving on to company partnerships.
In the first week of July, Shanghai-based physical AI startup Agibot signed a comprehensive agreement with ASD, a leader in cookware and kitchen electrical appliances. The two sides will establish a two-way supply chain and technology coordination mechanism covering real-world data collection, model training, and robot applications. ASD began expanding into the industrial robotics sector in 2016 and has since established a strategy focused on smart cookware and kitchen appliances plus intelligent manufacturing. ASD Chairman Chen Helin said the company will undertake the complete machine assembly, quality control, and mass delivery of robots developed by Agibot's subsidiary, Coto.
Next up, Ant Group's embodied AI division, RobbyAnt, just dropped an upgrade to the robotics world, LingBot-VLA 2.0. They trained this new V2 model on 60,000 hours of data, saying it can now plug straight into 20 different robot models from 17 different manufacturers. We're not just talking about moving a basic mechanical arm anymore. LingBot-VLA 2 unlocks full body control, giving robots seamless mastery over their heads, waist, dexterous hands, and mobile wheels. I previously noted the massive talent shift from self-driving technology to physical AI in China. We now have a prime example of this trend. On July 6th, embodied AI startup Simplexity Robotics announced the delivery of 100 units of their first robot, the i7 Pro. These robots are already deployed in a factory for CNC loading, unloading, and quality inspections, partnering with Kaizhuan, a subsidiary of Leader Harmonious Drive, was founded in July 2025 Its core leadership, CEO Jiapeng and COO Wang Jiajia, were both vital members of Li Auto's autonomous driving team.
Finally, RobotEra has announced a new $1.1 billion funding round, backed by state-owned and financial investors. Given the clear policy support for the embodied AI sector, it is easier to understand why state-backed funds are playing such an active role. The company has raised $2.5 billion RMB in total over the past two months, pushing its valuation above $10 billion RMB.
Alright, that's all for this episode. I've been trying to update this channel weekly, but to be completely transparent, I'm finding it a bit challenging to maintain that exact pace, especially since this content is entirely free and running without advertisements. Because I balance this with my other job, I'm going to shift to updating about every 10 days, so I can keep the quality. I really hope you can understand. If you like the channel, please hit that like button, subscribe, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. See you in the next one.