China's Humanoid Robot Update (202609E2)

Uking Sun (0:00)

Hello everyone, welcome back.

This is our second update on China's humanoid robot sector for September 2026 The biggest story right now is the massive debate surrounding a rare public critique of China's physical AI sector. It was kicked off by Xiaotian Lan, founder and CEO of the newly listed MechMind Robotics. His comments went viral on Chinese social media, especially as Unitree's stock prices fell significantly, sparking widespread concerns over market speculation and valuation bubbles. Xiao publicly accused several high-valuation robotics companies in Beijing and Shanghai of inflating their revenue through related party transactions with local governments, investors and suppliers.

Most notably, he named Galbot in his comments, asking point blank whether any Beijing official would publicly support the company's listing. For context, Galbot secured a massive 2.5 billion RMB state-backed funding, making it one of China's most valuable unlisted robotic startups. However, in my view, Galbot, led by Peking University Professor Wang He, has always been far stronger on software. For instance, they previously used Unitree hardware to demonstrate their own AI models, which tells us their core competitive edge lies in software and embodied intelligence rather than hardware. In that respect, I actually think they hold a real advantage over several other big names in the field. Xiao also targeted government-backed data collection centers, arguing that some of them help generate what he described as and unsustainable revenue.

Looking at public tender records, Hong Kong listed, Ubtech has also secured a significant portion of these data collection center contracts. So while Galbot's valuation might be on the high side, they don't seem to be major players in the data collection business, making Xiao's decision to single them out particularly surprising.

When asked about the current wave of robotics, IPOs, Xiao grouped candidates into three categories. Companies replacing foreign imports, companies serving niche industries, tech-driven firms powered by new AI. He placed MechMind in the third group, stressing that every listing candidate must demonstrate proven, sustainable business models and strong corporate governance.

Galbot responded quickly to the criticism with an official statement. Recently, our company became aware of malicious rumors circulating online concerning Galbot and our management team. These claims are entirely false. We have reported this matter to the police and will pursue legal action against those spreading information. We urge the public to exercise judgment and refrain from sharing unverified claims.

Setting the controversy aside, let's look at recent product updates. Agibot released new footage showing its A3 Ultra humanoid robot operating in real-world commercial environments including hotels, car dealerships, supermarkets, and metro inspection stations. Agibot claims the A3 Ultra is built for 24-7 autonomous operation, supporting multi-robot coordination and upgraded safety features. Meanwhile, Unitree launched the G1 plus humanoid robot, featuring six key upgrades across mobility, perception, battery life, and human robot interaction. The standard model is priced at RMB 95,000, around $13,300 US dollars, including tax. In China, market prices for humanoid robots now range from under 10,000 yuan to over 85,000 yuan, substantially cheaper than in 2025 This price drop is driven by larger scale manufacturing, localized supply chains, simplified hardware designs, and aggressive pricing strategies aimed at gathering real-world data. For example, start-up BlueWorm just launched the Mantis Standard starting at just 9,800 yuan elsewhere in the market.

engine.ai continued its URKL tour in Shanghai. Ten of their T-800 robots recently participated in a two-hour combat event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marketed as the Middle East's first humanoid robot fighting competition. Robot rental platform Qingtianzu launched seven new robot as a service, RAAS offerings, covering security, live stream shopping, retail, entertainment, and public services. They rent out hardware from brands like Agibot and Unitree and announced a new joint venture for interactive tourism services. Ubtech published what it calls the world's first white paper on humanoid robot ethics. It outlines three core rules. Keep robots under human control, avoid misleading human-like designs, and preserve human autonomy and relationships. Dongfang Motor announced that humanoid robots will deploy in its factories starting October 20, 2026 for sorting and quality inspection. Other automakers, including Xpeng, Xiaomi, Geely, and BYD, are exploring humanoid roles, starting in reception areas and showrooms. So where is the actual future for humanoid robot applications? Let's look at it from a buyer's perspective. Take jd.com, a major investor in the sector and a massive potential user, given the millions of packages they handle daily. Interestingly, JD.com's 5-year procurement plan includes millions of conventional robots, autonomous vehicles, and delivery drones, but zero humanoid robots. Their priority is sheer efficiency, machines that move goods cheaper, faster, and more reliably.

For logistics giants like jd.com, humanoid robots remain an added cost, rather than a practical solution.

That's all for this update. Thank you for watching.