China advances humanoid robot development for military and commercial use

China is rapidly advancing its humanoid robot industry, with significant developments occurring in both the commercial and military sectors. In the commercial sphere, the manufacturer Unitree saw its shares surge by 460% on the Shanghai Stock Exchange after its ‘Superman’ robot set a sprinting speed record of 12.66 meters per second, though the machine subsequently collided with a wall, highlighting ongoing software and data limitations.

Simultaneously, the Chinese military is accelerating research into the combat applications of humanoid robots. The Ministry of Defense is exploring how these machines could operate alongside soldiers in scenarios such as building raids, tunnel operations, and naval combat. Research from the PLA Academy of Military Sciences suggests that urban assault teams utilizing combat robots could be available within 5 to 10 years.

Industry analysts from BofA Global Research note that Chinese manufacturers provided approximately 95% of the world's humanoid robots in 2025. While hardware capabilities are advancing quickly, the industry faces a critical need for massive datasets to train the complex AI models required for sophisticated human-like movement and task execution.