In the United States, how difficult is it to create a robot that “de-Sinicizes”? An article in the American newspaper The New York Times on August 13 revealed a “cruel reality”.
The article states that as humanoid robots become a new battlefield in the technological competition between China and the United States, the United States is attempting to develop its own manufacturing capabilities. However, China has already established a clear advantage in terms of component supply, production costs, and industrial scale. Industry experts in the United States openly admit that it is not currently feasible to manufacture humanoid robots without any Chinese components.
Teddy Haggitt, who was a major distributor for Yushi Technology in North America, is now establishing the robotics company Robo Inc. in Long Island, New York, attempting to assemble and produce humanoid robots in the United States. However, after years of working with the Chinese robotics industry, he understands the gap between the two countries very well.
"In China, these things have already been walking down the streets." He said, mentioning that Chinese enterprises possess abundant production experience.
Hargte plans to purchase components globally and also produce some parts in the United States. However, even after establishing a foothold in the robotics industry in the US, he faces a harsh reality: China has a near-monopoly on the supply chain. Therefore, it is not practical to manufacture a robot that contains no Chinese components at all.
Especially components such as batteries and aluminum frames are still much cheaper when imported from China. He believes that some companies make great efforts to exclude China from their supply chains, but in the end, they only produce products that are more costly.
August 13th, Shanghai, China Robotics Industry Summit and Exhibition held. IC Photo
This gap is particularly evident in terms of production volume. According to estimates by analysts cited by The New York Times, last year the leading humanoid robot companies in the United States produced only a few hundred robots in total. In contrast, two Chinese companies, Yuzhi Technology and Zhiyuan Robot, produced approximately 10,000 robots combined. The price of Yuzhi’s flagship humanoid robot is less than $14,000. Even Optimus, the humanoid robot that American entrepreneur Elon Musk has high hopes for, relies heavily on components manufactured in China.
The report argues that China's advantage in the humanoid robot supply chain stems largely from its established electric vehicle industry. China's electric vehicle industry has developed a complete supply system, ranging from screws and aluminum components to lithium-ion batteries. Nowadays, many suppliers are turning to supplying robot companies.
American robotics company Cobot's CEO Brad Porter said that in China, a component can be obtained quickly, while in the United States, it may take several days.
The U.S. government attempts to narrow the gap through policy measures. Last month, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission banned the import of new foreign-made humanoid robots into the United States on the grounds of ‘national security’. Although the measure did not directly target China, most of the new humanoid robots are currently manufactured by Chinese companies.
However, reports indicate that restricting imports alone is not enough to address the shortcomings in the industrial chain. Zhang Kunyang, a researcher at the James Madison Foundation, a U.S. think tank, said that American robot manufacturers need substantial financial and policy support to compete. “Banning Chinese robots is just the first step.”
After all, China's advantages lie not only in manufacturing humanoid robots. Data from the International Federation of Robotics shows that in 2024, there were over 2 million industrial robots operating in Chinese factories, with approximately 300,000 new robots installed that year, which is more than the total number installed in other regions of the world.
