By Meng Fanrong

BEIJING, Aug. 22, (China Economic Net)- China's humanoid robot industry has surged to a commanding global lead, with shipments exceeding 40,000 units in the first half of 2026, accounting for 97 percent of the global total, according to The 2026 Humanoid Robot Industry Development Report released at the ongoing World Robot Conference.

Industry revenue of major Chinese robotics enterprises reached 165.5 billion yuan in the same period, up 24.5 percent year-on-year, confirming the sector’s rapid commercial momentum.

The conference, which runs from August 19 to 23 at the Beijing E-Town, features 373 Chinese and international exhibitors showcasing more than 3,000 products across more than 60,000 square meters of exhibition space.

Prof. Andrés Kecskeméthy, President of the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM), comments on China’s robotics advances in an interview with China Economic Net on the sidelines of the event. “The innovation of China’s robot technology is enormous,” he said, noting that “one can see many huge teams under the guidance of strong leaders devoted and striving to reach practical maturity of embodied intelligence in the close future.”

In his keynote address at the opening ceremony, Kecskeméthy acknowledged robotics’ six-decade industrial legacy—“transforming work to a better environment, avoiding heavy chores, improving quality, and making surgery more precise.” He then pointed to a new wave driven by AI and bio-inspired design, which is pushing humanoid robots into manufacturing, elderly care, emergency response and public services.

His own research spans multi-body dynamics, biomechanics, heavyweight robotics, virtual reality, etc. He identified the most promising breakthroughs ahead: gait devices for paraplegics, smart orthopedic aids, work exoskeletons, autonomous construction robots, and versatile grasping tools for tasks ranging from airport luggage to micro-diamonds.

However, he also warned of persistent global bottlenecks: dynamic balancing, complex scenario adaptation, model-algorithm iteration, and real-world data accumulation, alongside incomplete safety regulations, ethical frameworks and industry standards. He called for joint efforts to refine technical norms, deepen cross-national and interdisciplinary cooperation, and promote talent development so that “robotics dividends can reach people in every corner of the world.”

Kecskeméthy recognizes Chinese scientists as “a strong pillar of international mechanism and machine design,” citing that China now contributes over 50 percent of key publications in IFToMM’s flagship journal Mechanism and Machine Theory, a world’s top-ranked publication in the field, with five of its most prolific authors coming from China.

Looking forward, Kecskeméthy expressed enthusiasm for continued collaborations, including Humboldt fellowships, AI-driven mechanism synthesis, optimized motion-force transmission, and integrating intelligent joints and hybrid actuators into humanoid systems alongside high-precision machine tools for large-scale manufacturing.