Unitree Robotics leads humanoid robot innovation

China's Unitree Robotics has been turning heads with its advanced humanoid robots, whose impressive speed, balance and agility have captured a lot of attention in real life and online.

Founded in 2016 by CEO Wang Xingxing, who was only 26 years old at the time, Unitree Robotics started with a small team and big dreams. Today, the company has around 500 employees specializing in the development and production of dog-like quadruped robots and bipedal humanoid robots.

The company gained widespread attention with its creations, including its dancing robots, during the 2025 Spring Festival Gala broadcast produced by China Media Group (CMG), one of the world's most-watched TV programs.

The latest data from Gaogong Robotics Industry Research Institute shows that Unitree's dog-like quadruped robots account for nearly 70 percent of the global market share.

However, the company's real breakthrough came with its rapid progress in bipedal human-sized robots, a market they entered just one and a half years ago.

"In the early days, we had probably just a dozen people. When did we have a big increase in numbers? It was only after we participated in the 2021 Spring Festival Gala for the Year of the Ox. And more people started to know about our company and our products," said Chen Xiyun, marketing manager of Unitree Robotics.

Chen said that the quadruped robots can serve different purposes such as safety inspections, and can also be great companions or performers.

Unitree's humanoid robots can mimic human movement with remarkable balance and precision. With cutting-edge technology, they have set new standards in the industry and have paved the way for future advancements in robotics.

"There are two cameras here, and over here is its laser radar. The battery is on the left side of its body, and inside this part is the integrated computing unit, which includes the control algorithms that operate everything," said Chen.

Despite their advancements, Chen emphasized that humanity has not yet fully realized the potential of humanoid robots.

"Currently, humanity hasn't even scratched the surface of humanoid robots. The future will present numerous challenges, such as how they perceive the world like humans, how they can interact with human being with emotions. These are all things for the future," said Chen.

"Right now, there is no true AI for humanoids yet. What we have figured out is how it can move stably and smoothly, in other words, its motion control algorithms," Chen continued.

While the idea of a robot that can cook and clean at home is enticing, Chen says humanity has not reached that point just yet.

Unitree Robotics leads humanoid robot innovation

Unitree Robotics leads humanoid robot innovation

China is going to step up efforts to further stabilize employment for key groups and improving social security, in accordance with the requirements and arrangement from the annual Central Economic Work Conference.

The conference was held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday as Chinese leaders decided priorities for the economic work in 2026.

It highlighted the priority to safeguard and improve people's livelihoods, which includes taking a series of measures to boost the labor market.

Experts believe that the following policy package will have positive impacts on the job market.

"For example, companies can implement subsidy policies to support job expansion, along with on-the-job training and skill upgrading for employees. These measures are designed to encourage enterprises to stabilize existing positions, create new ones, and enhance the overall quality of employment," said Wen Xiaoyi, vice president of China University of Labor Relations.

The meeting stressed the efforts to stabilize employment for key groups such as college graduates and migrant workers. Wen suggested that implementing targeted policies for key groups will enhance job matching and adaptability.

"For university graduates, more employment opportunities could be opened for them, meanwhile enhancing their employability. In terms of migrant workers, coordinated development between the eastern and western regions, as well as linkages between labor-importing and labor-exporting areas can be greatly improved," he said.

The meeting also pointed out that people in flexible employment and those in new forms of employment are encouraged to take part in employee insurance schemes.

Currently, the workforce engaged in flexible employment and emerging forms of work in China is steadily growing, covering many groups, such as ride-hailing drivers, deliverymen, individual business owners and freelancers.

Properly addressing their social security will further improve their level of social security, experts said.

"Efforts are being made to advance the inclusive development of the social security system, improve the accessibility and convenience of enrollment, and enhance long-term benefit entitlements. These measures not only reinforce workers' sense of belonging and security, but also lay a strong foundation for invigorating the labor market," said Liu Xu, director, Social Development Institute of Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

China to further stabilize employment, improve social security