Embodied intelligence enters real-world tests

However, even as investment enthusiasm rises, commercialization remains a major challenge for the industry.

According to consultancy firm IDC, global humanoid robot shipments exceeded 18,000 units in 2025, led largely by Chinese manufacturers. Yet more than 85 percent of shipments were concentrated in entertainment performances, education, scientific research and exhibition-oriented applications focused mainly on technology demonstrations and interaction.

Jiang Han, a senior analyst at market consultancy Pangoal, echoed that the current challenge remains that although leading companies have announced large-scale deliveries, many shipments still go to universities and research institutions for algorithm research, rather than entering industrial or commercial settings as production tools.

"The industry has yet to form scaled purchasing based on productivity demand," Jiang said.

"In 2025, many so-called commercial orders in the industry were essentially display purchases for public relations and data-collection partnerships, rather than true productivity replacement," said Liu Yang, co-founder of humanoid robot manufacturer Infiforce, in an earlier interview.

"The harsh reality of 2026 is that industrial clients are no longer satisfied with watching your robot do a somersault," Liu said. "They want to know whether a humanoid robot can operate continuously in their factory for three months or six months, whether it can cut costs and improve efficiency, and whether it can generate repeat purchases... Frankly speaking, no company in the industry has fully passed this proof-of-concept stage. This is a matter of survival."

Liu Dong, founder of XYZ Embodied AI Co, predicted that the industry will see growing divergence in application scenarios this year.

"Applications in industrial and specialized settings are poised for a small-scale boom. In these scenarios, customers are highly willing to pay, and the solutions offer high reusability and fault tolerance," Liu Dong said.

"We may see the emergence of 'hidden champions' in some vertical sectors in this field," he added."However, for commercial and household scenarios, there is still a final stretch to complete before large-scale adoption truly arrives."