Decoding China's
Hardware & Robotics
Daily pulse, hands-on labs, and deep signals from the world's most active hardware ecosystem. For makers, engineers, and investors.
Daily Pulse
5-8 industry briefs + 1 video breakdown every day. Stay on top of China's hardware news in 5 minutes.
Hands-On Lab
Teardowns, DIY tutorials, open-source builds. For creators and makers who get their hands dirty.
Deep Signal
Industry analysis, technical deep-dives, founder interviews. For engineers and investors who need depth.
Latest
Daily Pulse #67 | Aug 17 Monday Edition | Unitree IPO faces the 'trillion-yuan exam': 0.018% subscription rate sets STAR Market record low, 219x offering P/E β industry moves from 'burning cash on stories' to 'proving profitability'; Robot IPO wave accelerates: Realman starts A-share counseling, Mech-Mind passes HKEX hearing, ~30 robot firms in queue; Zhiyuan-backed Mifeng Tech closes hundreds-of-millions funding round (China Telecom leads); JD's 7Fresh 24h unmanned coffee shop opens in Beijing: robotic arm serves a cup in 20-30s, from Β₯5.9; China's first embodied-AI talent certification center lands in Hangzhou
On Aug 17, with Unitree's listing entering its final countdown, valuation debate over A-share's 'first humanoid-robot stock' reaches a climax: Economic Daily published a signed commentary titled 'Unitree's listing opens the trillion-yuan exam', noting that the 0.018% subscription rate set a STAR Market record low and the 219x offering P/E implies significant valuation risk β the industry has officially moved from 'burning cash on stories' to a phase of 'proving profitability'; Securities Times Fund Research Institute gathered five public fund managers who argued the biggest significance of the Unitree listing is establishing a 'valuation anchor' for humanoid robot makers, shifting market logic from theme speculation to industry pricing. The IPO wave is accelerating in parallel: Realman Intelligence (ultra-lightweight humanoid robotic arm maker, backed by Ecovacs in Series A+) filed for A-share counseling, Mech-Mind Robotics passed its HKEX hearing, and roughly 30 robot firms are reportedly still advancing listing plans. On the capital side, Mifeng Tech, a physical-AI data services platform under Zhiyuan Robotics, closed a new funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan, led by China Telecom. On the deployment side, JD's 7Fresh opened its first 24-hour intelligent unmanned coffee shop at Beijing Galaxy SOHO β a robotic arm serves a cup in 20-30 seconds, prices start at Β₯5.9, and over 1,900 cups were made in the first 19 hours; Hangzhou launched China's first embodied-AI talent training and certification center, co-built with Unitree and Zhejiang University.
Daily Pulse #66 | Aug 16 Sunday Edition | Unitree IPO enters final stretch: lottery numbers drawn, 'dark pool' rumors debunked; Unitree listing ignites an automaker 'humanoid rush': nearly 20 major carmakers enter embodied intelligence; H1 global humanoid shipments hit 19,100 units: Zhiyuan tops with 8,400, Unitree second at 5,900, Chinese makers hold 97%+ share; Beijing E-Town Robot Consumption Festival kicks off: subsidy pool raised to Β₯18M, first robot shopping street
On Aug 16, Unitree's IPO entered its final stretch before listing: online lottery numbers were officially drawn (19,414), while rumors of an over-the-counter 'dark pool' market were debunked by Shanghai Securities News after extensive verification, with regulators and underwriters issuing compliance and speculation warnings in parallel. The chain reaction from Unitree's listing is showing up on the industry side β by one count, nearly 20 major automakers have entered the 'humanoid race', including Tesla, BYD, Chery, GAC, Changan, XPeng, Seres and Li Auto; BYD plans to deploy humanoid robots at dealer showrooms, and XPeng's next-gen IRON (industry-first all-solid-state battery) is expected to debut in Q3 2026 with mass production by year-end. On shipment data, Unitree announced cumulative production of ~18,000 humanoid robots, but per SAG's report, Zhiyuan shipped 8,400 units in H1 (44% global share), overtaking Unitree's 5,900 (31%); Chinese humanoid makers account for 97%+ of global shipments. On the consumption side, Beijing E-Town launched the 2026 Robot Consumption Festival, raising the subsidy pool from Β₯15M to Β₯18M, debuting a robot shopping street, and linking up with the World Robot Conference opening Aug 19.
Daily Pulse #65 | Aug 15 Saturday Edition | Humanoid robots enter their 'standards era': 7 national test-method standards launched in Wuhan's Optics Valley with 200+ delegates from Unitree, Xiaomi Robotics, CloudMinds/Deep Robotics and universities; ShiYun's first full-size humanoid RD3 Ultra rolls off the line in Tianjin; Unitree IPO countdown: ~37 insurers allocated nearly Β₯1.03B; World Humanoid Robot Games one week out: floor exercise teams grow 3x to 18, routine library expands to 8 categories with 20+ moves
On Aug 15, the humanoid robotics industry hit a 'standards-era' milestone: the launch meeting for the 'Humanoid Robot Test Methods' national-standard series took place Aug 13-14 at the Hubei Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, with seven national standards β general principles, environmental perception, decision & planning, motion control, manipulation, localization & navigation, and human-robot interaction β starting drafting in parallel. More than 200 industry delegates attended, including Unitree, Xiaomi Robotics, Magic Atom, Deep Robotics, Horizon Robotics and Galbot, alongside teams from Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and other universities. The Hubei Humanoid Robot & Embodied Intelligence Standards Working Group was also inaugurated with 29 founding member organizations. In parallel, ShiYun Technology's first batch of full-size humanoid robots, the RD3 Ultra (174cm, built for special-operations scenarios), rolled off the line in Tianjin with a JD.com elderly-care scenario landing at the same time; Unitree's IPO entered its listing countdown with roughly 37 insurers allocated nearly Β₯1.03 billion; and the World Humanoid Robot Games hit the one-week mark, with floor-exercise teams growing from 3 to 18 and the routine library expanding from 9 single moves to 8 categories with 20+ moves.
Daily Pulse #64 | Aug 14 Friday Edition | Unitree's IPO allocation closes: only 8,734 shares abandoned online, zero offline, underwriter takes the lot β 'first humanoid robot stock' could list as early as next week; 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games open Aug 22 at the Ice Ribbon: 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries, double last year's scale; Roborock's dual flagships go on sale today β G30S Ultra (41,000Pa + 75Β°C hot-water roller mopping) and P30 Pro
On Aug 14, the 'first humanoid robot stock' completes its IPO: Unitree published allocation results on the evening of Aug 13 β online investors abandoned just 8,734 shares (about Β₯1.32M) with zero offline abandonments, the underwriter taking the remainder, closing out the payment and allocation process with a listing expected as early as next week. Meanwhile, the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games was officially announced for Aug 22 at the National Speed Skating Oval ('Ice Ribbon') in Beijing: 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries on six continents, roughly double last year's scale, adding high-intensity events like long jump, weightlifting, tug-of-war and table tennis. On the consumer side, Roborock's dual flagships go on sale today β the G30S Ultra (41,000Pa peak suction, 75Β°C hot-water roller mopping) alongside the P30 Pro, kicking off the premium robot-vacuum showdown.
Daily Pulse #63 | Aug 13 Thursday Edition | Honor Robot Phone officially launches from Β₯9,999 and sells out the night of release β CEO Li Jian says 'cost pressure is huge,' a director wanted 14 units and an overseas buyer 20; Unitree's IPO draw attracts a record 9.78M retail accounts on STAR Market, 0.0181% hit rate is the lowest ever, listing expected as early as next week; Tianma confirms sole supply of the Robot Phone display, its TianGong panel debuts on an embodied-AI terminal; Roborock G30S Ultra goes on sale tomorrow
On Aug 13, the robot phone moves from concept to store shelves: Honor officially launched the Robot Phone on the evening of Aug 12 starting at Β₯9,999, and pre-sales sold out the same night β CEO Li Jian says a director asked for 14 units and an overseas buyer 20, while admitting 'the cost pressure is huge.' Meanwhile Unitree's IPO drew 9.7846 million retail subscription accounts, a STAR Market record, with a 0.0181% hit rate β the lowest ever β and a listing expected as early as next week. Display maker Tianma confirmed sole supply of the Robot Phone's TianGong screen, marking the panel's first application in an embodied-interactive AI terminal. Roborock's G30S Ultra goes on sale tomorrow (Aug 14).
Daily Pulse #62 | Aug 12 Wednesday Edition | Honor Robot Phone, the world's first robot phone, launches tonight at 19:00: industry-first 4DoF titanium gimbal, 360Β°/s gimbal motor, co-engineered with ARRI, 200K+ pre-orders; Roborock announces G30S Ultra with 41,000Pa suction and 75Β°C hot-water mopping, on sale Aug 14; Unitree's 19,414 lottery numbers drawn, payment due today at Β₯75,400 per lot; US tensegrity rolling robot still works after a 5.7m drop
On Aug 12, robot technology crosses into a new territory: the Honor Robot Phone β billed as the world's first robot phone β launches tonight at 19:00, featuring an industry-first 4DoF titanium gimbal architecture whose motor spins at up to 360Β°/s, co-developed with ARRI with ARRI color science baked in end-to-end, and already 200,000+ pre-orders across channels. The boundary between phones and robots is starting to blur. The same day, Roborock unveiled its G30S Ultra roller-mop flagship (on sale Aug 14) with 41,000Pa peak suction and 75Β°C hot-water mopping; Unitree drew 19,414 IPO lottery numbers with payment due today; and a US research team showed a tensegrity rolling robot that still works after a 5.7-meter drop.