According to @clashreport citing remarks by Elon Musk, Musk said that last year China restricted exports of magnets used in electric motors, causing Tesla's Optimus robot project to be delayed by two to three months. Musk stressed that even if China cuts off supplies, the United States needs to ensure that it can produce robots on its own.
Reuters reported on September 21, citing people familiar with the matter, that in some robot data collection centers and joint venture projects local governments may bear 80%–90% of the initial investment, and that project orders can support company valuations and help them reach the listing threshold; regulators are examining whether this represents genuine demand.
On September 9, according to The Information, after the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) raised the listing threshold for humanoid robot companies through non-public window guidance, related companies must prove they can form sustainable revenue, are narrowing losses, or possess genuine technological innovation to go public. This policy shift is related to the financing frenzy in the primary market and the drastic stock price fluctuations after the listing of Unitree Robotics.
In 2026, Unitree Robotics listed domestically, with its IPO oversubscribed by retail investors more than 8000-fold. It closed up 460% on its first day of trading, after which the stock retraced about 45% from its post-listing high. This extreme volatility was seen as one of the factors prompting the securities regulator to tighten IPO thresholds for humanoid robot companies.
At the robot games held in Beijing Yizhuang, only 6 of the 21 competing robots finished the race; the champion had to swap batteries mid-race and fell down.
Humanoid robot company Unitree Robotics went public on the STAR Market, surging 629% at the open, with its market capitalization at one point skyrocketing to 444.9 billion yuan, while founder Wang Xingxing became the “new richest person born in the 1990s.”
Unitree went public on August 19 at an issue price of 150.8 yuan. The opening price reached 1100 yuan, but within five trading days the price was cut in half.
On August 18, 2026, during the warm-up for the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games held at the National Speed Skating Oval, a humanoid robot lost control while taking a high-speed turn, ran off the track, struck a power distribution box, and caught fire, suffering damage.
On July 28, 2026, the US Federal Communications Commission announced that it would bring foreign-produced new humanoid robots, quadruped robots, and smart photovoltaic inverters within the scope of national security restrictions, guarding against potential remote-control and critical-infrastructure intelligence risks.
The Beijing Robot Industry Development Fund made an additional investment in Unitree Robotics in 2025.
Last year, daily rental rates in China's robot rental market ranged from 5,000 to 15,000 yuan, used mainly for performance-type events such as mall openings, auto show booths, and warm-up acts at annual galas.
In 2015, the U.S. military held a robot rescue challenge, with events covering practical working skills such as opening doors, prying open car doors, and climbing over rubble.