The embodied intelligence robot market is currently experiencing robust growth, emerging as a new focal point in global technological competition. From established robotics firms to startups, and from tech giants to cross-industry players, various forces are entering the fray, engaging in intense rivalry within the embodied intelligence robot market. They aim to deliver standout results in this worldwide positioning race.
Referred to by industry insiders as the “year of delivering results for embodied intelligence,” the global embodied intelligence robot market continues to expand in 2025, driven by multiple factors including technological iterations, scene implementation, and policy investment support. According to IDC research data, the global robotics market size is projected to exceed $400 billion by 2029. The Chinese market accounts for nearly half of this share, with an annual compound growth rate of nearly 15%, ranking among the top globally and serving as a core engine for the growth of the worldwide robotics industry.
Key Trends in Embodied Intelligence Development
- Perception capabilities continue to strengthen, enhancing the environmental adaptability of embodied robots.
- Large models have become the core driving force, revolutionizing how embodied intelligence systems learn and operate.
- Simulation and world models are continuously improving, allowing for more accurate predictions and interactions.
- Open-source sharing is accelerating progress, fostering collaboration and innovation in the embodied intelligence field.
- Diverse robot carriers are integrating and developing, expanding the applications of embodied robots.
- Specific tasks in segmented scenes are achieving initial implementation, demonstrating the practical value of embodied intelligence.
Junlan Li, Research Manager of Robotics and IoT at IDC China, analyzed several key trends currently exhibited by embodied intelligence robots. She highlighted that embodied intelligence robots are accelerating their transition from technological breakthroughs to application landing, with these trends shaping the future of the industry.
Segmented Market Analysis
From the perspective of segmented markets, embodied intelligence serves as the core growth pole, showing explosive growth in areas such as humanoid robots and quadruped robots. In terms of segmented application markets, the industrial field remains the largest application scenario, occupying half of the overall market, with primary demand coming from the automotive and electronics manufacturing industries. Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that in the first half of 2025, China exported 94,200 industrial robots, with a total value of $746 million, a sharp increase of 59.74% year-on-year. A group of Chinese robotics enterprises are accelerating their expansion into overseas markets, achieving impressive results. For instance, Unitree Robotics’ industrial inspection robots have entered scenarios such as hydropower stations and oil refineries in 52 countries and regions, with orders in the first quarter of 2025 increasing by 220% year-on-year.
The commercial service sector is the fastest-growing area, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 30%. Among them, Pudu Technology’s service robot products have penetrated ten industry scenarios including catering, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing, with business covering over 60 countries and regions, and cumulative shipments exceeding 90,000 units. Additionally, the consumer-grade market shows huge growth potential. In the highly anticipated field of elderly care robots, enterprises are advancing the diversified landing of intelligent elderly care robots, accelerating the commercialization process. According to data from Founder Securities research reports, the industrial scale of intelligent elderly care robots was approximately 7.9 billion yuan in 2024, and it is expected to exceed 50 billion yuan in 2025. Experts point out that the intelligent elderly care service robot industry, which combines high value, high technological barriers, low market penetration, and broad application scenarios, has excellent market prospects.
Core Drivers of Market Growth
- Technological integration is accelerating, with the combination of AI large models, 3D visual perception, and edge computing significantly enhancing the environmental adaptability of embodied intelligence robots.
- Scene demand is expanding, with surges in flexible automation needs in fields such as industrial automation, commercial services, and medical rehabilitation promoting market expansion.
- The cost curve is descending, as the localization and规模化 production of core components drive price reductions. For example, humanoid robot products on the market have already broken through the consumer-grade price threshold.
Wei Cao, Partner at BlueRun Ventures, stated that embodied intelligence, including humanoid robots, will face a “delivery” window in the second half of 2025. Whether financing enthusiasm can continue depends on the “delivery results” of enterprises. In his view, general robots driven by embodied intelligence are a technological theme worthy of attention in the capital market over the next decade.
Global Competition Landscape in Embodied Intelligence
From a global perspective, the embodied intelligence robot market is in a critical stage of accelerating transition from “technology verification” to “industrialization landing.” The overall competition pattern shows a multipolar态势 with the United States and China leading, Europe, Japan, and South Korea following closely, and China rising rapidly. Different countries and regions exhibit significant differences in technological paths, industrial ecosystems, policy orientations, and scene implementation.
In the United States, the main theme is technological originality coupled with military牵引, emphasizing research and development over mass production. The ecosystem layout is relatively open, leading in general AI, military scenarios, and high-dynamic control, but commercial progress is slower than expected. Companies such as Tesla and Agility Robotics adhere to vertical integration of “hardware, algorithms, and data.” Tesla’s third-generation robots are being tested in U.S. factories and will enter consumer scenes such as homes, with mass production expected in 2026 and plans to produce one million units annually within five years. Agility Robotics’ humanoid robots are already in use in manufacturing and logistics scenarios, with “commercial” partners including Amazon, GXO, and Schaeffler. NVIDIA has launched open-source models for humanoid robots, attempting to capture a share of the trillion-dollar robot market.
In Europe, the approach坚持 “ethics first,” establishing barriers through compliance and precision in high-risk scenes such as medical and industrial collaboration. For example, Germany’s Bosch focuses on industrial robots but lags in humanoid robot布局. In Japan and South Korea, the emphasis is on “scene segmentation,” focusing on the needs of an aging society, with emotional interaction and companion robots becoming differentiated breakthroughs. Companies like Honda and Toyota invested early in bionic robots and have recently shifted towards collaborative robots.
Rise of Chinese Enterprises in Embodied Intelligence
In recent years, Chinese enterprises have rapidly risen in the robotics field by leveraging industrial chain integration and scene landing efficiency. Chinese robotics companies such as Zhiyuan Robotics and Qinglang Intelligence are exerting efforts in the international market through strategies of “technology going global + localized cooperation.” It is reported that Zhiyuan Robotics has already deployed in countries and regions including Europe, America, the Middle East, Japan, and Southeast Asia, collaborating with local partners on localization and globalization aspects of overseas markets. They have also released an open-source platform GE for the world model of real-world dual-arm robots, planning to gradually open source in the fourth quarter of this year. Ubtech has deeply cultivated humanoid robot technology, with technological布局 covering full-stack capabilities such as motion control, servo driving, multi-modal interaction, and SLAM navigation. The average annual patent applications in the past five years have exceeded 200, accelerating the technological supply capacity and industrialization process of humanoid robots. Qinglang Intelligence focuses on building a fully self-developed technological system and a closed-loop capability of “R&D-intelligent manufacturing-landing.” Their products have passed certifications in over 60 countries and regions worldwide, setting an example for “Chinese intelligent manufacturing” going global.
Facing an increasingly competitive and highly promising market, several robotics innovation enterprises are targeting different tracks for breakthroughs. For example, Lingcifang Robotics is the first domestic startup to achieve ultra-long sequence multi-task coherent operations in hotel scenes. Its specialized model Zerith-V0, paired with the wheel-arm robot Zerith-H1, targets standardized scenes such as hotel cleaning and restocking, with plans to deliver 500 units within the year. Fourier has launched intelligent rehabilitation solutions based on robot technology for medical rehabilitation scenes. Its “embodied intelligence rehabilitation port” integrates over 30 self-developed rehabilitation robot products, providing five major rehabilitation modules including guidance consultation and cognitive training, which have been implemented in more than 300 case departments nationwide.
Of course, embodied intelligence robots, as an important direction for the intelligent development of robotics, rely on the integration of multiple key technologies and complex systems. This requires more enterprises in the industrial chain to invest, while also providing more market development opportunities for upstream and downstream companies. Among them, Tencent, following a platform-based route, launched China’s first modular embodied intelligence software platform “Tairos,” aimed at providing modular software capabilities for robot manufacturers and promoting industry intelligent upgrading. The laser radar company Robosense launched a new category of robot vision, Active Camera, providing one-stop solutions for robot perception development for the industry. Haier Group, jointly with seven representative embodied intelligence enterprises and representatives from industry, academia, and research such as the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, initiated the establishment of the “Embodied Intelligence Innovation Ecosystem Alliance.” Based on Haier’s home appliance application scenes and intelligent manufacturing bases, it provides rich application scenes for the landing of embodied intelligence and humanoid robots.
Future Outlook for Embodied Intelligence
The competition in embodied intelligence is essentially a battle for “scene definition rights.” The first-mover advantages of Chinese enterprises in fields such as industrial logistics and rehabilitation services are being transformed into standard output capabilities through globalization布局. However, in the journey of transforming the “technological marvel” of embodied intelligence robots into “economic units,” the industry仍需 undergo a round of reshuffling and重塑. The “global positioning” path of Chinese enterprises has just begun. The continued integration of embodied intelligence into various sectors will rely on advancements in core technologies like perception and world modeling, as well as cost reductions and ecosystem collaborations. As more enterprises embrace embodied robots, the market is poised for significant evolution, with China playing a pivotal role in shaping global standards and applications.
The embodied intelligence landscape is set to expand further, with innovations in embodied robots driving efficiencies across industries. From manufacturing to healthcare, the deployment of embodied intelligence systems is expected to enhance productivity and service quality. The emphasis on open-source platforms and modular solutions, as seen with initiatives from companies like Tencent and Robosense, will lower entry barriers and accelerate adoption. Moreover, the focus on specific, high-value scenes such as elderly care and logistics underscores the practical potential of embodied intelligence to address real-world challenges. As global competition intensifies, the ability to swiftly adapt and implement embodied robots in diverse environments will be crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Chinese firms, with their strong manufacturing base and rapid innovation cycles, are well-positioned to lead in this arena, but sustained investment in research and international partnerships will be key to long-term success.
In summary, the embodied intelligence sector represents a dynamic and rapidly evolving field where technological prowess and market agility intersect. The progress made by Chinese enterprises in developing and deploying embodied robots highlights their growing influence on the global stage. However, the journey ahead involves navigating complexities in technology integration, regulatory frameworks, and market demands. By fostering collaborations and continuing to innovate, stakeholders in the embodied intelligence ecosystem can unlock new opportunities and drive transformative changes across multiple industries. The future of embodied intelligence promises not only economic gains but also societal benefits through enhanced automation and intelligent systems.