On February 28, China issued its first national standard system for humanoid robots and embodied AI. The standard system, set by a committee under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, aims to provide systematic guidance for the industry’s development.
Embodied AI refers to the integration of AI into physical systems, enabling them to interact with the physical world. Different from traditional AI that mainly relies on static datasets for pattern recognition and algorithm training, embodied AI emphasizes learning through real-time interaction in dynamic physical world, which makes it closer to the evolutionary path of biological intelligence. Means of interacting with the physical world include possessing eyes (vision), ears (hearing), hands (manipulation of objects) and feet (ability to change location), capable of perceiving, acting, providing feedback and learning.
Embodied AI is no longer a laboratory exhibit, but a new form of productivity entering numerous scenarios. It can be found in factories, shopping malls, homes and hospitals. According to the General-Purpose Embodied Intelligence Robots 2026, the latest report released by technology research and advisory group Omdia, Chinese humanoid robot makers accounted for the vast majority of roughly 13,000 units shipped globally in 2025. Chinese startup AgiBot Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd. shipped 5,168 robots last year, topping the list of humanoid producers, followed by Unitree Robotics in second place with 4,200 units. During this year’s CES, one of the most influential tech events in the world held in Las Vegas, the U.S., the robotics section became the area with the highest concentration of Chinese technology firms, with 21 of the 38 humanoid robot exhibitors coming from China.
The introduction of the humanoid robot and embodied AI standard system by China, a global innovator and key market builder in embodied AI, demonstrates its proactive responsibility in regulating the development of this industry. The system covers six areas: basic commonality, brain-like and intelligent computing, limbs and components, complete machines and systems, application, and safety and ethics, thereby constructing an industrial ecosystem.
It unifies fundamental issues such as terminology, definitions, frameworks and classifications, and standardizes the full lifecycle management of data and the entire technology chain from model training to inference and deployment, providing standard guidance for the modular development of humanoid robots and regulating the development, operation and maintenance processes of humanoid robots and embodied AI agents in different application scenarios. The core value of this framework lies in precisely addressing the problems previously faced by the industry, such as fragmented technology approaches, lack of standards and high risks relating to compliance.
In the past, due to the lack of unified standards, firms in this industry had inconsistent hardware interfaces and data formats, creating “data silos.” This has not only hindered collaboration among businesses, but also resulted in significant duplication of research and development and data waste. The newly released standard system acts as a unified “baton,” which can guide the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain to work together in the same direction. By unifying the interfaces of core components and communication protocols, the framework can break industrial barriers and reduce the costs of industrial chain collaboration, thus accelerating large-scale production.
The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) identifies embodied AI as a core industrial growth pole of the future. It is reshaping the value logic of manufacturing, services and scientific research. At a critical moment when global competition in the humanoid robot industry is shifting from technology competition to ecosystem competition, it is of paramount importance for China to establish a complete national standard system. Through establishing unified data standards and certification systems, China is expected to build the most diverse robot data ecosystem in the world, contributing Chinese solutions to global industrial development. –The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange item
