A robot exchange-traded fund rallied 6.68 per cent by the midday close, with the whole supply chain lighting up. Orbbec rose nearly 20 per cent, and core parts makers Green Harmonic and Zhongda Lead hit limit-up. This was not pure hype. Behind it sat real industrial change and policy signal.
The clearest backing came from the National Development and Reform Commission. Officials confirmed that of every 10 humanoid and quadruped smart robots sold worldwide, 8 are made in China.
A few years ago humanoids were expo curios, flash over function, far from commercial use. In a short span, China’s domestic robots jumped to the front rank. The edge is no accident: the world’s most complete high-end equipment supply chain, plus ageing demographics and rising labour cost that make the substitution demand urgent.
The rally mapped the chain neatly. Orbbec builds the robot’s eyes in 3D vision, Green Harmonic and Zhongda Lead control the joints, Haozhi and Leisai drive the motion. When whole-machine demand climbs, upstream parts makers win first, which is exactly why the sector rose together.
The commercial proof is the leaders’ results. Quadruped leader Unitree has filed for a STAR Market listing, with its inquiry and subscription window in early August. Its first-half revenue is guided at 1.05 billion to 1.128 billion yuan, up more than 35 per cent and as much as 46 per cent year on year, breaking the ‘robots only burn cash’ myth.
Capital on both fronts now prices in real commercialisation: a positive loop of better tech, lower cost, wider scenes and renewed demand. The report is candid that the industry is still early, with cost, stability and intelligence as the three hard problems, and that a hot tape is not the same as a mature industry.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original OFweek analysis. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience. Source: OFweek.