China Accelerates Humanoid Robot Development for Military Use

At the World Humanoid Robot Games in China, held in August, robots demonstrated advanced mobility, including sprinting faster than elite athletes. Two days later, the *PLA Daily* urged researchers to speed the transfer of cutting-edge technologies from labs to military training grounds for robotic “combatants.” A review of more than 100 Chinese military procurement notices, academic studies, patents and defense-company materials shows that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is testing humanoid robots against battlefield requirements and studying how they might operate alongside troops. The effort gained momentum in 2024 and intensified through 2025-2026, focusing on perception, manipulation and training-data systems.

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• Chinese manufacturers supplied roughly 95 % of global humanoid shipments in 2025 (BofA Global Research).

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• The PLA budgeted about $300,000 in June 2026 for a system to collect and label camera, radar and motion data for humanoids.

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• Researchers project that viable battlefield humanoids could appear within five to ten years.

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The *PLA Daily* called for rapid commercialization of laboratory breakthroughs, while a March statement from China’s defense ministry emphasized that AI-powered weapons should remain under human control. The National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) described a 2025 competition that simulated “infiltration behind enemy lines,” positioning the event as a proving ground for future battlefield deployment. Norinco’s August release highlighted its Fuxi humanoid’s capabilities for sentry duty, all-weather reconnaissance and dangerous-role patrols, noting its compatibility with a teleoperation system.

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• “Going where we don’t want humans to go is one of the most compelling reasons to develop robots in the first place,” — Dennis Hong, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA

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