[현장] 촘촘한 로봇공급망 갖춘 중국…‘근육 자랑’ 끝내고 “일하며 돈 벌겠다”

The Beijing International Robot Conference (WRC) opened on the 19th, with the most prominent feature being human-like (humanoid) robots with striking appearances. These robots featured only hand components made of metal. The manager of Chengdu-based Lieon technologies, Jangsen Jin, noted that 99% of these robot hands had been made domestically.

He added that the company could respond quickly to customer orders due to its own technology and parts. Lieon technologies, a company that produces sensing components for machines, originally made parts for automotive products but started producing robot sensing components in 2024. The company said that demand for robot sensing components this year was "10 times the previous year."

Wheel-shaped robots from Samsung Heavy Industries transported boxes, while other robots performed repetitive tasks in factories. Samsung Heavy Industries' representatives pointed out that while human-like robots are mostly used for demonstrations, they still have high production costs and unstable operation. One Chinese robot, UniTrine, demonstrated cleaning tasks for about 10 minutes before stopping several times, highlighting the challenges of autonomous robots making decisions without human intervention.

Some experts believe that 50∼70% of the human-like robots produced this year will be used as "data factories" to collect training data. Although many of the 200 million yuan (414 billion yuan) in orders for human-like robots last year went to state-owned enterprises for data collection or performances, these robots will need to make a transition from being seen as mere "muscle growth" to actively earning money in industrial settings.