From the exhibition stage to the front lines of the industry, humanoid robots are entering a rapid deployment phase.

Securities Daily Reporter Liu Zhao

On March 25th, the “Advancement and Leap of Humanoid Robots” sub-forum at the Boao Asia Forum 2026 Annual Conference drew much attention. The Securities Daily reporter noticed on-site that even before the forum officially started, a large crowd had gathered outside the venue; after entering, attendees raised their phones to record the humanoid robots and digital humans on stage. At the scene, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center showcased Embodied TianGong 3.0, Xingdong Era Q5 robots, and Baidu Smart Cloud Digital Human ViviDora, which took turns introducing themselves and engaging in interactive speeches, quickly igniting the atmosphere.

This scene reflects the ongoing high enthusiasm for the humanoid robot industry. The 2026 Government Work Report mentioned for the first time the cultivation of future industries such as embodied intelligence. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan also emphasizes accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries including new-generation information technology, new energy, new materials, intelligent connected new energy vehicles, robotics, biomedicine, high-end equipment, aerospace, and more. Against this background, industry focus is increasingly on: When will humanoid robots move beyond demonstration scenarios and truly land in factories, warehouses, and even homes, forming a replicable and sustainable business closed loop?

Industrial Scenarios

Leading the Application Space

Driven by policy support, technological breakthroughs, and market demand, the humanoid robot industry continues to accelerate, becoming an important representative and driving force of new productive forces. At the forum, robots and digital humans appeared together, full of technological flair, making the question “How far are humanoid robots from real-world applications” more relevant. Participants generally believe that the current industry is transitioning from early “tech showcase” to a new stage of “scene implementation.” However, real deployment is not just about demonstrating actions but achieving long-term, stable, and low-cost operation.

Xiong Youjun, CEO of Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, said that the industry is shifting from flashy displays to practicality, from specialized to general-purpose, with applications beginning to extend into automotive, home appliance manufacturing, logistics, and distribution.

Shen Dou, Executive Vice President of Baidu Group and President of Baidu Smart Cloud, believes that the main bottlenecks in industrialization remain, including the stability, durability, and dexterity of the robot body, the incomplete integration of brain and cerebellum technical solutions, and the ongoing accumulation of data systems needed for embodied intelligence. This means that although humanoid robots look very popular now, there is still some distance to large-scale, low-cost replication.

Industrial scenarios are currently the most practical breakthrough for humanoid robot applications. Compared to highly non-standardized home environments, factory and warehouse tasks have clear objectives and relatively stable processes, making it easier for companies to focus data, computing power, and hardware resources, continuously optimize specific roles, and develop scalable replication capabilities. In other words, in the short term, humanoid robots are more likely to serve as “capable, replaceable, and efficient” practical roles within industrial systems, gradually extending into more complex service domains.

“Before humanoid robots truly experience a ‘ChatGPT moment,’ it’s better to first apply them in industrial and other scenarios. This is because industrial environments are more vertical and standardized, allowing companies to concentrate data and computing resources, address key roles first, and then standardize and replicate these capabilities across tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of scenarios,” said Chen Jianyu, founder of Xingdong Era Technology, in an interview with Securities Daily. He added that robots entering industrial scenarios are not for demonstrations but must meet high throughput, success rates, and over 99% reliability. It’s not just about doing something once but reliably, continuously, and at low cost.

Home Applications

Still Facing Multiple Barriers

Although the industry generally remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of humanoid robots, the judgment on when they will enter homes on a large scale is relatively cautious among现场 guests.

Wang Xiaogang, co-founder and executive director of SenseTime and chairman of Daxiao Robotics, believes that with rapid data accumulation, the industry may see key changes in about two years; Chen Jianyu estimates around five years; Shao Hao, chief scientist at vivo Robot Lab, frankly states that this process may take longer. Despite differing timelines, they share a clear consensus: home scenarios are far more complex than industrial ones.

This complexity is primarily reflected in task non-standardization. Chen Jianyu further explained that home spaces, object arrangements, and task requirements vary greatly, making it difficult to cover all scenarios with limited data. Shao Hao also pointed out that home robots face not just single actions but a series of coherent tasks, which demand higher perception, decision-making, execution, and interaction capabilities.

Meanwhile, issues related to safety, privacy, and responsibility boundaries are frequently discussed at the forum. Shao Hao believes that once robots enter homes, protective systems such as emergency stop mechanisms, physical barriers, and safety distances must be established simultaneously, and data collection and processing boundaries clarified. Wang Xiaogang added that once robots enter homes, they essentially reach a higher level of autonomous operation, with safety complexities even higher than autonomous driving. Shen Dou also stated that for humanoid robots to truly enter homes, costs must be lowered, and standards, safety norms, product performance, and legal regulations need to be accelerated.

Cai Zilin, chief analyst of high-end equipment industry at Wanlian Securities, told Securities Daily that the humanoid robot industry is currently at a critical stage from technological breakthroughs to large-scale commercialization, with 2026 likely to be a key node for mass production and scenario validation. The development path appears clear: industrial manufacturing first, expansion into B-end scenarios, and gradual infiltration into home services.

From the signals released at the annual conference, the humanoid robot industry is no longer just about “looking advanced” but is beginning to challenge whether it can create real value. Policy support is accelerating, technological breakthroughs continue, and application scenarios are expanding. However, the industry’s ultimate turning point depends on whether it can deliver reliably, form closed loops, and earn market trust.