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 25, the “Advancements and Leaps in Humanoid Robots” subforum at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 drew significant attention. At the scene, a reporter from Securities Daily noticed that even before the forum began, a large number of spectators had gathered outside the venue; once inside, the audience raised their phones to record the humanoid robots and digital humans on stage. Presenting were the embodied Tiangong 3.0 and Xingdong Jiyuan Q5 robots from the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, along with Baidu Smart Cloud’s digital human ViviDora, all taking turns to introduce themselves and engage 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 embodied intelligence and other future industries. The “14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China” also called for accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries such as new-generation information technology, new energy, new materials, intelligent connected new energy vehicles, robots, biomedicine, high-end equipment, and aerospace. In this context, industry focus is increasingly centered on when humanoid robots can move beyond demonstration scenarios and truly land in factories, warehouses, and even homes, establishing a replicable and sustainable business loop.

Industrial Scene

Opening Application Space First

Driven by policy support, technological breakthroughs, and market demand, the development of the humanoid robot industry continues to accelerate, becoming an important representative and driving force for the development of new productive forces. At the forum, robots and digital humans appeared together, enhancing the sense of technology, making the question “How far are humanoid robots from real-world applications?” more practically significant. Attendees generally believed that the humanoid robot industry is gradually moving from early “showcase demonstrations” to a substantial new stage of “scene landing.” However, true landing is not simply about completing action demonstrations, but rather about achieving long-term, stable, and low-cost operations.

Xiong Youjun, CEO of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, stated that the industry is transitioning from showcasing technology to practicality, from specialization to generality, with applications starting to extend into automotive, home appliance manufacturing, logistics handling, sorting, and distribution in various industrial fields.

Shen Dou, Executive Vice President of Baidu Group and President of Baidu Smart Cloud, believes that the current bottlenecks in industrialization remain significant, including the need to enhance the stability, durability, and agility of the robots. The technical solutions for the brain and cerebellum have not yet been fully integrated, and the data systems required for embodied intelligence are still being accumulated. This means that while humanoid robots may “seem very hot” today, they are still some distance away from large-scale, low-cost replication.

Industrial scenes are currently the most realistic breakthrough point for humanoid robot applications. Compared to the highly non-standardized home environment, tasks in factories and warehouses are more clearly defined and processes relatively stable, making it easier for companies to concentrate data, computing power, and hardware resources, continuously optimizing for specific positions and forming scalable replication capabilities. In other words, humanoid robots are more likely to initially play a practical role in the industrial system as “capable, replaceable, and efficient,” before gradually extending into more complex areas of life services.

“Before humanoid robots truly usher in their ‘ChatGPT moment,’ it would be wise to first apply them in industrial and other scenarios. This is because industrial scenes tend to be more vertical and standardized, allowing companies to concentrate data and computing power, first addressing some key positions, and then standardizing and replicating the capabilities of those positions across tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of scenarios,” said Chen Jianyu, founder of Xingdong Jiyuan Technology Co., Ltd., during an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily at the forum. He added that the entry of robots into industrial scenes is not just for demonstration but must meet very high efficiency, high success rates, and over 99% reliability. Moreover, it should not only be able to “do it once” but also be able to reliably, continuously, and cost-effectively complete tasks.

Home Applications

Still Need to Overcome Multiple Barriers

Although the industry is generally optimistic about the long-term development prospects of humanoid robots, the judgments of attendees regarding when they will enter homes on a large scale are relatively cautious.

Wang Xiaogang, co-founder and executive director of SenseTime and chairman of Daxiao Robotics, believes that with rapid data accumulation, the industry may see significant changes in about two years; Chen Jianyu predicts about five years; while Shao Hao, chief scientist at vivo Robotics Lab, candidly stated that this process may take longer. Despite the varying time expectations, their consensus is clear: home scenarios are far more complex than industrial ones.

This complexity is first reflected in the non-standardization of tasks. Chen Jianyu further explained that the spatial layouts, item placements, and task requirements in homes vary widely, making it difficult to cover all scenarios with limited data. Shao Hao also mentioned that home robots are not just faced with single actions but a whole set of coherent tasks. This imposes higher requirements on the robots’ perception, decision-making, execution, and interaction capabilities.

At the same time, issues such as safety, privacy, and boundaries of responsibility were frequently mentioned at the forum. Shao Hao believes that once robots enter homes, it is essential to establish protective systems such as emergency stop mechanisms, physical barriers, and safety distances, and to clarify the boundaries for data collection and processing. Wang Xiaogang also noted that once robots enter homes, they are essentially approaching a higher level of autonomous operation, with safety complexities even exceeding those of autonomous driving. Shen Dou also stated that for humanoid robots to truly enter homes, it is not only necessary to lower costs but also to accelerate the filling of gaps in safety regulations, product performance, standard systems, and legal frameworks.

Cai Zilin, chief analyst of the high-end equipment industry at Wanlian Securities, told a reporter from Securities Daily that the humanoid robot industry is currently in a critical period of transitioning from technological breakthroughs to large-scale commercialization, with 2026 expected to be a significant node for mass production and scene validation. From the development path perspective, leading with industrial manufacturing, expanding B-end scenarios, and gradually penetrating home services have become a clearer direction for industry evolution.

From the signals released at the annual conference, it is clear that the humanoid robot industry is no longer just at the level of “looking advanced,” but is beginning to challenge “whether it can create real value.” Policy support is accelerating, technological breakthroughs are ongoing, and application scenarios are continually expanding, but for the industry to truly reach a turning point, it must ultimately return to the fundamental questions of whether it can deliver stably, whether it can form a closed loop, and whether it can gain market trust.