China's robots expand global presence in 2024

Wybot S3, a swimming pool cleaning robot featuring self-cleaning and automatic charging from a company based in north China's Tianjian Municipality, became the center of attention at the Piscine Global 2024 Lyon in France in November 2024.

"This is one of the world's most intelligent swimming pool cleaning robots," observers praised the outstanding performance of the robot produced by Wybotics Co., Ltd. At the exhibition, the company secured orders worth 70 million yuan (about $9.59 million).

Workers of a restaurant in Japan pose for a group photo with a robot waiter named BellaBot and a robot cleaner. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

This wasn't just a remarkable moment for one company - it exemplified China's robotics industry's global expansion at an accelerated pace in 2024.

In 2024, Chinese robots are making their mark worldwide in fields like food delivery, manufacturing, medical assistance, smart home, consumer services, and logistics, offering solutions for global smart manufacturing and industrial upgrading with their outstanding performance and innovative technologies.

10 years ago, Chinese service robots were rarely seen in the Middle East. Nowadays, the region has become a magnet for Chinese service robotics enterprises, as new infrastructure and new energy industries thrive in the region.

From Asia to North America, Europe to South America and Africa, Chinese service robotics companies have established their global presence.

According to global market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), the total export revenues of Chinese manufacturers of service robots reached about 1.51 billion yuan in 2023, with the Asia-Pacific and European markets contributing over 90 percent of their overseas revenue.

In 2024, more Chinese industrial robots are making their way into international markets. In October 2024, over 100 mobile robots lined up at a smart industrial park of Siasun Robot and Automation Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese robot manufacturer based in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, ready for shipment to France.

Siasun's product range covers various types of industrial robots, making it one of the companies with the most diverse product portfolios in the industrial robot sector in the world. This has laid a solid foundation for the company's remarkable achievements in overseas markets.

A staff member conducts tests on a Walker X humanoid robot at a sci-tech company in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Siasun expanded its overseas operations significantly in the first half of 2024. The company's 5G smart factory in Thailand, built in partnership with a local telecom operator, began operations. Siasun's mobile robots entered the Japanese market. In the United States, the company started providing robotics products and smart services for multiple enterprises.

Data released by the International Federation of Robotics show China's export volume of industrial robots reached 118,300 units in 2023. According to Chinese customs, industrial robot exports soared by 86.4 percent that year. A report on China's industrial robot trade issued by University of International Business and Economics in Beijing reveals that from January to June 2024, Shanghai and Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Anhui provinces led the nation in industrial robot exports.

Technological advantages are Chinese robotics firms' main source of confidence to go global. The Yarbo multi-functional yard care robots produced by Shenzhen Hanyang Technology Co. Ltd. (Hanyang Technology) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, serve as a vivid example.

Initially, Hanyang Technology chose Mohe, one of the coldest places in China, as its testing ground for snow removal functions. During the testing of the first-generation concept robot, the robot's battery lasted only five minutes.

"The market lacked batteries suitable for general-purpose robots," said Huang Yang, founder of Hanyang Technology, adding that the company determined to develop batteries. After eight years of continuous investment, the company's team achieved a breakthrough in battery technology. Now, Yarbo robots can operate in temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees Celsius and remove 550 square meters of snow up to 2.5 cm deep or mow over 10,000 square meters of lawn on a single charge.

Industry insiders believe that robots from China are more cost-effective than foreign ones thanks to their better performance guaranteed by technological innovation.

A robot cleans the floor on a street in Gusu district, Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo/Wang Jiankang)

China has achieved breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies such as multi-sensor fusion perception and human-machine interaction and improved key components like reducers, controllers, and servo systems. As of July 2024, the country had over 190,000 effective robot-related patents, accounting for about two-thirds of the global total.

To further cultivate new growth drivers for the robotics industry, China has introduced various measures this year, aiming to advance core technologies, strengthen industrial foundations, and boost effective supply to enhance the overall industrial development ecosystem.

"Compared to overseas manufacturers, Chinese service robots benefit from better industrial infrastructure and application scenarios," said Wang Huan, director of the policy research and international cooperation center of the Chinese Institute of Electronics.

Wang added that China's big manufacturing industry with a complete industrial system and its efforts to build itself into a manufacturing power provide broad prospects for the development of the robotics industry.

Chinese robots have showcased the power of Chinese manufacturing and the image of Chinese brands in global markets. Many Chinese companies have enhanced their product value through diverse marketing channels and localization strategies.

In Japan, robot waiters named BellaBot produced by Chinese service-robot maker Pudu Robotics, have become a sensation. The robot's cute feline appearance has inspired local consumers to create manga artwork and delicate figurines.

This phenomenon reflects Pudu Robotics' strategic approach of considering Japan's love for "anime culture" and cats. The company's team designed BellaBot with a cat-like appearance and Japanese elements like cherry blossoms and kimono patterns. Today, major Japanese restaurant chains like Zensho, Skylark, and Saizeriya have become Pudu Robotics' clients, making it one of the market leaders in robot waiters in Japan, said Zhang Tao, founder and CEO of the company.

In 2024, Chinese robotics firms have improved their brand images and customer satisfaction by enhancing after-sales service, thus supporting their global market expansion and competitiveness, according to industry analysts.