Humanoid Robots Claim 97% Global Share, but Only Thousands Actually Work in Factories

The humanoid robotics world has been roiled by a newly listed company founder who publicly aired the industry's unglamorous underbelly.

Many ordinary observers, reading press coverage, assume humanoid robots have already entered factories at scale. The reality is far less rosy.

Public figures show 40,000 humanoid robots shipped domestically in the first half of 2026, with the industry claiming 97% of the global market and more than 3.5 billion yuan in intent orders, as a wave of companies prepares to sprint toward IPOs.

Insiders know, however, that only a few thousand units have actually been delivered to factories and put into daily production. More sobering still: almost no humanoid robot company has yet earned money from its robotics business itself.

The data-collection center now under repeated discussion is not inherently a bad thing. Training robot AI requires huge volumes of motion data — repeated grasping and walking trials recorded for the model — an indispensable step in R&D.

But some firms have twisted the model. They set up joint-venture data-collection centers in regions offering industrial support policies; the new shell company then buys humanoid robots in bulk from the parent, instantly boosting the parent's reported revenue and polishing its financial statements.

The parent then routes the money back by "purchasing AI training datasets." Contracts, invoices and bank statements are all in order; on paper a complete transaction exists, yet no genuine outside customer ever placed an order.

The purchased robots stay in offices and showrooms, repeating simple motions to gather data, never working on a factory floor. Money simply circulates among affiliated companies, inflating revenue and paper R&D spending while unlocking tax benefits.

Once started, this game is hard to stop: a company that uses it to post good results this year must inflate revenue further next year to avoid a decline.