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China Launches Plan to Move Humanoid Robots Into Real Work Scenarios by End of 2026

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China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) have jointly issued a notice launching a 2026 special action on real-scene training for humanoid robots and embodied intelligence, the state news agency Xinhua reported on June 9, 2026. Xinhua described the program as a push to move humanoid robots out of demonstrations and into routine operating work.

SASAC is the agency that oversees China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises, which makes it a co-sponsor with direct reach into the country's largest state industrial groups.

Targets for the end of 2026

According to Xinhua and China News Service, the notice sets these goals for the end of 2026:

Science and Technology Daily, a state-run newspaper, summarized the goal in English on June 25 as pushing for "the commercial rollout of 10,000 humanoid robots and over 100 high-value application scenarios by the end of 2026."

Six tasks and target sectors

The notice lists six main tasks, according to Xinhua: building real-scene training spaces, forming innovation and application consortia, developing practical operating skills, strengthening real-scene verification and routine deployment, reinforcing support for key resources, and distilling mature experience for wider use.

China News Service reported that the program spans industrial uses such as production, inspection, maintenance and warehouse logistics; services such as food service, retail, medical care and wellness; and special operations including workplace safety, emergency rescue and disaster prevention.

The notice also acknowledges gaps. China News Service reported that it cites shortcomings in model algorithms, robot body performance, scenario adaptation and the accumulation of real-machine data. Science and Technology Daily quoted the notice as saying that "practical real-world training is the key solution to tackling these limitations."

Standards work continues

MIIT has paired deployment goals with standards activity. At the 2026 plenary session of the ministry's Humanoid Robot and Embodied Intelligence Standardization Technical Committee in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, Vice-Minister Ke Jixin said "the humanoid robot industry is moving from single-unit prototypes and stage demonstrations toward batch deliveries, which significantly raises the requirements for coordination," China Daily reported on July 21, 2026.

China Daily said the committee's work covers research and development, production, testing, application and safety governance, and that the session formally set up a data working group, WG7.

The sector list in the notice, from factory inspection to retail and emergency response, indicates where Chinese authorities want humanoid robots tested on real tasks first, ahead of the 10,000-unit deployment goal that the notice sets for the end of 2026, as reported by Xinhua.

Sources