Unitree Robotics has been appointed a robot partner for China's 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, marking its third appearance on the show. The robots' playful dance performance last year drew widespread public attention to humanoid robots.

Unitree enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2025. The company led global humanoid robot sales and won multiple medals at the world's first humanoid athletics event. Its founder, Wang Xingxing, spoke at the national entrepreneurs' forum.

Wang believes that, although the robot industry is still in its infancy, it will see its ecosystem improve gradually as more real-world applications emerge and more developers get involved, much like personal computers and smartphones in the past. In the meantime, universities and firms have already started purchasing Unitree's G1 robot.

Wang estimates that almost all related enterprises saw drastic growth in 2025, reflected in surging A-share robotics stocks.

He has reason to sound confident. China is already seeing a boom in its embodied intelligence supply chain, and some have come to view robotics as the "jewel in manufacturing's crown". "Thanks to China's solid industrial strength and foundational capabilities, its robot industry has built a complete, self-sufficient supply chain with global competitive edges," said Lei Li'nan of Zhejiang University.

The industry is now shifting focus from performance to practical labor, concentrating on developing smarter AI "brains" and dexterous robotic "hands". Unitree's Dex5 robotic hand is able to make complex manipulations like handling cards or solving a Rubik's Cube. The overarching goal is to create robots that boost productivity and can be seamlessly integrated into household and industrial settings.

Wang predicts that within five years, robots will be able to handle tasks in most unfamiliar scenarios efficiently.