Chinese Startups Dominate Humanoid Robotics Patent Rankings

Chinese companies account for six of the world's ten strongest private humanoid robotics patent portfolios, according to a new analysis from LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions.Using its proprietary patent index, LexisNexis ranked privately held companies with a bipedal humanoid robot, evaluating both the size and quality of their patent portfolios across interaction systems, morphology, and control and planning architectures.Shanghai-based Fourier ranked first, followed by Agibot and LimX Dynamics. Pudu Robotics, Unitree Robotics and Leju Robotics also featured in the top ten, while Germany's Agile Robots and U.S. companies Figure AI, Apptronik and Agility Robotics rounded out the list.The findings come as investors increasingly look to humanoid robotics as one of the next major commercial opportunities. Industry forecasts cited by LexisNexis estimate the market could generate from $38 billion to $200 billion in annual revenue by 2035, with Goldman Sachs forecasting that 1.4 million humanoid robots could be produced that year.Related:FCC Blocks Chinese Humanoid Robot Imports, Citing Security RisksWhile attention has focused on increasingly sophisticated robot demonstrations, including warehouse automation, industrial inspections, sporting challenges and household tasks, LexisNexis argues that underlying intellectual property may provide a more meaningful indicator of future competitive advantage.Still, some caution against reading too much into patent counts alone."A patent does matter in the long run when there is widespread adoption of the patented technologies," said Lian Jye Su, an analyst at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget. "Until that happens, the lead is merely reflective of the investment in frontier R&D. It is generally challenging to translate pure R&D results into commercial outcomes."Su also noted that not all patent categories carry equal weight in determining which companies ultimately win out."Embodied AI will be most important, given its critical role in the overall system decision-making process," Su said. "This is followed by locomotion, as robots must be able to move around in an efficient and safe manner."China's innovation footprint expandsBeyond ranking companies, the analysis examined where key inventions in humanoid robotics originate.Findings showed Chinese inventors have significantly increased their contribution across all three core technology areas during the past decade, with patent activity growing around fivefold in control and planning architectures, approximately 2.5 times in robot morphology and roughly doubling in interaction systems.Related:Neura Robotics to Open Physical AI Training CenterThe findings suggest China's position in humanoid robotics extends beyond manufacturing capacity and government support into the development of foundational technologies that could shape future commercial products.That combination of R&D investment and manufacturing scale, Su argued, is what will ultimately separate market leaders from the rest of the field."Given that all major Chinese humanoid robotics vendors are investing in proprietary technologies and large-scale production, leading vendors like Agibot, Unitree and UBTech [which is not on the LexisNexis ranking list] are well-positioned to continue leading the market," he said. "The EV industry shows that the ability to scale up production is equally critical to frontier R&D, as large production quantities and rapid iteration lead to worker learning, process improvements, and better technology."About the AuthorContributing WriterScarlett Evans is a freelance writer with a focus on emerging technologies and the minerals industry. Previously, she served as assistant editor at IoT World Today, where she specialized in robotics and smart city technologies. Scarlett also has a background in the mining and resources sector, with experience at Mine Australia, Mine Technology and Power Technology. She joined Informa in April 2022 before transitioning to freelance work.