Asia Emerging Robotics: The Barometer (May/June 2026)

Research evidence excerpt

Asia Emerging Robotics: The Barometer (May/June 2026)

30 June 2026

Asia Emerging Robotics

In this note, we update the key events in humanoid robot industry, market sentiment, and Dien Wang, Ph.D.

+852 2123 2622 important data points in May & June 2026. Readers can download the complete barometer

dien.wang@bernsteinsg.com dataset here: Asia Emerging Robotics Barometer.

Jay Huang, Ph.D. Key events (Exhibit 1). In June, Chinese government stepped up efforts to accelerate

+852 2123 2631 the real-world adoption of humanoid robots. Key initiatives included the launch of the

jay.huang@bernsteinsg.com

2026 Humanoid Robot Real-Scene Training Program by MIIT and SASAC, along with new

Weibin Liang, Ph.D. standards aimed at expanding deployment in applications such as power substation use-

+852 2123 2666 cases and home-appliance manufacturing. Meanwhile, AgiBot’s humanoid robots achieved

weibin.liang@bernsteinsg.com a 99.99% success rate in quality inspection and material-handling tasks during a six-day

livestreamed factory demonstration. In contrast, the U.S. focused on both safeguarding

national security through proposed restrictions on Chinese robots (here) and advancing

domestic robotics leadership through bipartisan legislative initiatives (here). Among

Western humanoid players, Agility Robotics planned to go public via SPAC, potentially

becoming the first US-listed pure-play humanoid company (here).

Market Sentiment. Sentiment toward humanoid robots softened in June (Exhibit 2 to

Exhibit 4), due to a lack of meaningful catalysts within the month. We see two potential

near-term catalysts: 1) Boston Dynamics’ expected public showcase at the 2026 FIFA

World Cup (June 11–July 19); and 2) the unveiling of Tesla’s Optimus Gen 3 in July/August.