China issues first six humanoid robot standards; Unitree, UBTech, Xiaomi drafted all six
China issued its first six national standards for humanoid robots on Sept 28, covering general requirements, perception, decision-making, motion control, task operation and simulation testing, effective April 1, 2027, according to the national standards database of the State Administration for Market Regulation.
The standards are recommended rather than mandatory. MEKAWIRE's count of the drafting lists shows 123 organisations took 253 drafting places; Unitree, UBTech and Xiaomi's robot unit sit on all six, while AgiBot, Galbot, Fourier and Leju sit on none.
China has published its first national standards written specifically for humanoid robots. Six recommended standards, issued on Sept 28, 2026 and taking effect on April 1, 2027, set technical requirements for how a humanoid perceives its surroundings, plans, moves and carries out tasks, and how simulation platforms used to test them should work, according to entries in the national standards database of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). [Unitree](/companies/unitree) and [UBTech](/companies/ubtech-robotics) are among the drafters of every one.
The standards are voluntary, carrying the GB/T prefix rather than the mandatory GB. What makes them worth reading is the list of who wrote them. MEKAWIRE counted the drafting organisations in all six database entries: 253 drafting places shared by 123 organisations, and a small group of listed incumbents present on every document while several of the best-funded challengers are absent.
Six documents split the humanoid into the parts buyers will test
The set has two pieces. GB/T 48317, titled technical requirements for humanoid robots, is divided into five parts: general requirements, environment perception, decision and planning, motion control, and task operation. A separate standard, GB/T 48316, specifies simulation test platforms for humanoids. All six fall under the National Robot Standardization Technical Committee and are executed by its humanoid subcommittee, with the China Machinery Industry Federation as the responsible department, the database entries show.
- GB/T 48316-2026
- Simulation test platforms
- 31
- Pujiang Laboratory
- GB/T 48317.1-2026
- Part 1: general requirements
- 51
- Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machinery Industry
- GB/T 48317.2-2026
- Part 2: environment perception
- 43
- Unitree Robotics
- GB/T 48317.3-2026
- Part 3: decision and planning
- 32
- Pujiang Laboratory
- GB/T 48317.4-2026
- Part 4: motion control
- 54
- Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center
- GB/T 48317.5-2026
- Part 5: task operation
- 42
- UBTech Robotics
- Total
- 6 recommended standards
- 253 places, 123 organisations
- No data
All six issued 2026-09-28, effective 2027-04-01 (185 days later), recommended (GB/T), under the National Robot Standardization Technical Committee's humanoid subcommittee. Counts from the drafting-unit lists in the SAMR national standards database, read by MEKAWIRE on Oct 19. 123 = distinct organisations across the 253 places.
As of Oct 19, 2026
The plan numbers on each entry begin with 2025, so the projects were commissioned in 2025. MEKAWIRE has read the database records, which give titles, dates, classification and drafters; the technical content of the texts is not summarised here.
Three companies wrote every part
Only five organisations appear on all six drafting lists: Unitree Robotics, UBTech Robotics, Xiaomi's Beijing robot company, the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machinery Industry and the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute. That is 4% of the 123 organisations involved. The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, the state-backed lab known abroad as X-Humanoid, is first-listed drafter of the motion-control part and appears on five. Unitree is first-listed on perception and UBTech on task operation.
- Unitree Robotics
- 6
- UBTech Robotics
- 6
- Xiaomi Robotics (Beijing)
- 6
- Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center
- 5
- DEEP Robotics
- 4
- Midea Group
- 3
- EngineAI
- 2
- Dobot
- 2
- KEENON Robotics
- 2
- RobotEra
- 1
- XPENG
- 1
- Pudu Robotics
- 1
- AgiBot
- 0
- Galbot
- 0
- Fourier
- 0
- Leju Robotics
- 0
MEKAWIRE matched each company's Chinese registered name against the six SAMR drafting-unit lists; 0 means the name does not appear. Participation in drafting is disclosed, it says nothing about compliance.
As of Oct 19, 2026
MEKAWIRE matched the Chinese registered names of the humanoid makers we track against the lists. DEEP Robotics appears on four, Midea on three, EngineAI, Dobot and KEENON on two, RobotEra, XPENG and Pudu on one. AgiBot, Galbot, Fourier and Leju, all of which have raised large private rounds, do not appear on any.
Why voluntary standards still shape the market
In China, recommended national standards tend to become the reference for government procurement, subsidy schemes and certification bodies, and the China Quality Certification Centre is itself on the drafting list for the general-requirements part. A humanoid sold into a state-owned factory or a pilot programme is likely to be asked whether it meets GB/T 48317. That gives the drafters an early read on test methods their rivals will have to meet.
The timing matters too. The international humanoid draft, ISO 25785-1, is still unpublished and avoids the word humanoid altogether, as MEKAWIRE's [robot safety standards explainer](/news/robot-safety-standards-2026-explained-iso-10218-2025-iso-ts-15066-humanoid-iso-25785-1-eu-korea-china-20261017) set out on Oct 17. China now has a domestic yardstick in force from April, ahead of a global one, in the country that installed 354,000 industrial robots in 2025, 59% of the world total by IFR's count ([China market explainer](/news/china-robotics-market-2026-explained-354000-robot-installations-59-percent-of-world-domestic-brands-55-percent-ipo-funded-20261017)).
MEKAWIRE analysis
China's first humanoid standards were written largely by the listed incumbents, so the first official checklist for humanoid buyers in China reflects how Unitree, UBTech and Xiaomi build robots, not how the venture-funded challengers do.
The evidence is the drafting map: three humanoid makers on all six documents, and four of the best-funded private challengers on none. UBTech reported 1,079 humanoid units in 2025 and 921 in the first half of 2026 in its filings, so it is writing rules for a product it already ships in volume.
The strongest counter-argument is that drafting is not control. Standards committees work by consensus, the documents are voluntary, and absent companies can still certify against them. A second caveat: our count rests on names, and a company may take part through an affiliate or an industry body not named on the list.
Bull case: buyers adopt GB/T 48317 quickly, the drafters certify first, and the standards become the default checklist for Chinese tenders from April 2027. Bear case: the documents stay generic, procurement keeps writing its own specifications, and the drafting lists end up as a record of who had time for committee work.
Three signals will show which way it goes: certification schemes referencing GB/T 48317 before April 1, 2027; tender documents citing it in 2027; and whether AgiBot or Galbot join the next drafting rounds the subcommittee opens.
- Six recommended national standards for humanoid robots: GB/T 48317.1 to .5 (technical requirements) and GB/T 48316 (simulation test platforms)
- AgiBot, Galbot, Fourier and Leju do not appear on any drafting list
- Sept 28, 2026; effective April 1, 2027 (185 days later)
- SAMR national standards database entries, read Oct 19, 2026
- Recommended (GB/T), not mandatory
- 253 drafting places held by 123 organisations (MEKAWIRE count)
- National Robot Standardization Technical Committee, humanoid subcommittee; responsible department China Machinery Industry Federation
- Unitree, UBTech, Xiaomi Robotics (Beijing), Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machinery Industry, Shanghai AI Research Institute
Why it matters
China is the first major market with national standards written for humanoid robots as a product class, while the ISO humanoid draft remains unpublished. Recommended standards in China often feed procurement specifications, subsidy eligibility and certification, so these six documents are likely to become the checklist a state buyer, an industrial park or a pilot scheme uses from 2027.
The split of the standard into perception, planning, motion control and task operation also mirrors how humanoid software stacks are being sold, which means suppliers of each layer, not only robot makers, will be measured against it.
Rival analysis
Unitree and UBTech, the two listed humanoid makers with the largest disclosed shipments, sit on all six drafting teams and each is first-listed on one part. Xiaomi's robot company also sits on all six. The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center leads motion control. Among the venture-funded challengers, DEEP Robotics and EngineAI are present, while AgiBot, Galbot, Fourier and Leju are not named.
That gap matters less for technical capability than for influence over test methods. Companies outside the drafting rooms will learn the requirements at the same time as their customers.
Valuation context
No valuation changes are disclosed with the standards. For listed drafters, the effect is a possible support to the narrative that they set the rules in their home market; for private absentees, it is a question investors may raise in the next round. MEKAWIRE does not attach a value to drafting participation.
Supply-chain implications
The drafting lists reach far beyond robot makers: motor, reducer and sensor suppliers, chip designers, telecom groups, power utilities and test laboratories appear, including PaXini on three parts and actuator and drive makers on the motion-control part. Component suppliers that helped write the motion and perception parts gain early knowledge of the test methods their customers will specify.
Foreign component makers selling into Chinese humanoid programmes should expect requests for conformity data against GB/T 48317 once certification schemes appear.
Signals to watch
Before April 1, 2027: certification bodies such as the China Quality Certification Centre publishing humanoid schemes that cite GB/T 48317. During 2027: government and state-owned enterprise tenders referencing the standards. Ongoing: new drafting projects from the humanoid subcommittee and whether AgiBot, Galbot or Fourier join them; and progress on ISO 25785-1, which would tell whether China's documents feed the international draft.
Analyst view
Thesis: the first official humanoid checklist in China was drawn mainly by listed incumbents and state labs, which gives them an advantage in shaping test methods. Confidence: medium. The drafting data is primary and complete, but we have not reviewed the technical texts, and voluntary standards can remain unused. What would change our view: certification schemes that are written independently of the drafters, or the absent challengers joining the next round.
Questions you should be asking
For Unitree and UBTech: will you certify your current models against GB/T 48317 before it takes effect, and at what cost? For AgiBot and Galbot: why are you not on the drafting lists, and do you expect customers to ask for conformity? For the subcommittee: which parts will be revised first, and will the documents be offered to ISO as input to ISO 25785-1?