Insights

Humanoid robot training centers open in China's hardware capital Yongkang

Massive humanoid robot training centers, locally called "robot schools," have opened in Yongkang, China's hardware capital. The state-backed initiative aims to integrate hardware manufacturing with physical AI data collection, where human trainers wear VR headsets to teach robots real-world tasks like sorting packages. Under a national plan, China aims to deploy 10,000 humanoid robots across industries by the end of 2026. The country has established 8 large data collection centers in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where over 100 robots are trained simultaneously to build a massive open-source physical dataset. Leveraging Yongkang's power tool supply chain, manufacturers produce robotic parts locally, bypassing Western technology. Analysts estimate this ecosystem will significantly lower humanoid robot production costs within the next 2 years, accelerating their adoption in retail and services.