China’s humanoid robot industry has moved beyond flashy demonstrations of robots running, boxing and dancing. A Reuters review of more than 100 Chinese military procurement notices, academic studies, patents, government records and defence industry materials found that China’s military is increasingly examining how humanoid robots could eventually be used in warfare.

The shift comes as autonomous systems are becoming increasingly important in modern warfare. The Russia Ukraine war has demonstrated the growing role of AI enabled drones in reconnaissance and attacks, while robots have also been used to transport supplies and retrieve casualties. China’s military is studying these developments as it considers how robotics could change future battlefields.

What Is China Developing?

Chinese military institutions are testing humanoid robots against battlefield requirements and acquiring the technology needed to train them. Research is increasingly focused on perception, manipulation and the large amounts of training data required to make robots function in unpredictable environments. The work gained momentum in 2025 and 2026.

China also has a major industrial advantage. Chinese manufacturers accounted for about 95% of global humanoid robot shipments in 2025, giving the People’s Liberation Army access to a rapidly expanding domestic industry.

However, there is currently no evidence that China has deployed armed humanoid robots with operational PLA units. The machines remain energy intensive and unreliable outside controlled demonstrations, while battlefield conditions present far more unpredictable challenges.

Humanoids for Urban Warfare

One of the clearest Chinese military visions involves urban combat.

A 2025 study by researchers at the National University of Defense Technology described a hypothetical assault force using six robots, including humanoids, robot dogs and unmanned vehicles. The robots would operate alongside troops to clear enemy occupied buildings floor by floor and room by room. The study projected that such equipment could become available within five to 10 years.

Humanoid designs could theoretically be useful in environments such as buildings, tunnels and ship interiors because their two legs and two hands allow them to combine mobility, climbing and manipulation. But simpler robots with wheels, tracks or four legs would generally be cheaper and easier to deploy for reconnaissance and logistics.

Chinese military commentary has also suggested that humanoid robots could eventually move from supporting combat to taking on primary combat roles. One PLA Daily article discussed the possibility of robots being authorized to fire on a target after a human had verified it.

From Training Exercises to Battlefield Research

Chinese interest in military humanoids began accelerating in 2024, when the National University of Defense Technology and the Academy of Military Sciences hosted a defence technology forum that included discussion of military applications for humanoid systems.

By 2025, the concept had moved into practical military exercises. An NUDT competition simulated the “infiltration behind enemy lines”, requiring robots to enter an area, map it and locate targets. Other scenarios involved identity checks, security patrols and inspections at military bases. The university described the competition as a test ground for robots eventually moving toward the battlefield.

Military procurement followed. In May 2025, the PLA issued a tender for a humanoid robot, including installation and technical training. Another procurement notice sought an intelligent perception and dexterous operation system for humanoid robots.

In June 2026, the PLA budgeted about $300,000 for a system designed to collect and label camera, radar and motion data for humanoids, including information about the terrain they could navigate. That indicates that Chinese military research is focusing not only on the physical robots but also on the perception and training systems required to make them useful.

China’s Defence Industry Joins the Push

The development is now extending beyond military universities into China’s defence industry.

Norinco, the state owned defence conglomerate, has developed the Fuxi humanoid robot. Company materials describe it as capable of sentry duty, all weather reconnaissance, intelligent patrols and dangerous missions.

Fuxi can also be operated remotely through Norinco’s teleoperation system. This could help address one of the biggest challenges facing humanoid robots: their inability to make reliable decisions autonomously in complex environments.

Analysts remain cautious about their immediate battlefield value. Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said humanoid robots are not currently practical battlefield systems, but could potentially become so within five to 10 years.

The Ethical Problem

The move toward military humanoids raises major questions about human control over the use of force.

Even if robots are initially remotely operated, autonomous systems would eventually have to deal with situations involving civilians, wounded soldiers and surrendering combatants. International humanitarian law requires forces to distinguish between combatants and civilians and to avoid attacking wounded or surrendering fighters.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that autonomous weapons could struggle to recognize surrender because such judgments depend on context, conduct and intent.

The U.S. military requires autonomous weapons to undergo legal review and realistic testing, with commanders and operators expected to exercise appropriate judgment over the use of force. China’s defence ministry also said in March that AI powered weapons should remain under human control.

China Is Not Alone

China’s interest in military humanoids is part of a broader global race.

The U.S. Army launched a competition last year to develop “militarized humanoid capabilities” that could eventually operate alongside soldiers. Potential missions include reconnaissance, security, clearing obstacles, handling hazardous materials and offensive and defensive operations in urban environments.

But China currently holds a significant industrial advantage in both humanoid and quadruped robotics. Reuters reported that Chinese manufacturers dominate global humanoid shipments, while Chinese company Unitree is among the leading producers of humanoid and four legged robots.

Why It Matters

The significance of China’s humanoid programme is not that robot soldiers are already ready for war. They are not.

The more important development is that the PLA is building the infrastructure, research and training systems needed to make humanoid robots militarily useful in the future.

China is moving from demonstrations toward military experimentation, procurement and battlefield modelling. Its large domestic robotics industry gives the military access to hardware while universities and defence institutions work on the software, perception and training systems needed to make those machines more capable.

What’s Next

The biggest question is whether advances in balance, perception, intelligence, endurance and manufacturing can overcome the limitations that currently keep humanoids confined largely to controlled environments.

A researcher at China’s Academy of Military Sciences, Wang Yonghua, acknowledged that major problems remain in movement, perception and intelligence. He said technological breakthroughs, lower production costs and industrial scale manufacturing would be necessary before humanoids could become widespread military systems.

If those hurdles are overcome, China’s current experiments could become the foundation for a new class of battlefield systems. As Wang put it, the eventual possibility is that “humanoid robots will stream onto the battlefield.”

Analysis

China’s strategy appears less about immediately replacing soldiers and more about preparing for a battlefield in which humans and machines operate together.

Humanoids could eventually be sent into environments considered too dangerous for soldiers, particularly buildings, tunnels and other confined spaces. Remote operation could initially keep humans involved in decision making, while improvements in artificial intelligence could gradually increase the machines’ autonomy.

The more important competition, therefore, may not simply be over who can build the most advanced robot. It will be over who can combine robotics, artificial intelligence, battlefield data and human control into a system reliable enough to operate under real combat conditions.

For now, China’s humanoid robots remain far from that point. But the military procurement, research and testing documented by Reuters suggest Beijing is already preparing for a future in which robots could play a much larger role in warfare.

With information from Reuters.