World’s Biggest Humanoid Robot Maker: The Tipping Point Is Near

InnovationConsumer TechWorld’s Biggest Humanoid Robot Maker: The Tipping Point Is NearByJohn Koetsier,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Journalist, analyst, author, podcaster.Follow AuthorMay 19, 2026, 02:40pm EDTAgibot president of embodied business Dr. Yao Maoqing talks about the future of humanoid robots ... and how close we are to the tipping point today.China News Service via Getty ImagesShanghai-based Agibot is probably the largest humanoid robot maker in the world. The company shipped roughly 5,100 units in 2025 — a 39% share of the global market — and crossed 10,000 cumulative units earlier this year, surpassing its first three-year total in just three months. It now offers humanoid robots and robots-as-a-service in more than 17 countries.I recently had the opportunity to interview the president of Agibot’s embodied business unit, Dr. Yao Maoqing, via email.I wanted to know where its thousands of shipped robots are being employed. When we’ll hit a tipping point and the humanoid robot era will truly begin. What the biggest blockers are today, how Agibot sees the global market – including potential emerging protectionist forces – vertical integration of hardware and software, plus how the company sees robots and humans working together in the future.In this interview Dr. Maoqing argues that the humanoid robotics industry is right now crossing a far more important threshold than production capacity: the shift from demos to deployment, and he frames it as a move from what he calls the "X curve" of technology exploration to the early stage of the "Y curve" of real-world deployment growth.He’s also candid about what differentiates Chinese robotics firms … and it’s not what most Western observers assume.Koetsier: The scale you recently announced is impressive. Where are those robots going: labs? factories? homes? offices? Dr. Maoqing: At this stage, humanoid robots are first entering scenari...