Chinese Factories Pick Wheels Over Legs as Humanoid Robots Decline

Manufacturers in China are increasingly favoring wheeled robots over humanoid, bipedal robots due to their lower cost, greater energy efficiency, and higher load capacity, industry insiders shared. However, some experts believe that once technical challenges are addressed, two-legged robots could eventually become more dominant.

Over the past year, factories and robot manufacturers have observed that bipedal robots tend to consume excessive energy and struggle to keep pace with assembly line speeds, said Liu Changwen, General Manager of an industrial robotics firm. “It seems there’s a growing consensus that humanoid robots with two legs are not ideal for factory environments,” he added.

Bipedal robots expend around 40% of their energy and 60% of their computing resources just to move their legs, which doesn’t produce any direct value in manufacturing settings. Even companies specializing in humanoid robots are now rolling out large quantities of wheeled models, Liu explained.

Recently, a humanoid robot was deployed at the refrigerator factory of a major white goods producer in Chongqing. “Our main objectives are to enhance the control systems of robots to better suit real factory needs and to gather industrial data,” Liu said. “This data will serve as a foundation for training the next generation of robots as we scale up production.”

Puzhi Robotics has shipped a total of 200 units, with approximately 60% being wheeled and 40% bipedal, according to Cai Zhihao, Deputy General Manager of the joint venture between PI Robotics Institute and the startup Agibot. During the 2025 Apsara Conference on September 25, he noted that bipedal robots are priced between CNY500,000 and CNY600,000 ($70,223 to $84,268), while wheeled models range from CNY400,000 to CNY450,000 ($56,178 to $63,178). The company anticipates increasing shipments to 1,000 units next year.

Developing bipedal robots presents significantly more challenges than wheeled variants, as they require more joints and sensors. While wheeled robots are mainly used in manufacturing settings, bipedal options are mostly utilized for demonstrations and tour purposes, Cai said.

A Chinese raw material supplier for batteries, Fulin Precision, began testing Agibot robots in its Mianyang factory earlier this year, leading to increased orders after successful trials. “Bipedal robots excel on uneven surfaces and can handle climbing stairs and slopes, but these advantages aren’t particularly relevant inside most factories,” Zhou Xingyou, Chairman of PI Robotics, explained.

Looking Ahead

Nevertheless, Jiang Lei, Chief Scientist at the National and Local Joint Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, views humanoid robots as having a brighter future in factory environments compared to wheeled robots.

“Wheeled robots typically achieve positioning accuracy at the centimeter level, but industrial applications demand sub-millimeter to millimeter precision,” Jiang said. “Wheeled bases struggle to provide a stable reference point necessary for such precision. While companies currently use wheeled robots to manage the entire supply chain, mastering full-body behavior models in bipedal robots will eventually see them replacing the wheeled variants.”

Concerns related to safety, technical feasibility, and economic viability continue to hinder the widespread adoption of bipedal robots in factories, Zhou noted. It could take anywhere from three to ten years before humanoid robots are fully integrated into all factory scenarios. Many tasks remain difficult to automate, but humanoid robots are considered a highly promising solution for the future, he added.