China Showcases Humanoid Robot Startups at CCTV Gala
China’s annual CCTV Spring Festival gala, the country’s most watched television event, featured humanoid robots as a central element of this year’s program. Four domestic startups, Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab, demonstrated their humanoid platforms during the broadcast, placing the technology before a nationwide audience.
2026 Humanoid Robot Market Report
160 pages of exclusive insight from global robotics experts – uncover funding trends, technology challenges, leading manufacturers, supply chain shifts, and surveys and forecasts on future humanoid applications.
Featuring insights from
Aaron Saunders, Former CTO of
Boston Dynamics,
now Google DeepMind
2026 Humanoid Robot Market Report
160 pages of exclusive insight from global robotics experts – uncover funding trends, technology challenges, leading manufacturers, supply chain shifts, and surveys and forecasts on future humanoid applications.
The gala is widely regarded as a cultural touchstone in China, comparable in prominence to the Super Bowl in the United States. By positioning humanoid robots on this stage, Beijing signaled the strategic importance it assigns to the sector as part of its broader industrial policy.
Startups in the Spotlight
Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab each showcased humanoid systems during the televised event. While the broadcast focused on presentation rather than technical specifications, the coordinated appearance of multiple startups underscored the depth of China’s emerging humanoid ecosystem.
The inclusion of several independent developers also highlighted the competitive landscape forming within the country. Rather than centering on a single national champion, the gala reflected a broader base of companies pursuing bipedal and human form factor robotics.
Industrial Policy Signal
The prominence of humanoid robots in the program aligned with Beijing’s stated ambition to lead in advanced manufacturing and next generation automation. Featuring the technology in a high profile national broadcast served both a domestic and international audience, reinforcing the message that humanoid robotics is viewed as a strategic priority.
For practitioners and operators, the event illustrates how humanoid development in China is moving beyond laboratory research and controlled demonstrations into mainstream visibility. Public demonstrations at scale can influence investor interest, supplier engagement and talent recruitment, all of which are critical to advancing hardware maturity and deployment readiness.
Market Implications
Although the gala did not detail commercial deployments or performance benchmarks, the coordinated showcase suggests continued momentum among Chinese humanoid startups. Visibility at a national event may accelerate partnerships with manufacturers, system integrators and component suppliers seeking early positioning in the humanoid value chain.
As global competition in humanoid robotics intensifies, high profile demonstrations such as this reflect how governments and companies are aligning media visibility with industrial strategy. The Spring Festival gala appearance places China’s humanoid developers firmly within that narrative.
