CEO of Zhongqing discusses cost reduction in general-purpose humanoid robots

At the 2026 World Robotics Conference, Zhao Tongyang, CEO of Zhongqing, addressed the topic of costs associated with general-purpose humanoid robots. He emphasized that the focus is on deployable robots capable of performing tasks in industrial and domestic settings, rather than low-cost toy-like products. According to Zhao, the cost of such general-purpose humanoid robots has been reduced to below 100,000 yuan, although mass production remains limited, leaving room for further cost reductions. Zhao also noted that China's supply chain for humanoid robots is becoming more mature, leveraging the country's decades of manufacturing expertise. However, transitioning traditional manufacturing to high-precision components for robot cores still requires technical and experiential development. He highlighted that industry component capacity has been increasing while prices have been declining, with examples such as ball screws, which have seen a tenfold price drop over three years, and gearboxes, which have experienced a general halving in cost. In May of this year, Zhongqing's Smart Manufacturing Base in Shenzhen Honghuali was officially launched, with the first batch of T800 humanoid robots successfully produced. The production line integrates smart manufacturing and R&D testing, capable of producing one robot every 15 minutes.