Germany’s VDMA lobby calls on Europe to step up on humanoid robotics as Unitree surges

Aug 19 (Reuters) – Germany’s VDMA engineering association on Wednesday said humanoid robotics ‌should move to the top of ‌the political agenda, calling on Germany and Europe to ​step up and create resilient domestic supply chains for sourcing critical parts.

• Shares in Unitree, China’s best-known humanoid robot maker, soared ‌in their ⁠Shanghai trading debut, in a landmark moment for the country’s robotics ⁠sector, which has become a battleground in the Sino-U.S. tech war.

• Global humanoid robot ​shipments nearly ​quadrupled in the ​first half of ‌this year to 19,100 units, with Chinese manufacturers dominating.

• The VDMA said a global race for leadership in humanoid robotics has begun, and the topic of humanoid robotics ‌and physical AI must ​be placed at the ​top of ​the political agenda.

• The VDMA ‌said the crucial challenge lies ​in scaling.

• “Germany ​and Europe must establish a comprehensive value chain featuring domestic production of ​critical components,” ‌said Hartmut Rauen, Deputy Executive Director ​of the VDMA.

(Reporting by Matthias Williams, ​editing by Thomas Seythal)