China Launches First National Standards for Humanoid Robots

BEIJING -- China released its first six national standards on humanoid robots, detailing technical requirements for perception, planning of movement, task execution and simulation testing for the machines.

The standards have been released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and will be effective on April 1, 2027, China’s national standards database showed.

The standards are marked as GB/T and therefore are voluntary national standards rather than mandatory ones. Compliance is not mandatory just because the standards come into effect.

Five documents comprise the GB/T 48317 series, namely: general technical requirements, environmental perception, decision-making and planning, movement control and task execution. The sixth one, GB/T 48316-2026, sets technical specifications for humanoid robot simulation testing platforms.

The standardization solves an actual problem for robot producers and buyers – different manufacturers use different hardware, control system and measurement techniques of robot capabilities.
Unified technical requirements might facilitate system comparisons and evaluation of system performance even if the standardization in itself does not ensure that any specific robot works reliably in commercial applications.

Manufacturers Involvement

A number of major robotics companies from China were involved in writing the document, along with research institutions, universities, and industry suppliers.

Unitree Robotics is mentioned as one of the organizations drafting the standard on environmental perception and decision-making. UBTech Robotics is named in the standards on motion control and task operation, and the robotics division of Xiaomi was involved in the technical requirements.

The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Pujiang National Laboratory and other research institutions also contributed. According to reports, there was a total of 123 different organizations included in the six drafting lists.

Being involved in drafting the standard does not mean that the manufacturer’s products meet the final standards or are independently tested.

Standards Expansion

The six publications contribute to China's attempt to develop a nationwide standards framework for the humanoid robots industry. In August, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology put forward a draft guideline, calling for the development of at least 100 key humanoid robot standards by 2028.

The standards program is also in line with Beijing's 19 steps introduced to increase use of AI, upgrade manufacturing, and integrate research and commercial production. These guidelines are also calling for field testing and better technology oversight but not for any specific humanoid robot funding or rollout plans.

It is important to understand that these six new standards are dealing with technical capabilities and simulation infrastructure but are not establishing a full-fledged humanoid robots safety certification program.

The six publications serve as technical references for manufacturers and testing agencies. But they are not creating any mandatory certification program, testing results, or any future procurement requirements for buyers.