US robotics companies push for national strategy, including a central
office, to compete with China
[March 27, 2025] By
DIDI TANG and MATT O'BRIEN
WASHINGTON (AP) — American robotics companies are pushing for a national
robotics strategy, including establishing a federal office focused on
promoting the industry at a time when China is making intelligent robots
a national priority.
Representatives of companies — including Tesla, Boston Dynamics and
Agility Robotics — on Wednesday met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to
show off products and push for the United States to adopt policies that
would boost American companies in a global race to develop the next
generation of robots.
Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of humanoid startup Apptronik, of
Austin, Texas, pointed out to lawmakers that it was American carmaker
General Motors that deployed the first industrial robot at a New Jersey
assembly plant in 1961. But the U.S. then ceded its early lead to Japan,
which remains a powerhouse of industrial robotics, along with Europe.
The next robotics race will be powered by artificial intelligence and
will be “anybody’s to win,” Cardenas said in an interview after the
closed-door meeting. “I think the U.S. has a great chance of winning.
We’re leading in AI, and I think we’re building some of the best robots
in the world. But we need a national strategy if we’re going to continue
to build and stay ahead.”
The Association for Advanced Automation said a national strategy would
help U.S. companies scale production and drive the adoption of robots as
the “physical manifestation” of AI. The group made it clear that China
and several other countries already have a plan in place.

Without that leadership, "the U.S. will not only lose the robotics race
but also the AI race,” the association said in a statement.
The group also suggested tax incentives to help drive adoption, along
with federally-funded training programs and funding for both academic
research and commercial innovation. A new federal robotics office, the
association argued, is necessary partly because of “the increasing
global competition in the space” as well as the “growing sophistication”
of the technology.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, said he believes the
U.S. is ahead in the game but that the Chinese companies are “very good”
and that China is “devoting a lot of resources very quickly.”
“So we need to maintain our innovation and maintain our culture of
entrepreneurship,” Krishnamoorthi said.
Jonathan Chen, manager of carmaker Tesla's Optimus Engineering, which is
developing a humanoid robot that CEO Elon Musk hopes to one day send to
Mars, said manufacturing capabilities will be key to national
competition. “You create the robots, the question is who's going to
scale them?” Chen said.
China is the world’s largest market for robots that work in factories
and other industrial environments, with about 1.8 million robots
operating in 2023, according to the Germany-based International
Federation of Robotics.
Robotics manufacturers in Japan and Europe still dominate the global
market for hulking factory robots, though the share of Chinese
manufacturers in its domestic market has grown to roughly half,
according to IFR.
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A Tesla robot is displayed as U.S. robotics companies look for
congressional support to compete with Chinese companies, on Capitol
Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott
Applewhite)
 It can be harder to track the
progress of emerging robot technologies, such as humanoids or
animal-like legged robots, because they are not yet heavily
commercialized. Massachusetts-based robotics pioneer Boston
Dynamics, now owned by South Korean carmaker Hyundai, relied on U.S.
military research grants for its first few decades of work on agile
robots that can crawl and walk.
China now aims to integrate robotics with other emerging
technologies such as artificial intelligence, as the country is
positioning humanoid robots as a frontier technology and has
approved a state-backed venture capital fund of $138 billion to
focus on robotics, AI and other cutting-edge innovations.
Earlier this year, the state broadcaster showcased dancing robots at
the annual Chinese New Year gala. The army of humanoid robots by the
Chinese robotics company Unitree, a Boston Dynamics rival, waved
arms and twirled handkerchiefs, boosting national pride that China
has taken great strides in the development of humanoid robots to
rival those in the United States.
In an annual work report, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the country
would prioritize combining digital technologies and the country's
manufacturing and market strengths, including developing intelligent
robots along with connected electric vehicles.
In both the U.S. and China, humanoid robots that combine artificial
intelligence with a human-like body have attracted public interest.
But they also invite skepticism from some who follow the robotics
industry.
“We don’t like humanoid robots very much because they’re silly,”
said Bill Ray, a UK-based analyst for market research group Gartner.
“They look fantastic, but they’re not very practical.”
Ray instead is looking for more applications of what he describes as
“polyfunctional robots” such as wheeled machines that can pick up
and carry heavy packages through airports but don’t look at all like
people. He doesn’t think government support will make much of a
difference in which country takes the lead.
“In the political climate at the moment, we’re not expecting to see
fleets of Chinese robots working in American factories or fleets of
American robots working in Chinese factories,” Ray said. “I think
that’s a given.”

Cardenas, whose company and its Apollo robot has backing from tech
giants Nvidia and Google, said a national strategy in the U.S. could
help in incentivizing robot adoption, while also promoting the
education of a new generation of robotics engineers and scientists.
“Humanoids are going to play a big role both practically and in
capturing the imagination of the public,” Cardenas said.
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