SHANGHAI/BEIJING — Shares in Unitree, China’s best-known humanoid robot maker, soared nearly six-fold in its Shanghai trading debut, in a landmark moment for the country’s robotics sector which has become a key battleground in the Sino-US tech war.
Unitree, which competes with Hyundai Motor Group-owned Boston Dynamics and Tesla, has drawn global attention for its robots that run, dance and perform martial arts.
One of the world’s biggest producers of humanoid and quadruped robots, it is a symbol of national pride for China, backed by influential firms, both private-sector tech giants and state-run.
It is also, unlike most of its peers, profitable even if few of its robots are used in commercial applications. And while it is not the first Chinese humanoid robot maker to go public, its listing is expected to set the tone for a slew of domestic rivals preparing to come to market.
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