- Province bets on use cases for humanoids in factories, malls and homes
- Plan calls for large-scale rollout across manufacturing, retail and public services
Zhejiang province plans to accelerate the commercial rollout of humanoid robots across factories, shopping malls, homes and public services, targeting annual production of more than 20,000 units by 2027 under a newly released provincial development blueprint.
The eastern Chinese province will build 10 humanoid robot training centers and demonstration production lines by 2027, while cultivating 30 “humanoid robot plus” application scenarios, according to the “2026-2027 Action Plan on Accelerating New Scenario Applications” released by the provincial government.
Beginning this year, Zhejiang also plans to open more than 150 new technology application scenarios annually to support first-time deployments of emerging technologies and products, with the goal of driving more than 300 billion yuan ($44 billion) in investment.
The plan places humanoid robots among Zhejiang’s priority industries as China intensifies efforts to commercialize embodied AI and advanced robotics.
Zhejiang is home a number of humanoid robot pioneers such as Unitree (宇树科技), DEEP Robotics (云深处科技) and Spirit AI (千寻智能) as well as an extensive supply network.
Four main categories
Under the initiative, humanoid robots will be deployed in four main categories: as shopping and tourism guides in malls and scenic areas; as industrial workers handling welding, painting, assembly and logistics tasks; as household assistants providing cleaning, care-giving and companionship services; and in public-sector roles including security patrols, traffic management and emergency rescue operations.
The plan spans both consumer and industrial use cases, signaling Zhejiang’s intention to push humanoid robots beyond laboratory demonstrations into broader commercial adoption.
Beyond robotics, the provincial roadmap also targets 24 strategic sectors including AI, brain-computer interfaces, unmanned systems and marine technology.
By the end of 2027, Zhejiang aims to create more than 300 “AI plus” application scenarios and raise adoption rates of next-generation intelligent terminals and enterprise AI agents to above 75% in key industries.
The initiative aligns with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) which emphasizes advanced technology development, industrial upgrading, smarter governance systems and expanded digital public services.
