GoKawiilForward-looking: Back when humanoid robots could barely stumble forward without falling over, there were plenty of jokes about their use on the battlefield, Terminator-style, not being much of a concern. Now, though, these machines are running faster than the fastest human and doing parkour – and China wants to turn them into robotic miltary "combatants."
August saw the World Humanoid Robot Games take place in China, where robots took parts in several events. The same month, Unitree claimed its Superman robot can run faster than Usain Bolt, although the figure has not been independently verified.
Reuters reports that two days after the Games ended, the People's Liberation Army's official newspaper, the PLA Daily, called for researchers to accelerate the transfer of these technologies from laboratories to military training grounds.
Reuters reviewed more than 100 Chinese military procurement notices, academic studies, patents, official publications, government records, and defense-company materials. It found that the country is accelerating research into the robots' military uses and planning for their eventual wartime deployment.
China has long led the world when it comes to humanoid robots. Its manufacturers accounted for about 95% of shipments of these bots in 2025, giving the PLA plenty of access to the machines.
The good news is that while humanoid robots have come a long way since those slow, lumbering, ungainly early efforts that required a tethered connection to operators, we really are still a long way from seeing squads of marauding T-800 killbots marching across fields. They require a lot of energy, so can't operate for great lengths of time, and even the most advanced designs occasionally fall over, especially on rough terrain.
However, China still has plans for how to use humanoid robots. It envisions them being used alongside robot dogs – something that ICE could soon use – and unmanned vehicles, an area that is becoming increasingly popular among global militaries.
In a scenario described by a research paper last year, six combat robots – a mixture of humanoids, robot dogs, and unmanned vehicles – would be split up between two assault teams. Working with ground troops, the robots would clear an enemy-occupied building, floor by floor and room by room. The authors believe the equipment to make this a reality will be ready in 5 to 10 years.
Other proposed uses include reconnaissance, logistics, patrols, and operations inside tunnels and ships. State-owned defense company Norinco says its Fuxi humanoid can carry out sentry duties and all-weather reconnaissance, though it can also be remotely controlled instead of operating autonomously.
There's also the important question of whether a machine can reliably distinguish combatants from civilians or recognize when someone is surrendering. China's defense ministry said in March that AI-powered weapons should remain under human control, though that might bring little assurance to skeptics.
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