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🇦🇷 Argentina /Technology

From the dance floor to war: China prepares humanoid robots for combat

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Documents & data Ongoing story
  • China’s military is accelerating research into humanoid robots and examining how they could eventually be deployed in war, according to a Reuters review of procurement notices, studies, patents and official records.
  • Military institutions are testing robots for battlefield requirements, seeking acquisition and training technologies, and studying how humanoids could operate alongside troops.
  • China’s commercial dominance in humanoid shipments gives the People’s Liberation Army access to a rapidly expanding domestic industry, as warfare in Ukraine drives global interest in autonomous systems.

At China’s recent World Humanoid Robot Games, machines jumped, boxed and danced. Some agile robots ran faster than Usain Bolt over 100 meters, while spectators cheered their abilities and turned their falls into memes. Two days after the event ended, the official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army drew a more serious conclusion: researchers should speed the transfer of advanced technology from laboratories to military training grounds for robotic “combatants.”

A Reuters review of more than 100 Chinese military procurement notices, academic studies, patents, official publications, government records and defense-company materials found that China’s defense establishment is accelerating work on military uses for humanoids and planning for their eventual wartime deployment.

combatants

· People’s Liberation Army newspaperThe official military newspaper used the term while urging faster transfer of advanced technologies to military training grounds.

Unpublished documents show military institutions testing humanoids against battlefield demands, seeking robots and technologies to train them, and examining how the machines could operate alongside troops. The work gained momentum in 2025 and 2026, focusing on perception, manipulation and training data.

Going to places where we don’t want humans to go is one of the most compelling reasons to develop robots.

· Dennis HongThe UCLA professor explained one argument for developing military robots.

China’s commercial position is also giving its military access to a fast-growing industrial base. BofA Global Research said Chinese manufacturers accounted for about 95% of global humanoid shipments in 2025, while the People’s Liberation Army develops its own military applications.

The shift reflects a broader transformation in military technology. In the war between Russia and Ukraine, semiautonomous drones using artificial intelligence for navigation and target identification have reshaped reconnaissance and attacks. Robots also transport supplies and rescue wounded soldiers. “Going to places where we don’t want humans to go is one of the most compelling reasons to develop robots,” said Dennis Hong, a UCLA mechanical and aerospace engineering professor. “If losing a robot means avoiding the loss of a human life, then the robot can become expendable.”

If losing a robot means avoiding the loss of a human life, then the robot can become expendable.

· Dennis HongHong described why robots might be used in dangerous environments.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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