Humanoid robotics has a video problem. For years the sector's most famous moments were clips: a backflip, a dance routine, a parkour run. What was hard to find was a production number — the one statistic you cannot fake with a rendering.
In 2026 that changed. Several companies started publishing how many units they had actually built and shipped. This field guide collects the names that matter and the numbers behind them, so you can tell a manufacturing operation from a demo reel.
Key takeaways
- Unitree (China) reported cumulative production of its bipedal humanoids passing 18,000 units, listed on the STAR Market on 19 August 2026, and turned profitable in 2025.
- AgiBot (China) has reported roughly 15,000 cumulative units — a close second in the Chinese race.
- Tesla Optimus drew a reported 5,000-unit order; Figure (US) remains a closely watched but lower-volume name.
- Global humanoid shipments in the first half of 2026 were estimated at about 19,100 units — small in car terms, real in robotics terms.
- The honest gap is deployment vs demo: most units go to universities, research labs, and exhibitions, not yet factory lines.
Why numbers beat videos
A production count settles an argument that has run since the first viral humanoid clip: is this an industry, or a science fair? Eighteen thousand units is not a consumer product, but it is unambiguously a manufacturing operation. The customer mix tells you where the value currently sits.
The Chinese front-runners
Unitree is the volume leader. Cumulative production of its bipedal humanoids (the H1, G1 and H2) passed 18,000; over 5,500 units shipped in 2025, ranked first globally, with roughly 5,900 more in the first half of 2026 — about 31% of the global market by one estimate. More than 70% of its humanoid customers are universities, research institutes, and cultural-tourism or performance venues. The G1 education variant, priced roughly 145,000–414,000 yuan, is the volume driver.
AgiBot trails closely at about 15,000 cumulative units, with a similar research-and-exhibition customer base. Galbot announced a 300-million-yuan robot factory, and Xiaomi reorganized its embodied-AI efforts in 2026 — signals that large Chinese manufacturers are treating humanoids as a real product line, not a prototype.
The US names
Figure drew attention for its走路 and manipulation demos and a high-profile partnership with a major AI lab, but its shipped volume remains far below the Chinese leaders. Tesla Optimus carries the most name recognition and a reported 5,000-unit order, yet mass production at Tesla scale has not materialized in published numbers.
The strategic difference: US efforts often lead in narrative and AI branding; Chinese firms lead in units produced and price-driven deployment.
The honest gap: deployment vs demo
None of the production numbers above is factory productivity. Humanoids are being bought mainly as research platforms and public-facing attractions, with assembly lines as the next hill to take. Unitree itself assesses hardware as largely solved and the deficit as intelligence, and has directed more than 2 billion yuan of IPO proceeds into robot-model R&D, including a strategic memo with DeepSeek on large models and embodied intelligence.
A rival, AgiBot, and global estimates put first-half-2026 shipments near 19,100 units — a manufacturing race, not a science fair, but still early relative to the "robot in every warehouse" vision.
Honest limitations
Production, shipment, and financial figures are as disclosed by the companies and reported by Chinese financial media in 2026; market-share and global-shipment estimates are third-party and vary by source. Customer-mix percentages reflect company statements and may not represent all channels. Tesla Optimus and Figure volume figures are reported or estimated, not independently audited. This guide reflects the state of public reporting as of September 2026 and will age quickly.
Sources
Company disclosures from Unitree, AgiBot, Figure, and Tesla; Chinese financial-media reporting on 2026 humanoid production and listings; and third-party market estimates cited in coverage of global humanoid shipments.