Nikkei Business Digital reports on challenges facing Chinese-made humanoid robots and Japan’s response

On September 24, 2026, Nikkei Business Digital reported on challenges facing Chinese-made humanoid robots and Japan’s response.

If competition in humanoid robots shifts beyond appearance to movement quality and the refinement of drive systems, that could change where investment is directed among components, controls and evaluation. Japanese companies need to determine which technical areas the source article’s reference to “muscles” encompasses.

The report suggests that the competitive focus in humanoid robots is shifting from “visual polish” to how smoothly and precisely they can move. While it describes Chinese companies as being ahead, it says Japan is looking to “muscles” for an opportunity. This suggests that refinement of drive systems and implementation, in addition to external design and integrated control, is becoming a differentiating factor. See the original article for details. The articles’ titles address the same theme, and, at least based on publicly available information, the issues surrounding Chinese-made humanoid robots appear to be converging less on technical specifications themselves and more on movement quality and the accumulation of advances in components and drive systems. However, the specific approaches and points of comparison depend on the original article, so definitive claims should be avoided. To provide context from publicly available information, joint actuation, control, durability and maintainability can become bottlenecks as humanoid robots move from demonstrations to mass production and real-world use. The report’s focus in particular on “smoothness” and “precision” appears significant. Points to watch include, first, which specific parts or technologies Japan’s reference to “muscles” means; second, what performance gaps are at issue in comparisons with Chinese companies; and third, under what conditions readiness for real-world use is assessed.

Given the report’s assertion that Japan is looking to “muscles” for an opportunity, it suggests that greater weight is being placed on enabling technologies that affect movement quality, such as joint drives, actuators, reducers and control components. However, the original article does not name specific technologies, so the implications for Japanese companies should be limited to this scope.