Catch Unitree if you can

TL;DR: If you’ve seen those backflipping, fast-running robots that stand about 4 feet tall all over your feed, there’s a good chance they were made by Chinese company Unitree. This week, it pulled off an eye-popping IPO in China and unveiled a new humanoid that could probably try out for an Olympic track team. Its success also raises a big question: Does the US stand a chance to catch up in the robotics race?

The big jump: We hope you’re having a week half as good as Unitree’s. First, on Monday, the company showed off its new “Superman” robot, which it says can clear a standing jump of over 6.5 feet and clock a top running speed faster than Usain Bolt’s. Unitree says it developed Superman in just over three months, a breakneck speed for robotics and a sign of how strong China’s capabilities have become.

Then, on Wednesday, Unitree’s shares rose 460% as the company debuted on Shanghai’s stock exchange, valuing the company at about $50 billion.

A marketing machine: Unitree’s sudden mainstream visibility may feel new, but millions of people already know its robots by other names. Take Edward Warchocki of Poland, a very chatty robot that once chased away a pack of wild boars and has over 1 million social media followers. Or Brickell Clanker, who resides in Miami and joined in on the World Cup celebrations this summer. Then there’s Rizzbot, the Austin-ite who wears a cowboy hat and flirts with people on the street. All these bots run on the same Unitree G1 hardware.

Bot block: Just as Unitree’s brand recognition grows in the US, Washington is moving to keep new foreign-made bots out. At the end of July, the FCC announced a ban on new foreign-made “advanced robotic devices” being sold in the US—a restriction that applies to humanoids, quadrupeds (those freaky robot dogs), and even your next Roomba.

These bots were blacklisted over national security concerns (robots can collect data about their surroundings, which is why you may not want them made by a foreign rival) and to prevent near-total reliance on China’s robot production. Chinese companies shipped 90% of the world’s humanoids last year.

American firms are split: Domestic robot makers say the new regulation is protection for their industry, while the startups and researchers who use robots in their work say they need access to inexpensive Chinese hardware or risk falling behind.

Bottom line: The US probably can’t close the robotics gap through restrictions alone. Meanwhile, China’s got a clear edge in making cheap hardware, iterating on it quickly, and shipping it globally. —WK