As Humans Are Replaced, Robots Now Required to Have 'ID Cards'
China has begun tightening supervision of the rapidly expanding humanoid robot sector by requiring every robot to possess a unique digital identity. Last week, the Chinese government launched a national platform known as the Humanoid Full Lifecycle Management Service Platform.
Through this system, every humanoid robot produced in China will be assigned a specific identification code, enabling the tracking of robots from their initial production stage until they are recycled. According to reports from the state media outlet CCTV, the programme is coordinated by the Human Embodying Intelligence and Standardization (HEIS) committee, which operates under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Chinese authorities stated that this digital identity system is designed to ensure every robot can be traced throughout its entire lifecycle. This allows the government to monitor potential risks while strengthening the governance of the fast-growing humanoid robotics industry.
Yu Xiuming, Deputy Head of the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), noted that the system aims to address the primary challenges facing the humanoid robot industry, ranging from safety and supervision to governance, while simultaneously accelerating the deployment of humanoid robots across various applications.
The identification code for each robot consists of four components: a country code, a manufacturer code, a product model code, and a unique serial number to distinguish each individual unit.
Currently, more than 100 humanoid robot companies in China have joined the programme, with over 28,000 robots across approximately 200 models having already received digital identities. This move comes amidst China’s ambition to accelerate the development of the humanoid robot industry, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
According to research by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the global humanoid robot market grew by 508% last year, with total shipments reaching approximately 18,000 units. IDC assesses that Chinese companies are now at the forefront of this industry, thanks to a strong and integrated manufacturing supply chain.
China’s advancements in humanoid robot technology were also evident at the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon held last month, where robots and humans competed on the same track. The humanoid robot ‘Lightning’, manufactured by Honor, drew significant attention after completing the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. This time was approximately six minutes faster than the human world record for the same distance, currently held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.
Lightning also demonstrated a significant performance increase compared to last year’s champion robot, Tiangong. While Tiangong required 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the race in 2025, Lightning managed to reduce the time by nearly two hours, reflecting the rapid progress of Chinese robotics technology over the past year.