They can perform dance moves and showoff roundhouse kicks or maybe offer aride.>> Hi.>> Robots, it seems, are everywhere in
China in all shapes, sizes, and speedswith companies rolling out more powerfulhumanoid resources.This robot conference is show of intense
competition among startups here.And happening alongside it, the secondannual humanoid games in Beijing.
Where nearly 700 teams are expected tocompete for gold, more than double thesize of last year's. It's all a sign of
how seriously China is betting onrobotics as the next industrialrevolution. These days, there's a lot ofhype around this company, Unitree.
That's one of the world's biggest makersof humanoids and robot dogs. The companyhas just started trading publicly on the
Shanghai Stock Exchange and sharespopped 500%on day one.Its latest model may explain why. Ahumanoid called Superman that can jump 6
and 1/2 feet and claims to sprint fasterthan world record holder Usain Bolt,although it crashed into a wall right
after crossing the finish line.Still, it's leaps and bounds ahead ofwhere sporting humanoids were last year
when we attended China's first everobot games.>> This event is being billed as the firstof its kind.>> Teams competing in soccer, track events,
and tasks like moving luggage.>> There are hundreds of robot companieshere in China making machines that can
do backflips or run faster than peopleif that's what you want your robot todo. But a big focus here at the World
Robot Conference in Beijing is on robotsthat can do tasks that are, well,mundane or boring even by humanstandards.
>> Daily grind jobs like folding laundry,picking up toys, or sorting packages ina warehouse. Practical work that humans
might not mind giving up. Or at least,that's the way robot developers here seethe future.>> So, we don't want to replace the first
person. We we want to be people to tohave better job, to have a better life.>> The challenge here is turningeye-catching kicks and moves into actual
productivity, then scaling itcommercially. Low-cost manufacturinghere has allowed China's industry to
pull ahead. Hefty government subsidieshave helped out, too.Robots are not without some glitchesthat come with real questions about
safety. Remember when this one kicked achild?
This year, there are no robots made inthe United States, and none of what's ondisplay here in China will be finding
its way to the US anytime soon. TheTrump administration banning imports ofnew foreign-made quadruped and humanoid
robots, citing national security andprivacy concerns. A move that heavilytargets China, which, according to
consulting firm IDC, accounts for 82% ofthe world's humanoid shipments.>> There are risks to the approach that the
US is taking, but I think their heartsare in the right place. They want tobuild a supply chain. They want toreshore manufacturing. And most
importantly, they are worried aboutnational security risks.>> After the recent ban, IDC estimateshumanoid sales by US companies could
rop 58% by 2030 under a worst-casescenario. We reached out to the WhiteHouse for comment and haven't heardback. FCC Chair Brendan Carr telling NBC
News when the regulation was announced.>> So, one of the upsides of these actionis not just national security,
but it is helping to re-industrializethis country.>> China's leadership has made robotics anational priority. As the US moves to
restrict technology, China is alreadyputting the machines to work. JaniceMackey Frayer, NBC News, Beijing.
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