Humanoid robot industry chains consist of three layers: hardware components, complete system integration, and software/AI. Compared to traditional industrial robots, humanoid robots demand higher component performance (torque density, precision, lightweight design) and are harder to mass-produce. Near-term, domestic supply chain substitution is the core path to cost reduction.
## Core Component Map
**Motors and actuators (most critical)**: ~20–30 actuators in a humanoid robot body; high-performance force control motors are the core. Status: Maxon (Switzerland) and Faulhaber (Germany) are main high-end precision motor suppliers; domestic Unitree Robotics (proprietary), Maijie Electric, and Innfos are accelerating catch-up. Motor costs represent ~30–40% of whole-unit BOM.
**Precision reducers**: harmonic reducers (high precision, miniaturized, suited for robotic arm joints); planetary reducers (high torque scenarios); cycloidal reducers (RV reducers). Leading supplier: Harmonic Drive (Japan) holds ~60% of global harmonic reducer market share; domestic Lide Harmonic and Laifual Harmonic are catching up with some specifications approaching international levels. Domestic reducers hold ~20–30% combined market share — the highest upside improvement opportunity.
**Sensors**: six-axis force-torque sensors (ATI, US; Kunwei Technology, Yuli Instruments, domestic); IMU inertial measurement units (ADI, TDK internationally; Xingwang Yuda, Zhongtian Yinkong domestically); depth cameras (Intel RealSense; Orbbec, a domestic listed company with multiple robotics company partnerships).
**AI inference chips**: on-robot edge inference (edge AI) requires low-power, high-compute chips. NVIDIA Jetson series (de facto standard for robot AI computation); domestic Horizon Robotics (J series) and Black Sesame Technologies are targeting robot inference chips.
## Investment Opportunity Analysis
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley project the global humanoid robot market at ~$150 billion by 2035, with components representing ~40% (~$60 billion). Current highest-opportunity segments: precision reducers (low domestic substitution rate, large market space); force control motors (high technical barriers, strong pricing power); depth vision (multimodal perception is the sensory entry point for robot intelligence).
See [Humanoid Robot Overview](https://sunqi.org/humanoid-robot-overview-en/) and [Robot Investment Map](https://sunqi.org/humanoid-robot-investment-en/).
