Robotics Industry Landscape: Observations from IROS 2025
Published:
Originally published on Substack.
The exhibition hall was filled with the hum of conversation, the whirring of motors, and the glow of robotic arms in motion.
Teams from Europe, the U.S., and China were showcasing their latest AI and robotics products. Across the hall, research groups from around the world were deep in discussion about control algorithms.
Together, these scenes formed a mirror—reflecting the different paths and rhythms countries are taking in robotics.
I spoke with researchers and company representatives from Europe, the U.S., China, and other parts of Asia. Some conversations were spontaneous, happening right at the booths; others unfolded during tours of new technologies. We discussed technical progress, industrial deployment, breakthroughs in algorithms, policy, and supply chains.
Despite coming from different perspectives, almost everyone pointed to the same trend: China is advancing rapidly in this field.
One exchange stood out.
An engineer from Apple said, “The U.S. is like a community full of creative ideas—there are many directions, but it’s hard to align and move forward together.”
A European company representative added, “The speed at which China moves on hardware and implementation is impressive. We’re still debating solutions while Chinese teams are already in mass production.”
Engineers and scholars from Korea and other countries shared similar observations. They’re increasingly collaborating with Chinese teams and suppliers, both more frequently and more deeply. Technological competition isn’t just about algorithmic breakthroughs or isolated innovations.
China’s momentum comes largely from strong organizational capacity—policy alignment, industrial coordination, supply chain readiness, and synchronized execution across companies. By contrast, the U.S. and Europe hold clear advantages in foundational innovation and ecosystem diversity but tend to move more slowly on strategic coordination and scaling.
Another factor that cannot be ignored is open source.
Many collaborations are not established through official channels but emerge naturally through open-source projects. Even in a complex geopolitical environment, engineers, researchers, and companies from different countries are working together—sharing tools, models, and standards—to build a kind of de-politicized technical collaboration. This quiet but powerful force is already reshaping the landscape.
The fact that this year’s IROS was held in 杭州市 carries symbolic weight.
The city has become an important global node in the robotics industry, influencing the direction of the field:
China is accelerating in supply chain strength, deployment, and standardization.
The U.S. and Europe continue to lead in foundational innovation and ecosystem development.
Open-source technology is becoming an important bridge connecting different camps.
There were no loud slogans, no language of winners and losers—just a shared, quiet understanding:
The future of robotics and AI will likely not belong to any single country. It will be built through a global system where competition and cooperation coexist.