On August 24, 2026, the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the draft of the National Guideline for the Construction of the Humanoid Robot Industry Standard System (2026 Edition) (hereinafter referred to as “the Draft”) to call for public comments. The deadline for submitting feedback is September 23, 2026.

The Draft defines humanoid robots as a new generation of intelligent terminals driven by artificial intelligence, with human-like form and capabilities, capable of autonomously executing complex tasks. It also states the main sub-sector coverage of humanoid robots as: the brain and cerebellum, joints and dexterous hands, sensors, intelligent computing systems, and training and data.

The Draft is a supportive document and the implementation of the tasks and principles of two top-level national policy documents: the Implementation Plan for the Standardization Leading Project of Emerging Sectors (2023–2035), issued on August 3, 2023, and the Guiding Opinions on the Innovative Development of Humanoid Robots, issued on November 2, 2023. It also notes that no humanoid robot standards have yet been formally published domestically or internationally, while more than 100 standards are under development or in pre-research at the moment.

The Draft sets out a standard system framework and explains the main work content and direction of each branch. Its priorities include breakthroughs in common foundations, brain-inspired and intelligent computing, embodiment and components, complete robots and systems, applications, and safety and ethics. The framework is intended to guide terminology, interfaces, testing and evaluation, and other standards needed for technological innovation, product development, and large-scale application. The framework outlines in the document is as follows:

The document also sets goals for 2028, aiming to innovate and explore a working model for standard development and to build a systematic, scientific, and coordinated standard system. It calls for completing at least 100 key standards in areas such as humanoid robot capability testing and evaluation methods, key technologies, platforms and systems, scenario applications, and safety governance, and for more than 200 enterprises to carry out standard publicity and implementation promotion, thereby providing solid support for high-quality development of the humanoid robot industry.

For foreign stakeholders, subsequent standard development is expected to be led primarily by SAC/TC591/SC5 (Humanoid Robots). As is customary in China’s standard system planning, supporting documents or the official version may also provide lists of standards under development and planned for future development based on current research and confirmation. Stakeholders are advised to follow these developments.