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US distributor of China’s most popular humanoid robots pivots after US ban
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- DeepHorus
US robotics distributor RoboStore, previously a major seller of Chinese humanoid robots, is pivoting to domestic manufacturing following a government crackdown on foreign-made units. The company announced on August 10 it will open a 66,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on Long Island, New York, by the first fiscal quarter of 2027.
RoboStore had been the primary North American distributor for affordable humanoid and quadruped robots from China's Unitree Robotics. These robots were widely adopted in research and development by major institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Amazon, and Nvidia.
Founder and CEO Teddy Haggerty revealed the company sold over 1,500 robots to customers such as Cisco and OpenAI, along with more than 150 universities. The pivot comes amid growing US government restrictions on foreign-manufactured robotic technology.
The strategic shift also involved creating a new entity, Robo Inc., to oversee the manufacturing and systems integration business. This move reflects a deeper insight into customer needs gathered while supporting deployment and integration requests for existing robots.
Haggerty explained the company gained valuable understanding of how clients aim to use robots for specific applications. They concluded many businesses benefit more from industry-specific solutions, like robotic arms, than general-purpose humanoids.
This decision challenges the trend of marketing humanoid robots as universal tools. Companies like Standard Bots and Universal Robots already offer specialized arms for particular use cases.
The pivot signifies a broader industry reevaluation of robot utility, moving from general-purpose hype toward practical, application-focused tools. RoboStore's transition marks a significant move toward localized production in response to policy changes.
Looking ahead, RoboStore aims to integrate its manufacturing with its deployment expertise. This strategy positions the company to capitalize on the demand for specialized, domestically produced robotics solutions.
