Chinese robotics firms focus on quadrupeds as major revenue drivers

Chinese robotics companies are increasingly banking on quadruped robots as major revenue drivers, a trend highlighted by AgiBot’s recent decision to spin out its four-legged robotics unit into a new subsidiary called AgiQuad, and Amap’s coming launch of a quadruped model.The move by AgiBot was intended to drive large-scale growth so that the unit would not “live in the shadow of the humanoid robot giant”, Qiu Heng, chief operating officer of the new subsidiary, said at a media briefing last week.Shanghai-based AgiBot’s portfolio originally comprised four divisions, including the Yuanzheng commercial humanoid, the wheeled and dual-armed Genie, the compact Lingxi humanoid for consumers, and the AgiQuad quadruped unit.The newly established AgiQuad has targeted 500 million yuan (US$73 million) in revenue for 2026. By 2030, it aimed to reach 10 billion yuan in revenue and 300,000 units in annual shipments, according to a report by the official media outlet Securities Times.Underscoring the red-hot demand for the company’s products, Qiu noted that AgiQuad was struggling to keep units on the shelves. “Our mid-sized quadruped robots are not here today because they are completely sold out, and there is no stock left in the warehouse,” he was quoted as saying by Shanghai Securities Times.The booming quadruped robot market is also attracting newcomers. Alibaba Group Holding’s digital mapping platform Amap is set to release a quadruped robot, the first such product from the e-commerce giant, according to a Tuesday report by Sina Tech. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.An AgiBot robot dances to music during CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6, 2026. Photo: Reuters