Recently, several enterprises in the robot field, such as Unitree, UBtech, Zhiyuan Robot, and iFLYTEK, have disclosed their latest patents. Unitree recently made public a patent entitled “Dynamic Spatiotemporal Synchronous Mapping Method and System Based on Multi-Sensor Data Fusion”; UBtech announced the patent “Robot Self-Charging Structure, Device and Method”; Shanghai Zhiyuan Xinchuang Technology Co., Ltd., an associated company of Zhiyuan Robot, obtained authorization for “Dexterous Hand Thumb, Dexterous Hand and Robot”… Among them, some enterprises have made particularly eye-catching technological breakthroughs in the industrial robot segment. For example, the implementation of a patent related to 4-axis robot automatic assembly equipment, by optimizing the four-axis linkage control algorithm and high-precision positioning module, has achieved error control within ±0.02mm in the assembly of electronic components, significantly enhancing the flexible adaptation capability of automated production lines.
Currently, the number of valid patents related to robots in China has exceeded 190,000, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the global total. This data not only demonstrates the rapid development and innovative breakthroughs of China’s robot technology but also reflects the high importance attached to technological innovation in the country!
Recently, multiple robot enterprises including Unitree, UBtech, Zhiyuan Robot, and iFLYTEK have disclosed new patents.
Unitree recently published a patent named “Dynamic Spatiotemporal Synchronous Mapping Method and System Based on Multi-Sensor Data Fusion”. It is reported that this patent belongs to the field of environmental perception technology, which can achieve more accurate and comprehensive perception of the environment by fusing data from multiple sensors.
Public information shows that UBtech has announced the patent “Robot Self-Charging Structure, Device and Method”. This is a major breakthrough in its humanoid robot energy management technology, especially serving the continuous operation needs in industrial scenarios. According to the patent abstract from Qichacha, the robot self-charging structure includes a robot main body, an end effector, and at least two battery units.
Qichacha APP shows that Shanghai Zhiyuan Xinchuang Technology Co., Ltd., an affiliated company of Zhiyuan Robot, recently obtained authorization for “Dexterous Hand Thumb, Dexterous Hand and Robot”. It is understood that this patent can effectively solve the problem that the thumb of traditional dexterous hands cannot simultaneously have high degrees of freedom, small size, and low cost.
According to public information, the dexterous hand thumb includes a mounting component, a side-swing component, a first tendon, a first knuckle, an interphalangeal knuckle component, a second tendon, and a third tendon. It uses the first tendon to drive the side-swing component to swing sideways, the second tendon to drive the first knuckle to bend, and the third tendon to drive the interphalangeal knuckle component to bend, thereby realizing 3 degrees of freedom for the dexterous hand thumb and endowing it with a high level of freedom.
It is expected to be applied to Zhiyuan Robot’s new generation of humanoid robot products, accelerating its operational capabilities in complex environments such as industrial and service scenarios.
On August 18th, according to information from the State Intellectual Property Office, Humanoid Robot (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. applied for a patent entitled “Robot Control Method and Device” with an application date in April 2025.
The patent abstract indicates that the method includes acquiring a task scene map based on a preset camera of the robot, and determining a target task and a target action prediction model corresponding to the target task based on the task scene map, where different tasks correspond to different action prediction models.
On July 22nd, the patent “Ankle Joint Mechanism and Humanoid Robot” applied by iFLYTEK Co., Ltd. and its Suzhou subsidiary was officially authorized. It is worth mentioning that this is an important technical milestone for iFLYTEK in the field of robot motion control.
The ankle joint mechanism, by virtue of a self-designed combination of servo motor and domestic reducer, reduces the cost of a single unit to 60% of that of imported solutions. This breakthrough is conducive to reducing the overall cost of humanoid robots to less than 100,000 yuan, accelerating the large-scale application in industrial scenarios.
According to the third-stage (2025-2030) goal of iFLYTEK’s “Super Brain 2030 Plan”, this ankle joint patent will support the development of companion robots that understand knowledge and can learn.
Conclusion:
China’s robot patents cover fields such as artificial intelligence and control technology, perception and interaction technology, mechanical structure and industrial applications. With the continuous growth of the number of robot patents in China and the diversified layout of technical fields, China’s development advantages in the global robot industry will become more prominent. From the localization replacement of core components to AI-driven scenario innovation, China is moving from a “patent power” to a “technological power”.
