The United States’ attempt to catch up with China in humanoid robotics is under attack from new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that threaten access to key components, most of which come from China, Bloomberg reports.
In late March, leading industry startups, including Apptronik, showcased their latest humanoid robot developments at a bipartisan meeting of congressional leaders in Washington. The event was organized by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The demonstration was intended to showcase the strength of American technology in an area that Beijing has prioritized as part of its "Made in China 2025" strategy.
However, within a few days, Trump announced large-scale import tariffs, including 145% on Chinese goods, which could seriously complicate the development of American robotics companies.
Humanoid robots are much more complex than their industrial counterparts. They require high-precision mechanics, sensor systems, processors, batteries, and cameras, most of which are manufactured in China. According to analysts at Bank of America, more than 50% of the material cost of such robots is accounted for by the drives — complex components that often include frameless gear motors and precision bearings made in China.
"If you look across a robot, it’s a complicated machine that has computers, batteries, cameras, motors — a lot of different components," says Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Apptronik. His company assembles robots in the United States but still relies on Chinese parts. "Right now it's uncertain for a lot of us. We’re trying to understand the landscape but it’s changing by the day."
While the Trump administration has temporarily eased some tariffs on selected countries, the most stringent tariffs remain in place for China. It's hard to say whether the exemptions will apply to robotics companies, said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Automation Association. "If the cost of these parts skyrockets, it’s going to slow our ability to compete."
The surge in interest in humanoid robots in the United States has been driven by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence that have allowed machines to better navigate their real-world environments. Cheaper hardware, primarily from Chinese manufacturing, has made these developments economically feasible.
Startups like Apptronik, Figure AI, and Dexterity have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, and big players like Apple, Meta, and Tesla have also expressed interest in developing robots. Rapid Robotics, another promising startup, has changed its business model to develop industrial humanoid robots for packaging goods. But after the tariffs were announced, CEO Kim Losey says, it has had to find new suppliers.
"Everybody has been very excited and now tariffs have sort of thrown this whole new wrench in the momentum," she said. "My first thought was: We need to diversify."
However, it is difficult to find alternatives. Suppliers from Canada, Taiwan, Germany or Japan can partially replace China, but the price and delivery times are much worse. "Europeans say: we can do it in 36 weeks. And I ask: can we do it in 36 days?" - says Kim Losey.
Unlike artificial intelligence, where the US remains the leader, China already has a head start in robotics. State support, streamlined production chains and a booming startup ecosystem have allowed Beijing to create robots that can run half marathons and perform kung fu.
"Some companies tell me they want to bring manufacturing back to the US, but we don’t even have suppliers that sell some of these components," says Burnstein. "If the cost of these parts skyrockets, it’s going to slow our ability to compete."
Despite Washington's ambitions to become a leader in the production of humanoid robots, Trump's tariff war could slow this progress down at the very start.