China Sweeps Top 5 in Humanoid Robot Patents: LexisNexis Report and U.S. Response

A single afternoon in late July 2026 reshaped the competitive landscape of humanoid robotics. On July 28, LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions published a quality-weighted patent analysis of more than 26,000 patent families, ranking dedicated startups by portfolio strength. Hours later, the Trump Administration announced an immediate ban on the importation of new humanoid and quadruped robots from "foreign adversary" nations, effectively barring Chinese-made robots from the U.S. market .

Here is what the report revealed, which Chinese companies are leading, and how Washington is responding.

Country Leadership: China by Volume, U.S. by Quality

Chinese startups claimed six of the top ten positions, double the number from the United States . The U.S. placed three companies in the top 10 — Figure AI, Apptronik, and Agility Robotics — while Germany's Agile Robots rounded out the list .

However, the report did not find a simple Chinese victory across all metrics. A Forbes analysis of the same data noted that individual U.S. patents tend to be stronger and higher-quality on a per-patent basis, and a separate MLex report confirmed that U.S. inventions continue to outperform on quality . China's strength is concentrated in sheer volume, particularly in morphology-related patents (the robot body itself), where it now holds 73% of the global total .

The Top Five Chinese Companies: A Clean Sweep

Chinese firms claimed all five of the top spots, a result multiple sources described as a "clean sweep" .

1. Fourier (Shanghai) — ranked #1 overall
2. AgiBot (Shanghai) — ranked #2
3. LimX Dynamics (Shenzhen) — ranked #3
4. Pudu Robotics (Shenzhen) — ranked #4
5. Unitree Robotics (Hangzhou) — ranked #5

A sixth Chinese company, Leju Robot (Shenzhen), placed ninth in the overall top 10 .

Washington's Policy Response: An Immediate Ban

The report was released on July 28, 2026. On the same day, the Trump Administration announced and implemented a ban on the importation of new humanoid and quadruped robots from "foreign adversary" nations, which the White House said posed "unacceptable risks" to national security . The policy effectively cuts off Chinese-made humanoid robots from the U.S. market, a significant move given that Chinese companies accounted for 90% of global humanoid robot shipments in 2025 . Multiple sources also reported that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned new imports of these robots , and that Washington is considering broader limits on humanoid robot imports from China .

The ban is the most concrete policy response to date in the intensifying U.S.-China humanoid robotics race. While Chinese startups dominate patent volume, the new import restrictions may reshape the competitive dynamics — particularly for companies like Fourier, AgiBot, and Unitree that have built large production volumes and were increasingly targeting international markets.