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

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.