Lightning Strikes: China’s Robot Revolution

In the second episode of our series, China Rules, we look at an industry dominated by China: humanoid robots. Beijing’s running, dancing and fighting robots are more than just a gimmick; the country’s 15th Five-year Plan puts robotics right at the heart of its modern industrial system. China already accounts for 80% of global humanoid robot installations. In a recent half marathon, a humanoid robot called Lightning left the real humans behind for the first time, breaking the tape in just over 50 minutes.  To discuss the future of the robot wars, Louisa and Graeme are joined by Alberto Moel, former Vice President of Veo Robotics, now with the University of Hong Kong, and Chang Che, a freelance writer who was formerly the Asia technology correspondent for the New York Times. Image: Robot in Traditional Attire at Airport Hall, c/- iStock photos, Daqian Wang, 25 February 2026. Transcripts available at https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.