Why components matter

Most of a humanoid robot's cost sits not in the shell or the battery but in the parts that make it move. Schaeffler estimates in its investor materials that linear actuators alone account for about 30% of a humanoid's bill of materials [1]. Add rotary joints, hands and sensors, and motion components make up most of the cost of the robot.

Whoever can make these parts well and cheaply will shape the industry. This is exactly where China's supply chain is pushing hardest.

Amounts in Chinese yuan (CNY) are converted to euros at roughly CNY 8.3 per euro and rounded.

1. Rotary joints: strain-wave (harmonic) reducers

What it does: It turns a motor's high speed into the low speed and high torque a joint needs. Shoulders, elbows and wrists rely on these reducers, and a single humanoid typically uses between a dozen and several dozen.

Why it is hard: Tooth geometry, materials and service life all have to be extremely precise. For four decades the market belonged to Japan's Harmonic Drive Systems, which also has a German subsidiary, Harmonic Drive SE [2].

Chinese challenger: Leaderdrive

• China's largest strain-wave reducer maker. J.P. Morgan estimates its share of the Chinese market at 30–40% [3]. Industry reports place it second worldwide, with around 15% of the global market [4].

• It sold more than 425,000 reducers in 2025, up 72% on the year, and its customers include AgiBot and UBTech [2].

• In August 2026 its board approved plans for a Hong Kong listing to expand its global presence [4].

• A price war in China has squeezed margins. For buyers, that means attractive prices, but also a stronger case for checking consistency and service life.

2. Linear joints: planetary roller screws

What it does: It turns rotation into linear motion under very high loads. Humanoids often use roller screws in heavily loaded joints such as hips and knees, the approach Tesla chose for Optimus [5].

Why it is hard: It demands precision grinding and consistent quality at high volume. The field has traditionally been led by European suppliers such as Ewellix, which Schaeffler bought in 2022, and Switzerland's Rollvis [2].

Chinese challenger: Wuzhou Xinchun

• Originally a precision bearing maker, it has moved into planetary roller screws for humanoid hips and knees.

• Industry reports say it sells them at roughly half the price of the Swiss equivalent [2].

3. Actuator assemblies: automotive suppliers change lanes

An actuator combines the motor, reducer or screw, encoder and sensors into a complete joint module. Several large Chinese automotive suppliers are moving into this field in force.

Tuopu Group

• A long-standing supplier of chassis and interior parts to carmakers.

• Its robot actuators cover both linear and rotary types. It is investing CNY 5 billion (about EUR 600 million) in a dedicated robot drive-system base in Ningbo [6].

Sanhua Intelligent Controls

• A global leader in thermal-management components for cars and home appliances.

• It is applying its automotive-grade manufacturing to robot actuators and is building a CNY 3.8 billion (about EUR 460 million) robotics R&D and production campus in Hangzhou [2].

• The company has denied the largest order figures reported in the market [2].

Why it matters for Europe: It is the same shift German automotive suppliers are attempting; Schaeffler, for example, now offers components for humanoid robots [1]. Chinese automotive suppliers bring the volume manufacturing and quality systems of the car industry, which helps European buyers used to automotive supply-chain standards.

4. The "muscles" of the hand: coreless motors and micro drives

Space inside a dexterous hand is tiny, and every finger needs its own micro motor, gearbox and screw. The field has long been led by Switzerland's Maxon and Portescap and Germany's Faulhaber.

Moons'

• A leading Chinese maker of coreless motors, with diameters down to 10 mm [7].

• In 2019 it acquired the Swiss motion-control company Technosoft Motion [8]. It now has R&D, production and sales in Europe.

• Industry trackers report that its coreless motors sell at 40–70% below comparable foreign products [9].

Zhaowei

• More than 20 years in micro transmissions and drives, offering coreless motors from 6 to 16 mm and precision gearboxes.

• It has launched its own dexterous hands with 17 and 20 degrees of freedom, shown at CES 2025 [10].

For makers of complete robot hands, such as Inspire Robots and LinkerBot, see our article Who is actually deploying? A field map of ten Chinese humanoid robot companies.

5. Sensing: force-torque and tactile sensors

To handle objects precisely, a robot needs six-axis force-torque sensors in its wrists and ankles and tactile sensors in its fingertips. ATI Industrial Automation of the US is among the international leaders.

Keli Sensing

• One of China's leading makers of mechanical sensors.

• The company says it has completed a series of six-axis force-torque sensors for humanoid wrists and ankles and for industrial arms, and has sent samples to several humanoid and cobot customers [11].

PaXini

• Specialises in tactile sensing. At iREX 2025 in Tokyo it unveiled its third-generation tactile sensor, and it also builds its own dexterous hands and humanoid robot [12].

• It raised CNY 1 billion (about EUR 120 million) in a Series B round in 2026 [13].

6. From components to complete robots: the Joyson group

Joyson Electronics

• A global automotive safety and electronics supplier and the owner of Germany's Preh [14].

• Its 2024 annual report sets out a humanoid robotics strategy built on a "brain", a "cerebellum" for motion control and "limbs". It has begun supplying samples of key components to a humanoid robot maker [15].

PIA Automation

• An automation-equipment group founded by Joyson, with its headquarters in Bad Neustadt, Germany, and plants in Germany and Austria [16].

• Its humanoid research institute and AgiBot set up a joint venture in Ningbo to build robots, mainly for AgiBot [17]. The first batch of AgiBot's wheeled Genie G2 robots has come off a PIA production line [18]. At the G2's launch, AgiBot showed it assembling seatbelt lock cylinders, an application linked to Joyson [19].

Why it matters for Europe: It is a rare example of a Chinese robotics value chain that reaches directly into Europe. Component, equipment and robot makers sit in one industrial group, and that group has companies in Germany.

What this means for European companies

1. Use Chinese suppliers as a second source. Chinese prices for reducers, screws and micro motors are clearly lower. A realistic approach is to run them alongside your existing European and Japanese suppliers, starting with prototypes and pilot projects.

2. Check the price advantage against lifetime data. Price wars squeeze margins and can squeeze quality spending too. Get samples and test service life and consistency under your own operating conditions, not just against the data sheet.

3. Favour suppliers with an automotive background. Companies such as Tuopu, Sanhua and Joyson know automotive quality systems and high-volume delivery, which makes them easier for European buyers to work with. That does not mean their robot lines hold the same certifications, so check each one.

4. Look for suppliers with a European presence. Moons', through Technosoft in Switzerland, and Joyson, through Preh and PIA in Germany, have legal entities and teams in Europe. That makes contracts, after-sales service and communication easier.

Sources

Where available, we link to primary and English-language sources.

1. Schaeffler, "Schaeffler offers key components for humanoid robots", press release, https://www.schaeffler.com/en/media/press-releases/press-releases-detail.jsp?id=88086592, and investor presentation "Humanoids at Schaeffler", 5 February 2026, https://www.schaeffler.com/remotemedien/media/_shared_media_rwd/08_investor_relations/presentations/20260205_humanoids_at_schaeffler.pdf

2. Humanoid.guide, "Who Builds the Joints? The Humanoid Actuator Supplier Landscape in 2026", September 2026. https://humanoid.guide/humanoid-actuator-supplier-landscape/

3. Forbes, "Brothers Ride Humanoid Robot Wave To Become China's New Billionaires", 23 April 2026. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zinnialee/2026/04/23/humanoid-mania-turns-chinese-brothers-behind-robotic-joint-maker-into-billionaires/

4. Gasgoo, "Leaderdrive Plans Hong Kong IPO", August 2026, https://autonews.gasgoo.com/articles/news/leaderdrive-plans-hong-kong-ipo-2093357096908443649, and 36Kr Europe, https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3968463666098691

5. Humanoid.guide, "Linear vs Rotary Actuators in Humanoid Joints: Why Tesla Bet on the Roller Screw". https://humanoid.guide/linear-vs-rotary-actuators-humanoid-joints/

6. China Daily (Ningbo), "Ningbo business ventures into humanoid robot industry", 11 January 2024. https://ningbo.chinadaily.com.cn/2024-01/11/c_955210.htm

7. Moons', "Coreless Motor" technology page. https://www.moonsindustries.com/support-training/technology-college/coreless-motor

8. Automate.org (A3), "MOONS' Acquires Technosoft". https://www.automate.org/motion-control/news/moons-acquires-technosoft

9. China Humanoid Robotics Tracker, "Actuators & Motors: The Muscles of China's Robots". https://robotics.techbuzzchina.com/reports/actuators-motors.html

10. PR Newswire, "Global Debut: ZHAOWEI's Dexterous Hand is Ready to Shine at CES 2025", December 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-debut-zhaoweis-dexterous-hand-is-ready-to-shine-at-ces-2025-302340089.html

11. Futu News, "Keli Sensing Technology (603662.SH): six-dimensional force/torque sensors … for humanoid robot wrists, ankles, industrial arms". https://news.futunn.com/en/post/51666084/keli-sensing-technology-603662-sh-six-dimensional-force-torque-sensors

12. Kyodo News PR Wire, "Chinese Robotics Company PaXini Shines at iREX 2025", 3 December 2025. https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/202512030319

13. Preqin, PaXini Perception Technology company profile. https://www.preqin.com/data/profile/asset/paxini-perception-technology-shenzhen-co-ltd-/455587

14. Preh, "Preh is now a fully owned subsidiary of Joyson Electronics". https://www.preh.com/en/press/press-archives/detail/chinese-stock-exchange-regulator-approves-acquisition-of-preh-by-exchange-listed-joyson-electronics

15. Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp., 2024 Annual Report, https://www.joyson.com/en/web/bocupload/2025/05/23/1748002222856u4odm.pdf, and Gasgoo, "Joyson Electronics supplies key component sample to renowned humanoid robot company", https://autonews.gasgoo.com/new_energy/70035902.html

16. Computer&AUTOMATION, company profile "PIA Automation Holding GmbH". https://www.computer-automation.de/company/pia-automation-holding-gmbh.htm

17. Yicai Global, "China's Pia Automation, AgiBot Set Up Robotics Venture". https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/chinas-pia-automation-agibot-set-up-robotics-venture

18. Gasgoo, "PIA Automation's G2 Robot rolls off mass production line", 2026. https://autonews.gasgoo.com/articles/news/pia-automations-g2-robot-rolls-off-mass-production-line-2065279075588096001

19. Humanoids Daily, "Agibot Launches G2, an Industrial Robot Aimed at Factories and Beyond". https://www.humanoidsdaily.com/news/agibot-launches-g2-industrial-robot-for-factories