Shanghai expo charts future of embodied intelligence

The inaugural Shanghai International Embodied Intelligence Expo took place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from July 2 to 4, bringing nearly 200 enterprises.

Hexagon, a global provider of digital measurement solutions, presented three precision inspection systems for robotic core components, including a coordinate measuring machine with a precision of 0.7 micrometers.

For Sheng Guoping, Hexagon's sales director for Shanghai, the expo also reflected the city's role as a frontier for new technologies.

"Many of Hexagon's new products, whether software, hardware, or technologies added through acquisitions, are first introduced in East China, often in Shanghai," he said.

Yuan Chunyi, deputy general manager of Mingxin Zhiyuan (Zhejiang) New Material Technology Co Ltd, a company expanding from automotive interiors to robotics, presented a new line of flexible sensor skins.

She said Shanghai offers strong industry visibility, a well-developed regional supply chain, and a highly international business environment, while the company's design center in the city helps it work with robot makers and component assemblers on customized product demonstrations.

In the consumer companion robot segment, Figurobot, a startup with a team of industry veterans, displayed its 60-centimeter-tall humanoid robots, featuring 34 to 41 degrees of freedom and AI-powered voice interaction.

Wang Jianhua, a partner at Figurobot, said Shanghai is among China's leading hubs for embodied intelligence, citing its concentration of exhibitions, industry events, and humanoid robot incubation resources, especially in Xuhui district.

The expo also featured three national competitions, including the 2026 National Embodied Intelligence Technology Application Competition, hosted by the China Simulation Federation. The competition attracted nearly 120 teams from 60 universities nationwide, focusing on AI-driven manufacturing applications.

A report released on the first day of the expo revealed that the Yangtze River Delta region, centered on Shanghai, hosts more than 50 percent of China's embodied intelligence companies and accounts for over half of the sector's total financing.

The global market for embodied intelligence is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, with Chinese firms capturing an estimated 74 percent of global humanoid robot shipments in 2025, totaling about 13,320 units, according to the report.

The next edition of the expo will be held alongside Auto Shanghai from April 23 to May 2, 2027, at the NECC (Shanghai).