"China is executing the same centrally planned strategy in the advanced institutional sector of robotics that it used to take down the U.S. commercial drone industry. Handing over the robot market is like installing a 'Trojan horse' inside critical infrastructure."
Michael Robbins, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the world's largest industry group representing robotic systems and uncrewed aircraft, said this on the 17th at a U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee hearing. The hearing was convened to examine the threats to U.S. national security posed by technologies from Chinese corporations, including Unitree Robotics, China's largest robot company, and artificial intelligence (AI) startups.
The U.S. robotics industry on the day issued successive warnings that Chinese-made commercial robots, rapidly being deployed in daily life and industrial settings below cost, could become tools of surveillance, infrastructure disruption and physical threats. While hacking general devices may end with data leaks, hacking robots equipped with Autonomous Driving and network functions can lead to facility surveillance, operational disruption and even physical harm.
In 12 pages of written testimony submitted on A4 paper, Robbins defined modern robots not as simple industrial equipment but as "cyber-physical systems" that collect data and are managed remotely. Experts say robots that combine software, communications networks and sensor functions can, if control is lost, go beyond monitoring facilities to disrupt on-site operations and paralyze infrastructure.
Robbins argued that the problem is that Chinese robots, intertwined with China's unique legal environment, can at any time be misused by the Chinese government as tools for surveillance and disruption. Chinese corporations including Unitree have a legal obligation under the National Intelligence Law and the Cybersecurity Law to provide data and system access upon request from state intelligence agencies. He warned, "If China's market dominance is left unchecked, the nation will be exposed to the weaponization of supply chains in a conflict, as well as data theft and remote disruption."
Robbins submitted as evidence a video showing Unitree Robotics' quadruped robot fitted with an automatic rifle and used to strike targets during a joint military exercise of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). China's state media broadcast scenes of the robot dog being deployed alongside armed drones and soldiers in simulated urban warfare training. In recent university-led military training in China, a robot dog capable of launching rockets also appeared.
Matthew Malkano, a vice president at Boston Dynamics, also cited a recent Chinese military parade where quadruped robots were displayed and said, "If the United States wants to win the AI race, it must also win the robotics race."
Concerns were also raised that spatial information collected by sensors mounted on robots could pose a security threat. AUVSI said it confirmed that LiDAR sensors from Livox, an affiliate of Chinese drone and imaging equipment corporation DJI, were installed at New York's JFK International Airport and Penn Station, and sent a warning letter to New York state authorities this month.
LiDAR can collect in real time high-resolution 3D data on facility structures, security layouts and crowd flows. Robbins cited a case in which Chinese intelligence agencies were caught using LiDAR sensors to map U.S. military bases in the Philippines, and argued that the threat could grow if LiDAR is mounted on mobile robot platforms.
The U.S. robotics industry stressed that Chinese robot corporations are accelerating mass production and rapidly capturing the market. Max Penkel, global head of policy and government affairs at AI data training platform company Scale AI, said, "While the United States clings to securing a technological edge, China is focusing on real-world applications and large-scale deployment," adding, "If we don't speed up field deployment and commercialization, the United States may fall behind and never catch up."
Robbins noted that massive investments by the Chinese government are underpinning this low-price offensive. The National Development and Reform Commission announced this year that it will create a national venture fund worth 1 trillion yuan (about 216 trillion won) for robotics and advanced technology. The structure brings in local governments and private capital over 20 years. Beijing and Shanghai are also operating separate funds of $14 billion (about 21 trillion won) and $770 million (about 1.14 trillion won), respectively. Over the past four years, China's state-owned banks have extended $1.9 trillion (about 2,822 trillion won) in industrial loans for factory construction and industrial automation.
They argued that if Chinese corporations capture the market with low prices, U.S. corporations will fail to secure the revenue needed to expand research, development and production capacity, ultimately undermining the very foundation of the U.S. robotics industry. On the day, the U.S. robotics industry urged Congress to pass legislation to control the deployment of sensors from countries of concern within critical infrastructure and to establish a national robotics strategy.