(Yicai) Sept. 2 -- The increase in sales volume has boosted Chinese humanoid robot companies’ revenue in the first half of the year, but heavy research and development spending prevented them from achieving profitability.

Unitree Robotics’ revenue surged 49 percent to nearly CNY1.2 billion (USD171.4 million) in the six months ended June 30 from a year earlier, as sales expanded thanks to the gradual enrichment of downstream application scenarios and sustained demand for humanoid robots. In the first seven months of the year, the company delivered 18,000 bipedal humanoid robots.

Unitree was among the few profitable Chinese android makers, with first-half net profit of CNY274 million (USD40.1 million), down 19 percent from the same period last year because of a 152 percent increase in R&D spending to CNY135.9 million, mainly due to higher investment in robot bodies and structures, embodied intelligence artificial intelligence models, motion-control algorithms, and others.

Unitree plans to use one-third of its CNY6.1 billion initial public offering proceeds to develop an AI model for intelligent robots.

Ubtech Robotics’ full-size embodied humanoid robot business posted revenue of CNY590 million in the first half, up over 15-fold from a year earlier and accounting for nearly 47 percent of the company’s total revenue. The business’ sales volume surged more than 20-fold to 921 units.

Nonetheless, Ubtech remained in the red, as its net loss widened 23 percent to CNY338.8 million in the period. The firm’s R&D expenses rose 39 percent, driven by sustained higher investment in full-size embodied humanoid robot product development.

Ubtech sees achieving the commercialization of embodied intelligence humanoid robots and AI technologies as its breakthrough direction. It expects its R&D spending to top CNY700 million this year.

Rokae Robotics’ sales of industrial robots, flexible collaborative robots, and embodied intelligence robots climbed to more than 13,000 units in the first half from just over 4,000 a year earlier. Revenue from the embodied intelligence robot business reached CNY139.1 million, accounting for 34 percent of the total. Its net loss shrank 13 percent to CNY79 million (USD11.8 million).

Dobot Technology reported revenue from the embodied intelligence robot business of over CNY45 million in the first half, up 20-fold from the same period last year, while total revenue more than doubled to CNY316.3 million.

Dobot’s net loss expanded 164 percent to CNY107.9 million, as R&D expenses soared 148 percent to about CNY100 million because of the accelerated recruitment of R&D personnel and higher spending on R&D materials for key technologies and embodied intelligence robot projects.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione