(Yicai) Sept. 23 -- Forty percent of the robot dogs shipped globally in the first half of the year were for use in industry, with AgiBot spin-off AgiQuad capturing the largest share of the industrial segment, according to the latest report by Counterpoint Research.

AgiQuad had a nearly 28 percent share of the quadruped robot market in the six months ended June 30, followed by Deep Robotics with 26 percent, per the report released on Sept. 21. Genisom AI and Unitree Robotics ranked third and fourth with 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

Global robodog shipments reached about 35,000 units in the period, with China a key driver of the market’s shift toward regular deployment in commercial and industrial settings. Unitree led with a 37 percent share of shipments, followed by AgiQuad with 16 percent, Genisom AI with 13 percent, and Deep Robotics with 10 percent.

Counterpoint expects global quadruped robot shipments to exceed 90,000 for the first time this year. The market is projected to top USD1.5 billion in 2026 and likely exceed USD10 billion by 2030, with industrial inspection and security patrols accounting for about 60 percent.

While robodog manufacturers deepen their presence in the cultural entertainment, education, and science sectors, they are also accelerating their push into various vertical industries, Counterpoint noted, adding that their products have achieved large-scale deployment and undertaken core operational tasks in key scenarios, such as security patrols, industrial inspections, emergency firefighting, and logistics transportation.

Small quadruped robots with dynamic payloads of up to 20 kilograms are widely used for commercial performances, scientific research and education, household companionship, lightweight security patrols. and underground pipeline inspections. Their standardized chassis designs allow for faster commercialization and greater scalability, helping hasten their adoption across these applications.

Medium- and large-sized, heavy-duty robodogs, which accounted for about one-fifth of worldwide shipments in the first half, are primarily used for inspections in complex environments, such as industrial sites, power facilities, and mines.

They feature enhanced durability and can be equipped with various sensors, including depth cameras, light detection and ranging, gas detectors, and thermal imaging cameras, as well as functional modules, such as robotic arms, laser-cutting devices, and wireless base stations for fire rescue and post-disaster search scenarios.

As their use in industry grows, manufacturers are increasingly competing on their ability to deliver application-specific solutions rather than solely on locomotion capabilities, with customers placing greater emphasis on practical deployment outcomes and workflow integration.

Integrating embodied artificial intelligence models into robodogs’ control systems can improve their ability to navigate complex environments and handle unforeseen operational conditions, potentially supporting wider industrial deployment, Counterpoint noted.

Editor: Futura Costaglione