InternationalUS funded it, China built it at scale: How robot dogs entered new arms race

US funded the breakthrough, China built at scale: How robot dogs entered the new arms race.

Key points

• The US Army funded the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA) from 2010 to 2020.
• In September 2023, US Marines conducted an exercise involving a Go1 robot fitted with a rocket launcher for remote firing.Chinese military exercises have similarly featured robot dogs.
• US Army-funded research supported power China's robot dog boom: How Beijing scaled American technology (Reuters image).
• Ayush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments throughout India and the world.
• China has threatened retaliation against the FCC move.The Chinese embassy in Washington defended Chinese firms, saying they were making new technologies more affordable and accessible internationally.

US funded the breakthrough, China built at scale: How robot dogs entered the new arms race. Edited by: Ayush Pandey / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Aug 19, 2026, 15: 37 IST.

China's Unitree Robotics, one of the world's leading makers of humanoid and quadruped robots, built some of its most successful robot dogs on technological breakthroughs developed through US military-funded research, according to researchers involved in the programme and a former US defence technology official.The case of Unitree highlights a growing challenge for the United States in the race for advanced military and dual-use technologies: American government-funded research is producing significant breakthroughs, but Chinese businesses are often proving more effective at turning similar technologies into affordable, mass-produced products.Unitree's $1, 600 Go2 robot, introduced in 2023, assisted the firm rapidly expand its presence in the global quadruped robot market. The firm sold more than 18, 000 quadruped robots and 5, 500 humanoid robots last year, according to business filings, and was valued at regarding $9 billion ahead of its stock market debut.The technology behind Unitree's popular robot dogs can be traced in part to research funded by the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other military programmes, researchers and a former US defence technology official informed Reuters.

Notably, the Army-funded programme supported advance key technologies for quadruped robots, including the placement of motors in the legs rather than relying on heavy central gearboxes. The approach improved a robot's ability to sense and respond to uneven terrain.Gavin Kenneally, a former University of Pennsylvania researcher involved in the programme, remarked the Army-funded work became "basically, the first Unitree robot that had any kind of scale."Ben Katz. This person worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Biomimetic Robotics Lab, stated the dimensions of Unitree's popular Go series were "to the millimeter" almost identical to Mini Cheetah, a robot he supported develop as part of a consortium of universities funded by US military programmes.Reuters remarked it was the first media outlet to detail the connections between Unitree's designs and the US Army-funded research. How US military research reached China.

Meanwhile, the US Army funded the Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA) from 2010 to 2020. The programme brought together researchers from administration, academia and industry, including the University of Pennsylvania, MIT, Boston Dynamics and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.General Dynamics Land Systems, the Michigan-based defence business that manufactures Abrams M1 tanks, was the alliance's leading commercial partner.The research built on earlier work funded by DARPA at MIT. In 2016, University of Pennsylvania researchers, including Kenneally, developed a design that eliminated heavy central gearboxes and instead placed motors directly in the robot's legs.The change allowed the machines to respond more effectively to terrain and supported advance the development of agile quadruped robots.In 2019, MIT researchers unveiled the Mini Cheetah. It incorporated features developed at the University of Pennsylvania while adding greater strength and the ability to perform backflips.Katz had published his master's thesis months earlier, detailing the actuators employed in Mini Cheetah. Within six months, he remarked, Chinese businesses were manufacturing copies of the actuators that could be purchased online.Unitree founder Wang Xingxing had already established the firm three years earlier. In his 2016 master's thesis at Shanghai University. It reuters reviewed, Wang cited MIT's research on the Cheetah and earlier versions of the robot.Wang's thesis additionally referenced Kenneally's Army-funded research and acknowledged the US laboratory's "pioneering" contributions. He examined design changes aimed at speeding up development and remarked the findings could have future "defense, security, family and education" applications.Unitree states on its website that it "independently developed the motors, reducers, controllers, and even some sensors of the quadruped robot."Katz noted he decided not to commercialise his actuator design as he believed there was not a sufficient market. He remarked China's ability to manufacture such components swiftly had supported advance robotics.Robotics "has advanced a lot because of the availability of actuators, " Katz remarked.Joao Ramos. This person conducted research alongside Katz at MIT, stated Unitree copied the Mini Cheetah's shape, structure and design. Meanwhile, he credited the Chinese firm with engineering the technology for mass production."The actual practical implementation, bringing it to real life, that's all on them, " Ramos stated. China turned research into mass-market robots.

While China has built substantial industrial clusters capable of producing components at scale and at lower rates.Chinese manufacturers have employed extensive supplier networks, component factories and access to critical minerals to expand rapidly in areas including robotics, drones, electric vehicles and solar panels.Unitree's base in Hangzhou is surrounded by suppliers producing motors, gears, actuators and other components applied in robotics, the Unitree story points to a wider difference between the US and Chinese approaches to advanced manufacturing.The United States has maintained a solid position in fundamental research and software. China's dominance in the processing of critical minerals applied in robotic magnets has additionally supported manufacturers reduce costs and accelerate production.Reyk Knuhtsen, a robotics analyst at SemiAnalysis, described the US failure to commercialise domestic research as a "dropped ball". He remarked venture capital in the US has often favoured software businesses with higher returns rather than capital-intensive manufacturing."This is a very big hill for the U.S. To climb, " he stated.Jaret Riddick, a former director of the Army Research Laboratory who oversaw the robotics project, noted the programme did assist kick-start the US quadruped robotics industry. But without sufficient backing for large-scale manufacturing, Unitree in China "just kind of consumed that space." Unitree now faces US restrictions.

For context, the US administration has increasingly moved to restrict Chinese robotics technology on national security grounds.In June, the Pentagon went on Unitree to a list of Chinese military firms, describing it as a "contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base." The designation does not amount to a direct sanction but restricts the US military's future apply of Unitree technology.In July, the Federal Communications Commission additionally banned imports of future models of foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots, including those produced by Unitree. China has threatened retaliation against the FCC move.The Chinese embassy in Washington defended Chinese firms, saying they were making new technologies more affordable and accessible internationally. It accused the US of "market distortion and unilateral bullying."US researchers who spoke to Reuters did not argue that government-funded research should have been kept secret. Instead, they remarked Washington needs to develop a stronger system for helping domestic businesses move discoveries from laboratories into commercial manufacturing.ARL spokesperson Amanda Ligon noted the research "strengthened the broader U.S. Robotics ecosystem" and informed subsequent work throughout administration and the private sector.ARL additionally remarked publication of the research was notable for scientific and technological advancement.Vijay Kumar, dean at Penn Engineering, noted the US remains robust in innovation and software development but needs greater access to capital, industrial capacity, skilled workers and component supply chains to scale new technologies. US military additionally employed Chinese robot dogs.

Notably, the gap between American research and manufacturing capacity has additionally created an unusual situation in which the US military has itself explored Chinese-made robot dogs.In September 2023, the US Army obtained a federal waiver from rules requiring administration agencies to prioritise American-made products to purchase two Unitree Go2 robots, according to procurement records. The records described the robots as significant as sufficient US-produced alternatives of "a satisfactory quality" were not available.Reuters could not establish whether the purchases were completed.The US military has additionally experimented with weaponising quadruped robots. In September 2023, US Marines conducted an exercise involving a Go1 robot fitted with a rocket launcher for remote firing.Chinese military exercises have similarly featured robot dogs. Chinese state television has shown Unitree Go2 robots operating alongside People's Liberation Army troops. Another modified Unitree B1 robot has been shown firing a mounted assault rifle.Unitree has maintained that its products are intended for civilian employ. In 2022, the firm joined US robotics firms in signing an open letter pledging not to weaponise robots, citing the risks of harm and serious ethical worries.Walking robots are not yet widely deployed on battlefields, but both the US and China are examining their potential for military applications, including surveillance, reconnaissance and operations in tough terrain. US defence robots remain far more expensive.

American firms continue to produce military-grade quadruped robots, but at substantially higher costs and smaller volumes.Kenneally's Ghost Robotics has supplied regarding 1, 000 Vision 60 robots, mainly to military and administration customers for surveillance and search operations in harsh environments. Its first customer was Navy Special Warfare Command. It oversees Navy SEAL teams.The Vision 60 sells for upwards of $165, 000, while Unitree lists its B-series robot for less than $100, 000 in the US.Ghost Robotics has additionally faced challenges in reducing its dependence on Chinese components. Although the firm has been shifting its supply chain.The business moved its motor supply from China to South Korea two years ago but continues to face difficulties replacing Chinese magnets and certain metal components, according to Kenneally.In 2024, South Korean defence firm LIG Defense & Aerospace acquired a 60% stake in Ghost Robotics for $240 million, some components of its robots are manufactured in China. The firm is additionally exploring production in Taiwan.Kenneally noted reducing dependence on Chinese manufacturing would require partnerships with countries that have the industrial capacity the US at present lacks."We need to work closely with our allies, " he stated. "There's absolutely no path forward without them." China's industrial strategy widens the gap.

China's advantage in robotics is not limited to individual firms. It is linked to a broader industrial policy that has channelled capital into advanced manufacturing.In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed a 10-year strategy aimed at establishing Chinese leadership in industries including robotics, electric vehicles and green energy.Since then, Chinese businesses have benefited from access to capital, dense manufacturing networks and suppliers capable of producing components at scale.The approach has allowed firms to tolerate lower margins while expanding production and market share.Kenneally remarked the competition therefore goes beyond individual robotics firms."This isn't just a competition between U.S. And Chinese robotics companies, " he stated. "It's between private U.S. Companies and China's coordinated national strategy."For Washington, the challenge is now how to ensure that government-funded breakthroughs do not remain confined to research laboratories while firms in China turn similar technologies into cheaper products at scale.The Pentagon has declined to comment on Unitree's commercialisation of US Army-funded research. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on US industrial policy.The episode underlines a wider concern for US defence planners: maintaining an edge in military technology may depend not only on producing breakthrough research, but additionally on building the industrial capacity needed to manufacture those technologies swiftly, cheaply and at scale.

Ayush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments throughout India and the world. His reporting focuses on elections, national security, and institutional affairs, tracking the decisions and conflicts that shape public life.

He specialises in sharp explainers and in-depth feature stories that go beyond headlines to decode political shifts, defence strategy, geopolitical flashpoints, and changing public sentiment. His work combines speed, clarity, and depth for a fast-moving digital audience.

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