Industry discussion at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Yizhuang, Beijing, has focused on Lego-style modularization as a potential paradigm shift for robotics, aimed at addressing two persistent bottlenecks in the sector: weak scenario generalization and high development cost. The event, held over five days, drew 373 exhibitors, more than 3,000 exhibits, and 557,000 visitors. Morgan Stanley data cited in coverage indicated that about 65 percent of global robot shipments in the first half of 2026 went to entertainment displays, front-desk reception, education, R&D, and data collection, reflecting how limited the current generalization capability remains despite headline deployment growth.
Most robots today rely on a “one scenario, one model” development mode, requiring targeted data collection and training for each fixed environment. Ecovacs chairman Qian Dongqi described current demonstrations as “skill demonstrations for specific scenarios” rather than evidence of true generalization. Wang He, founder of Galaxy General, framed the 2026 industrial question as whether capabilities can be replicated across 100 factories and 1,000 stores with less data collection and fewer engineers dispatched. Data collection itself is expensive, with a single teleoperation device costing around 350,000 yuan and one operator generating only around 500 pieces of data per day. A Shanghai Jiao Tong University team found that less than 4 percent of roughly 120,000 hours of first-person perspective data was actually suitable for model training.
Modularization is being proposed as an engineering-side answer that sidesteps the harder AI generalization problem. The concept involves standardized components that can be reassembled by users into different configurations for different scenarios, rather than replaceable end effectors on a fixed body. Benmo Technology is cited as an early practitioner. Its D1 robot, launched at the end of 2025, is built around a self-developed P10 integrated direct-drive joint module and can splice with another D1 unit within three seconds to switch between two-wheel-legged and four-wheel-legged forms, with a combined load capacity of 60 kg. The company released its HMD-P series integrated joint modules at the World Robot Conference, opening its modular base to third parties. Historical precedent is drawn from Volkswagen’s MQB platform, which the automaker credited with cutting production costs by 20 percent and manufacturing time by up to 30 percent, producing more than 32 million vehicles across four brands over ten years.
Policy signals in China are aligning with the modularization direction. Jiang Lei, vice chairman of the Standards Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said the industry has reached the early stage of large-scale production, with 2025 shipments at the 10,000-unit level, and that the next step is moving from one to ten. The “Humanoid Robot and Embodied Intelligence Standard System (2026 Edition)” released this year includes specific limb and component standards to guide modular development. Foxconn Industrial Internet AI product director Wang Li noted that robot costs currently only match a production line worker over five to eight years, meaning current unit economics do not close for factory buyers. Whether modularization delivers on the cost and scenario adaptation promises being made will determine how much of the industry converges on a common component and interface architecture, and how quickly humanoid and general-purpose robotics can move from bespoke deployments toward the mass production economics that Chinese policymakers and manufacturers are now openly targeting.
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