The first wave of robot unicorns begins lining up for bankruptcy: shipments double while companies fall

In the first half of 2026, global humanoid robot shipments approached 25,000 units, up 432.1% year on year. In the same period, CloudMinds, valued at 22.3 billion yuan, was ruled to have entered bankruptcy liquidation; K-Scale Labs shut down after burning through $6.25 million; and OneStar Robotics, backed by Geely, disbanded less than six months after it was founded.