Will data collection become a "sacrificial lamb" for embodied intelligence?

The article reviews the current state of the embodied intelligence data collection industry: in less than two years, 106 humanoid robot data collection centers have been built nationwide, and some companies inflate reported revenue through a "sell equipment—buy back data" model. Shao Tianlan, founder of Mech-Mind, has publicly pointed out this kind of practice of packaging fake revenue. Data prices have fallen from over 200 yuan per hour last year to over 100 yuan, and STAR Market and Beijing Stock Exchange listing reviews have begun to ask fixed questions about revenue authenticity and the reasonableness of related-party transactions. With the rise of bodyless data collection, data collection centers' demand for purchasing robot bodies may weaken, and industry consolidation is expected to become concentrated between the second half of 2026 and 2027.