Two Strategies, One Habitat
China's r-strategy vs the US-led K-strategy in humanoid robotics
r-strategy (China)
Agibot · Unitree · UBTech
Speed to market
Months, mass rollout
Unit cost
~$16,000 and falling
Iteration cycle
Ship, learn, revise fast
Deployment scale
Tens of thousands, 2026
K-strategy (US)
Optimus · Atlas · Figure 03
Speed to market
Years, staged rollout
Unit cost
Premium, undisclosed
Iteration cycle
Redesign before scale
Deployment scale
Hundreds, pilot stage