US Push to Rival China’s Humanoid Robots Undercut by Trump’s Tariffs

In late March, representatives from several tech firms met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington to demonstrate their latest humanoid robots. The event, organized by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, was intended as a show of force and to help mobilize the US to take on China in a new technological battleground.

Days later, President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs that threaten to upend US progress in robotics — and particularly for humanoid robots.

Humanoids, which look and move like people, require more components than traditional, industrial robots, including specialized actuators, sensory systems and computing chips. Many critical parts of the hardware are manufactured in China, according to a recent analysis by Bank of America. And as of now, China is the country facing the heaviest import levies.