Eager to quickly secure robot components from China, US startups are devising creative methods to bring these parts into the country. On a humid morning in April, a venture capitalist from San Francisco arrived in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen with a long shopping list. Tasked by friends at several US robotics startups, he was there to purchase humanoid robots and various components to bring back to the States. He headed to Huaqiangbei, the world's largest electronics market, where he bought a humanoid robot and arranged for its shipment to the US. Afterwards, he went upstairs to the component floors, a maze of countless booth-sized stalls. There, he sourced parts for motion control, power management, and signal transmission. Instead of shipping these components, he packed them into his suitcase and flew back to San Francisco.

This is not an isolated incident. US humanoid robotics startups report that many components are only available from Chinese manufacturers. To speed up the development of prototypes, employees often bypass official import channels by physically carrying the parts back in their luggage. Official import processes are slow and costly, involving weeks of customs paperwork and clearance, in addition to tariffs and shipping fees. China's dominance in the robotics industry is becoming an increasingly sensitive geopolitical issue. Late last month, the Trump administration cited national security concerns to ban the import of foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots, alleging they could be used for surveillance and pose security risks.

Currently, the ban does not cover robot components. However, once US startups move from prototyping to mass production, this policy could have a significant impact, unless the robots are fully assembled within the US. While the Trump administration's policy does not name specific countries, no other nation can match China's industrial influence in robotics. Data from the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Germany shows that 63% of the core companies in the global humanoid robot component supply chain are based in China. China's ability to mass-produce humanoid robots far surpasses that of the US and the rest of the world, accounting for the vast majority of global shipments. Many US research labs purchase humanoid robots from Chinese companies like Unitree Robotics and Agibot for projects such as physical AI models, as they cannot find comparable, cost-effective alternatives domestically.

The intelligent humanoid robot sector is emerging as a key new frontier in the intense US-China tech competition. China's rapid technological iteration and firm control over its industrial and supply chains have created a significant competitive advantage. Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Apptronik, a humanoid robot company based in Austin, Texas, stated, "The biggest difference between US and Chinese companies is the location of the supply chain. Everything a Chinese manufacturer needs is within driving distance. To be competitive in the next race, we must build supply chains closer to home, creating regional manufacturing clusters similar to Shenzhen. We want to build America's own Shenzhen."

As long as the robots are used for civilian purposes like services or industrial production, China does not restrict the export of humanoid robots or their components. It is likely not illegal for US startup employees and investors to bring components in their luggage, provided they comply with aviation safety rules and properly declare and pay import duties. US regulations require residents to declare and pay duties on goods valued over $800 brought into the country. It is unclear whether the venture capitalist and startup employees will voluntarily declare the robot components in their luggage. The transportation process itself also poses safety risks. A domestic sales manager from Unitree Robotics revealed that some US customers disassemble robots purchased in China to make them easier to carry on flights. Unitree robots contain large-capacity lithium batteries that exceed civil aviation transport standards. The company recommends removing the batteries and purchasing new ones from its online store, but many customers are unwilling to do so. The sales manager added that some vendors, to circumvent aviation regulations, illegally print fake battery labels to replace the original ones, and have even provided this service to US clients. Unitree declined to comment on the matter.

US robotics startups are employing various strategies to obtain Chinese components. Two former employees revealed that prior to its closure late last year, K-Scale Labs, a Palo Alto-based humanoid robotics startup, had employees frequently travel to China, carrying back dozens of actuators, a core component that converts energy into mechanical motion. According to the former employees, the company's staff would visit suppliers in multiple Chinese cities, obtain new actuator samples, and bring them directly back in their luggage. This method allowed them to quickly acquire samples, bypassing the weeks-long official import process. K-Scale also used Taobao, owned by Alibaba, to purchase sensors and other robot components that were difficult to find in the US. When the team needed to quickly build a prototype, they would order on Taobao, have the goods delivered to their partner supplier in China, and then ship them in bulk to the US. The company also relied on WeChat to connect with various robot component suppliers.

Some startups, like the Silicon Valley Robotics Center, which is backed by incubator Y Combinator, have directly entered the business of importing robots and components to ensure US clients can receive goods quickly. Customers visit the San Francisco office to inspect hardware products and place orders, with items shipped from local US warehouses in places like Mountain View. This company can also handle the necessary US certification paperwork for battery imports. US companies can also find Chinese component middlemen. One such middleman operates from a cluttered office near Huaqiangbei, with shelves filled with product catalogs and small components in sealed bags. This middleman, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that over half of his clients are from overseas, primarily startups and university labs from the US and Canada. He consolidates the small orders from multiple clients and places them with factories. If a client needs a specific component for a humanoid robot, the middleman will contact the component manufacturer's internal staff, arrange for a small batch of samples to be produced, declare them as defective rejects, and then transfer them to the middleman.

Despite US companies' efforts to remotely connect with the Chinese supply chain, robotics startup founders with experience in both countries say that close proximity to Chinese component suppliers makes a huge difference. Robin Han, CEO of Shanghai-based humanoid robot company Sudo AI, previously led Hillbot, a US humanoid robot company headquartered in San Diego. Last year, Han and other Chinese co-founders left Hillbot to establish Sudo AI in Shanghai. He stated that being based in China has significantly accelerated their R&D pace. "If our headquarters were still in the US, our overall progress would be much slower." For example, if Sudo needs to adjust the lens specifications for a robot's camera system, an engineer can take a 15-minute cab or bike ride to the component supplier's lab to select a lens solution on the spot. The supplier has its own lab, and can deliver a new camera module within half a day after the model is selected. If problems arise, engineers can visit anytime for collaboration. In contrast, during Han's time running Hillbot in the US, adjusting a camera system often took months. The team would have to communicate online with Chinese suppliers, who would then send samples. After Hillbot tested and provided feedback, they would repeat the cycle of calls and sample shipments.

Han revealed that, like other US startups, Hillbot employees would also pack small components without batteries, such as camera modules and humanoid robot finger parts, into their suitcases for flights back to the US to save on logistics time. He believes that being based in China makes it easier to select high-quality suppliers and collaboratively develop custom components. "For sensors alone, you can easily find suppliers for two to three hundred different products. If you need a custom cable solution, there are plenty of manufacturers ready to take on the job." He also noted that when his previous US startup worked remotely with Chinese suppliers, they used off-the-shelf components to assemble humanoid prototypes. However, once the finished robot arrived in the US, its functionality was limited and it was incompatible with the company's proprietary software. "The humanoid robot supply chain is still in its early stages. Many Chinese humanoid robot component manufacturers do not have US offices, which makes collaboration even harder for American companies."

While US robot companies continue to rely on the Chinese supply chain, Chinese robot manufacturers see the US as a market with huge potential, but the Trump administration remains wary. Last month, when the US Federal Communications Commission announced the import ban on foreign robots, a White House statement claimed that data collected by foreign-made robots could be used by foreign intelligence agencies. The import ban does not apply to existing products that have already obtained FCC certification, but it will significantly impact new products from Chinese robot manufacturers and US clients who purchase equipment for R&D. The ban was introduced just as some Chinese humanoid robot manufacturers were beginning to establish a US presence. Shanghai-based Agibot set up a small US office in Sunnyvale, California, in January, with six employees. The company's global sales are growing rapidly, shipping over 5,100 humanoid robots last year and another 5,000 in the first three months of 2026. Most US orders come from universities and private labs, according to Peng Chen, Agibot's head of US business development and physical AI.

Many industry executives believe that restricting the import of Chinese humanoid robots does not solve the core problem facing the US: the significant structural gap in its domestic supply chain for high-end robots. Ted Larson, CEO of OLogic, an engineering consulting firm in Santa Clara, California, says that components like drone motors are almost impossible to find US-based suppliers for. "There are no US manufacturers that can produce drone motors at low cost. There is simply no choice; companies have to buy from China. The same goes for gimbal motors, which are used for both drone stabilization and enabling smooth head and neck movement in humanoid robots. There is no commercially available, high-quality, low-cost gimbal motor made in the US." This contradiction will become more pronounced as US startups move from prototype development to mass production. The volume of components needed for mass production far exceeds the sample quantities that can be sourced from component middlemen or electronics markets. Apptronik CEO Cardenas stated, "The key issue is the scale of procurement. While you might be able to rely on personal carry for samples and small batches, this model cannot solve the long-term challenge of large-scale production."