CHINA SYSTEM · OPERATING LOGIC
Read the concept through its operating structure
Separate body form from intelligence
Humanoid describes a human-like body; embodied intelligence describes sensing, modelling, planning, acting and learning through body–environment interaction. Other robot forms may be embodied too.
An AI agent need not have a physical body
Agents may act entirely in software; Physical AI is a broader combination of models, sensing, control, machines and physics across robots, vehicles, drones and equipment.
The value chain spans body, brain, data and deployment
Actuators, sensors, batteries and hands form the body; perception, control, compute, world models and policies form intelligence; data, safety, integration and operations complete commercialisation.
China's 2026 standards framework spans the lifecycle
The 2026 framework, involving over 120 organisations, covers common foundations, brain-inspired compute, bodies/components, systems, applications and safety/ethics; it is a roadmap, not completed product assurance.
Korea should choose task economics, not robot counts
Korea should target specific risky, repetitive tasks in its strong industries and test success rate, intervention, cycle time, safety stops, uptime, maintenance and payback rather than demo appeal.