On the production line of Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, a batch of harmonic drive gears made in China are being installed into the robot’s joints. Surprisingly, these key components do not come from the Japanese giants who have long monopolized the market, but are products provided by Chinese enterprises.
In the world of industrial and humanoid robots, harmonic drive gears are equivalent to the “joints” of humans. Despite their small size, they are core components determining the movement precision and stability of robots. An average six-axis industrial robot requires 3 harmonic drive gears, while a humanoid robot like Tesla’s Optimus needs 14, accounting for 15%-20% of the entire machine cost.
For a long time, this key component market has been monopolized by Japanese enterprises. One Japanese company alone holds 85% of the global market share. Domestic robot manufacturers not only had to pay high costs but also often faced long supply cycles and the dilemma of being technologically constrained by others.
Facing this dilemma, Chinese enterprises began arduous technological research. In 2013, Chinese enterprises launched the first batch of 14 series of harmonic drive gear products. After a decade of sharpening the sword, the product performance has approached international levels, while the price is only about half of Japanese products. Policy support has also injected strong momentum into domestic substitution. Driven by national special funds, tax incentives, and other policies, the localization rate of harmonic speed reducers has increased from less than 20% in 2020 to 35% in 2025, and is expected to exceed 40% by 2030.
With the arrival of the industrialization wave of humanoid robots, the harmonic drive gear market is ushering in a historical opportunity. Market forecast data shows that if the global output of humanoid robots reaches 1 million units in 2029, the demand for harmonic drive gears will reach 14 million, bringing a global market increment of 8.4 billion yuan in this field alone.
As an important participant in China’s precision transmission field, Qiandeyi is working hand in hand with industry partners to jointly promote the technological progress and industrial upgrading of domestic core components. Taking innovation as the engine and quality as the cornerstone, we are committed to providing customers with excellent performance, stable and reliable harmonic transmission solutions. From industrial production lines to home service scenarios, from traditional machinery to humanoid robots, Qiandeyi harmonic drive gears are becoming a key force driving the intelligent era. Qiandeyi Precision Transmission – making every degree of rotation precise and reliable.
