China has launched a national initiative to give humanoid robots their own digital identity. The system is intended to make robots traceable throughout their full lifecycle, from production and maintenance to use and eventual recycling. The measure was reported by South China Morning Post, based on Chinese state media.
The new system is called the Humanoid Full Lifecycle Management Service Platform. Through this platform, each bipedal, AI-driven humanoid robot covered by the programme will receive a unique code. This code will function as a digital ID, comparable to an identification number for machines. Relevant information about the robot can then remain linked to that identity throughout its operational life.
The initiative is led by the Humanoid Robotics and Embodied Intelligence Standardization committee, which operates under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to the reports, the system is meant to support standardisation, risk management and oversight in a market where the number of manufacturers, models and applications is growing quickly.
The digital identity is not intended only for manufacturers. The guidelines also apply to other parties in the value chain, including producers, service providers, sellers, users and recycling companies. China is therefore trying to create a structure in which it is clearer where a robot comes from, where it is deployed, who is responsible for maintenance and what happens at the end of its lifecycle.
The move fits into a broader Chinese effort to regulate the humanoid robot sector before large-scale deployment in factories, public spaces and possibly homes. Earlier this year, China also published a national standards system for humanoid robots and embodied intelligence. That framework covers areas such as basic standards, components, system integration, applications, safety and ethics.
