Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: By 2025, there will be over 140 domestic enterprises producing humanoid robots, and over 330 humanoid robot products will be released. At present, humanoid robots in China are able to stand, walk steadily, and run fast. We will release guidelines for the construction of a comprehensive standardization system for humanoid robots and embodied intelligence. In the wave of embodied intelligence, the advancement of anthropomorphism in humanoid robots highly relies on material innovation. High performance silicone materials, especially ultra-low hardness silicone rubber applied to biomimetic skin, are becoming the core cornerstone for achieving this goal. This material has excellent biocompatibility, flexibility, and skin friendliness, which can realistically simulate the texture of human skin and seamlessly integrate with temperature and pressure sensors, endowing robots with anthropomorphic perception ability.
At present, the research and development of high-performance organic silicon has covered six key areas of humanoid robots: biomimetic systems, perception systems, control systems, drive systems, actuators, and power batteries, forming a preliminary overall material solution from biomimetic skin, flexible sensing, intelligent control to thermal management.
Among them, the biomimetic flexible tactile sensor system (electronic skin) developed based on this material is particularly critical. It can accurately perceive multi-dimensional external stimuli such as pressure and temperature, covering multiple parts of the robot's hands, face, etc., and is one of the core technologies for achieving precise interaction and safe control.
The market is experiencing explosive growth. IDC predicts that user spending on embodied intelligent robots in China will exceed $1.4 billion by 2025, and is expected to soar to $77 billion by 2030, with an average annual compound growth rate of up to 94%. As the humanoid robot industry accelerates towards practicality, the electronic skin, as a core component, will inevitably accompany the rapid development of this huge market. From endowing robots with a warm touch to building the "nerves" that perceive the world, high-performance silicone materials are blurring the boundaries between machines and life, laying a solid material foundation for the future of human-machine symbiosis.