The U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing on Tuesday (April 21st) to discuss how the United States can strengthen its leadership position in the field of robotics and automation amid the backdrop of the technology competition between the U.S. and China.
The committee chair and several experts believe that in the face of China’s aggressive investments in this field, the U.S. must quickly formulate a “national robot strategy” and utilize “Physical AI” to drive the revival of American manufacturing, ensuring national security and economic competitiveness.
Chair of the hearing, Representative Jay Obernolte, stated in his opening remarks that robotics technology is at a turning point. He emphasized that robotics technology has been driving economic development in the United States for over a century, with multi-jointed robots resembling human arms playing a crucial role in industrial manufacturing processes such as handling, welding, and assembly across industries from automotive manufacturing to space exploration and healthcare.
However, with the integration of AI technology and robotics, the emergence of “Physical AI” and “humanoid robots” will open up new applications.
“The U.S. must take decisive action. China has invested billions of dollars in the robotics industry and is pursuing an aggressive strategy to dominate the global market,” Obernolte said. “The U.S. needs a national robot strategy now more than ever to support manufacturing, strengthen economic power, and assist American workers.”
Obernolte had earlier introduced the “National Commission on Robotics Act,” a bipartisan legislation aimed at establishing a national commission to assess the U.S.’s competitiveness in the field of robotics.
He stated that the commission, composed of experts from academia, industry, and the public sector, would assist Congress in formulating forward-thinking policies to keep the U.S. ahead.
Chair of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Brian Babin, further warned that robotics has become a field facing “intense strategic competition.” He mentioned that China has prioritized robotics and invested over $100 billion to support related technology research and development.
Babin particularly emphasized the risks in the supply chain: “Too many critical components of U.S. robotics, such as sensors, actuators, and chips, still rely on foreign sources, including those from hostile nations.”
Experts at the hearing provided ample data to support the challenges facing the U.S.
CEO of the largest industrial robotics manufacturer in the U.S., Standard Bots, Evan Beard, pointed out that by 2024, China had installed nearly nine times the number of robots as the U.S., and the majority of industrial robots operate outside the U.S.
Beard raised a stern national security warning: “Robots manufactured in China may have backdoors at the firmware level, enabling remote shutdown of U.S. factories. AI-driven cameras placed in U.S. factories can even see everything we manufacture.”
He emphasized that when competitors receive state subsidies, a laissez-faire approach is equivalent to “unilateral disarmament.”
CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Michael Robbins, highlighted the technological core: “If AI is the brain, robots are the physical body that creates value for AI in the real economy.”
Robbins stated that the U.S. still leads in many fundamental research areas, but the challenge lies in how to translate innovation into production, application, and scaling.
He pointed out that China currently accounts for over 80% of global installations of humanoid robots.
“The result is a disconnect between where innovation happens and where its economic value is ultimately realized,” Robbins stated. He also mentioned that robots will continue to generate and process vast operational data, including environmental mapping, facility layouts, workflow patterns, and human-robot interactions.
If the U.S. uses Chinese-made robots, this data can outline detailed industrial processes and infrastructure operations, leaking sensitive data on supply chain reliance, production capacity, and operational vulnerabilities.
Regarding concerns about robots replacing human labor, experts provided different interpretations. President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), Jeff Burnstein, noted that the U.S. manufacturing industry currently has over 430,000 job vacancies, and this gap could expand to 1.9 million by 2033.
“Robots and automation can help fill critical capacity gaps,” Burnstein said. “By having robots take on the ‘dull, dirty, and dangerous’ jobs – those that people are unwilling to do and shouldn’t be forced to do.”
“People can focus on designing, installing, maintaining, and operating robots, as well as developing new applications to enhance business productivity,” he emphasized, stating that these jobs are often better, safer, and offer higher wages.
Economics professor Susan Helper also supported this view, stating that robots can address the dual crisis of labor supply and competitiveness. She urged the government to promote “worker-centered” automation design, allowing robots to assist rather than replace workers, attracting more talent back to the manufacturing industry.
In order to reclaim leadership, Beard presented four specific action recommendations at the hearing:
1. Manufacture robots domestically in the U.S. and deploy them in American factories.
2. Establish centers of excellence in robotics and manufacturing in various states to provide technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
3. Foster the next generation of American robot labor force, cultivating professional talents to operate and maintain robots.
4. Defend American manufacturing and resist market manipulation by foreign powers like China.
Burnstein strongly recommended the creation of a dedicated “White House Office of Automation and Robotics” to unify and coordinate actions across institutions, responsible for leading, overseeing, and updating the national strategy.
“The U.S. was undoubtedly a leader in the field of robotics. Now, we still have the opportunity to lead again,” Burnstein said. “But immediate action is necessary.”