Humanoid & robot atlas

Supply chain

What is inside a humanoid robot, and who makes it

A humanoid is built from dozens of joints, each with a motor, a gearbox and sensors, plus hands, cameras, a computer and a battery. Here are 594 companies that make those parts and the materials inside them, in 31 countries, with 396 reported supply links. Every link has a source. For the chips and AI models, see Chips & AI.

Statistics only, not advice. No affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement. How we work · Terms

From raw material to robot

Each step buys from the one before it. Tap a step to see its companies.

  4. BuyersRobot makers134Named as customers or in robots' parts lists

What is inside a humanoid

53 kinds of parts, grouped by what they do. Counts are for the named robots in their sources, not for every humanoid. Figure's engineers have said a humanoid has a few hundred distinct part designs and a few thousand parts in all.

Joints

Every joint needs a motor, a gearbox or screw to multiply its force, bearings, and a sensor that knows where it is.

Hands and touch

Hands are the hardest part: many tiny motors, tendons and touch sensors in a small space.

Senses

Cameras, depth sensors and balance sensors tell the robot where it is and what is around it.

  • RGB camerae.g. 1–6 per robot

    A camera gives the robot pictures it can use to recognize objects and people.

    Count: Known RGB views: GR-3 monocular 1, NEO 2, Figure 02 6; Galbot head stereo views plus torso RGB also 6; RGB-D modules excluded.

    Sources: Figure AI / Brett Adcock, via LinkedIn, Fourier, 1X Technologies

  • Depth camerae.g. 1–2 per robot

    A depth camera measures how far away objects are as well as showing their shape.

    Count: One listed depth module on G1 or KUAVO 5; two wrist depth modules on Galbot G1; counts modules, not internal imagers.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, Leju Robotics, Galbot

  • LiDARe.g. 1 per robot

    A LiDAR uses laser light to measure distances and build a map around the robot.

    Count: One listed LiDAR on G1, KUAVO 5 and Galbot G1; applies only to these LiDAR-equipped configurations.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, Leju Robotics, Galbot

  • Inertial measurement unite.g. 3 per robot

    An IMU senses acceleration and rotation to help the robot keep track of its movement.

    Count: Galbot G1 explicitly lists 2 torso IMUs plus 1 chassis IMU; other robots do not supply a comparable exact count here.

    Sources: Fourier, Galbot

  • Microphonee.g. 4–8 per robot

    A microphone turns sound into signals so the robot can hear speech.

    Count: G1 and NEO: 4; KUAVO 5: 6; Galbot G1: 2 arrays x 4 = 8; external teleoperation microphones excluded.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, 1X Technologies, Leju Robotics

Brain and wiring

An AI computer plans; small chips in each joint carry out the moves; cables and connectors tie it together.

Power

A battery pack, its safety electronics and cooling decide how long the robot can work.

  • Battery cell

    A battery cell stores electrical energy that the robot uses to move and think.

    Sources: Figure AI, Unitree Robotics, Panasonic Energy

  • Battery packe.g. 1–2 per robot

    A protected group of battery cells supplies power to the robot.

    Count: Figure 03 has one torso pack; Walker S2 has a dual-battery system; GR-3 lists 702 Wh and 234 Wh packs.

    Sources: Figure AI, UBTECH Robotics, Fourier

  • Battery management systeme.g. 1 per robot

    Electronics monitor the battery and protect it from unsafe charging or overheating.

    Count: One logical custom BMS system described for Figure 03; physical board and chip counts are unknown.

    Sources: Texas Instruments, Figure AI

  • Cooling system

    Fans, air paths or liquid loops remove heat so motors and electronics can keep working.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, Unitree Robotics, Figure AI

Body and assembly

Frames, covers and soft skin, and the factories that put robots together for their makers.

  • Load-bearing structure

    The robot’s frame carries its weight and supports the forces from moving and lifting.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, Fourier, Figure AI

  • Covers and housings

    Hard covers protect internal parts and help give the robot its outer shape.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, Fourier

  • Soft skin and covers

    Soft outer layers cushion contact and cover places where moving parts could pinch.

    Sources: Figure AI, 1X Technologies, XPENG

  • Contract assembly

    A manufacturing partner builds and checks robots for the company that designed them.

    Sources: Apptronik

Materials

Under every part: magnets, copper, special steel, light metals, carbon fibre, plastics and battery materials.

  • Rare-earth permanent magnet

    A strong permanent magnet helps a compact motor produce useful turning force.

    Sources: MP Materials, Kollmorgen

  • Rare-earth metals

    Rare-earth elements such as neodymium are processed into materials for strong motor magnets.

    Sources: MP Materials

  • Copper

    Copper carries electricity through motor windings and other electrical connections.

    Sources: Kollmorgen, TE Connectivity, TSMC

  • Gear and bearing steel

    Special steel lets gears and bearings withstand repeated loads and wear.

    Sources: Harmonic Drive LLC, SKF

  • Aluminium

    Aluminium is a light metal used in robot frames and battery housings.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics, Figure AI

  • Magnesium

    Magnesium is a very light structural metal that can reduce a machine’s weight.

    Sources: International Magnesium Association

  • Titanium

    Titanium is a structural metal used in some lightweight robot bodies.

    Sources: Unitree Robotics

  • Carbon fibre

    Strong thin carbon fibres reinforce light composite parts.

    Sources: Toray Composite Materials America

  • Engineering plastic

    Tough plastics such as PEEK can replace metal in suitable machine parts.

    Sources: Victrex, Unitree Robotics

  • Battery active materials

    Battery materials store and release energy inside a cell’s positive and negative electrodes.

    Sources: Panasonic Energy, Figure AI

  • Semiconductor wafers and chip fabrication

    Semiconductor materials are turned into chips that sense, calculate and control electricity.

    Sources: TSMC, Texas Instruments

How many joints a humanoid has

Each joint needs its own motor, so joints are the best guide to how many motors, gearboxes and sensors a robot buys. Hand joints are shown separately where the maker publishes them.

  • IRONXPENG82 44 in hands
  • AtlasBoston Dynamics56
  • GR-3Fourier55 24 in hands
  • Walker S2UBTECH Robotics52
  • K2 Bumblebee / Forerunner K2Shanghai Kepler Robotics52 22 in hands
  • OptimusTesla50 28 + 22 in hands
  • A2 UltraAGIBOT40 12 in hands
  • H2Unitree Robotics31
  • KUAVO 5Leju Robotics31 29 + 2 in hands
  • G1Unitree Robotics23

Body joints Hand joints, both hands, where the maker publishes them. Makers count differently; Optimus and KUAVO counts leave the hands out, so their hand joints are added. The basis for each is in its source: IRON, Atlas, GR-3, Walker S2, K2 Bumblebee / Forerunner K2, Optimus, A2 Ultra, H2, KUAVO 5, G1.

Where the money goes

Estimates by banks of what each part adds to a humanoid's hardware cost. They are not makers' figures, and the two use different categories.

Bank of America Institute / BofA Global Research · 2025-04-29 · Generic China-component humanoid estimate, Exhibit 3; approximately $35,000 end-2025 hardware model
  • Linear actuator integration 27%
  • Rotary actuator integration 24%
  • Dexterous hand 19%
  • AI chip / AI computing 10%
  • Vision system 4%
  • Battery 2%
  • Heat management system 2%

Estimate. Estimate, not audited maker cost. Published labels sum to 88%; unassigned 12% left unallocated. Model assumes 16 rotary and 14 linear actuators; integrated groups already include components. Source

Morgan Stanley Research · 2025-02-06 · Optimus Gen 2 estimated ex-software BOM of $50,000-$60,000 per unit; Exhibit 54, by component
  • Sensor 37%
  • Motor 20.3%
  • Screw 20.2%
  • Reducer 12.6%
  • encoder 3.9%
  • FSD + Chips + Camera 3.8%
  • Others 0.9%
  • bearing 0.8%
  • Battery 0.5%

Estimate. Supplier-quote estimate, not Tesla procurement costs. Preserve published categories; do not add integrated-actuator percentages. Source

Supply risks

Rules and shortages that can hold up parts, as published by governments and companies.

  • Specified medium/heavy rare-earth items and Sm-, Tb- or Dy-containing permanent-magnet materials 2025-04-04

    China's April 4, 2025 Announcement 18 requires export licensing for specified samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium items; covered permanent-magnet forms include magnets and magnetic powders. This is item-specific licensing, not a blanket ban on all NdFeB magnets. Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs, China

  • Rare-earth materials, magnet supply chains and related technologies 2025-11-07

    Announcement 70 suspends the later 2025 measures numbered 55, 56, 57, 58, 61 and 62 until November 10, 2026. The suspension is time-limited and does not list April Announcement 18; the later expansion must not be described as currently active during this suspension. Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs, China

  • NdPr metal for NdFeB magnets 2026-08-18

    Ningbo Yunsheng's 2026 interim report describes a sharp rise and subsequent fluctuation in NdPr metal prices during the first half of 2026, indicating input-cost exposure for magnet producers. The report's price data are attributed to Asian Metal rather than an independent atlas estimate. Ningbo Yunsheng via CNINFO

  • 2025-02

    SGL Carbon

  • 2025-09

    Wolfspeed

  • 2026-10

    EcoPro BM

  • Mitsubishi Electric

All 594 suppliers

Grouped by what they make, most-linked first. A robot link means a robot or robot maker named the company in public sources.

Actuators and joint modules 66

Gears and reducers 21

Motors and drives 31

Roller and ball screws 14

Bearings 10

Robot hands 53

Touch sensors 28

Sensors and IMUs 51

Lidar 18

Cameras and depth sensing 26

Computers and chips 42

Batteries 23

Connectors, wiring and electronics 27

Frames, shells and cooling 22

Contract manufacturers 12

Materials 73

Magnets 13

AI models and software 17

Software 41

Other parts 6

A supplier is listed when the company, a robot maker, a filing or reputable press links it to robots. A named customer is a reported relationship, not proof of a current contract, and many makers don't disclose suppliers at all.