Why it's nearly impossible to build a robot without China

Why it's nearly impossible to build a robot without China Building on the country's electric vehicle industry, Chinese companies are making robot parts at a scale and price point others can't match. Japan led the world in robotics for decades. More than 50 years ago, Japanese researchers captured imaginations with the first robot capable of grasping objects and walking on two legs. In 1984, a team in Japan built one that could read sheet music and play the piano. When Honda unveiled its first humanoid in 2000, it seemed to cement the country's lead.