At Boston's Robotics Summit, humanoid prototypes dazzled crowds, but behind the scenes, industry leaders grappled with a pressing question: How will U.S.-China tariff tensions reshape the global race for advanced robotics? 🌏⚙️
Supply Chains Under Stress
With Tesla CEO Elon Musk warning of rare earth magnet shortages and Trump-era tariffs inflating Chinese-built robots like Unitree's G1 (originally $16K ➡️ $40K in U.S.), startups face a 'build local or bust' dilemma.
Silver Linings in Silicon?
Agility Robotics' Pras Velagapudi sees opportunity: Tariffs are pushing companies like German automaker Schaeffler to expand U.S. production with humanoid helpers like Digit. "Automation gets pushed further," says Schaeffler’s Al Makke, citing labor shortages.
Global Talent Tightrope
Recruitment expert Francesca Torsiello notes dwindling interest from Canadian tech workers in U.S. roles, while Tennibot CEO Haitham Eletrabi lists supply chain woes: "Screws, motors, batteries… tariffs add uncertainty."
As Boston Dynamics’ CTO joked about avoiding tariff talk, one truth emerged: In the humanoid revolution, geopolitics might be the ultimate circuit breaker. 🔋💥
