Boston Dynamics is back in Washington to urge lawmakers to restrict imports of Chinese robots and to boost support for American-made humanoids.
In written testimony, Chief Legal Officer Jason Fiorillo says: “To restore a competitive playing field with respect to China, we must recognize the scale of state-backed support underpinning China’s robotics sector and the resulting economic and security challenges for U.S. companies. […] In response, we urge Congress to adopt a comprehensive strategy to re-level the playing field, pairing targeted restrictions on high-risk technologies from abroad with proactive investments in domestic innovation, manufacturing, and workforce development.”
The testimony calls out Unitree Robotics CEO Wang Xingxing (who has called BD founder Marc Raibert his idol) for a meeting he attended with other Chinese technology executives and President Xi.
“China, especially, illustrates through action the strategic importance of its advanced mobile robotic technologies sector. In February 2025, the CEO of prominent Chinese robotics company Unitree, which develops and manufactures quadrupeds and humanoids, was seated prominently across from Chinese President Xi at a summit of tech executives.”
The Massachusetts robotics leader, whose parent company is Hyundai, is racing to manufacture tens is thousands of Atlas humanoids.
Ironically, the testimony references an illustration made by
@Robo_Tuo, who is all about uniting China and the US.
