The explosive growth in robotic vision requirements has ignited a new hotspot for LiDAR applications in robotic systems. Industry sources reveal that orders for robotics-focused LiDAR have shown an overall upward trend this year. Industry insiders optimistically predict that robotic applications may become the largest market after automotive assisted driving systems within the next three to four years.
LiDAR Manufacturers Rush Into the "Robot-Mounted" Battlefield
Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows that in the first half of this year, industrial robot production reached 370,000 units, while service robot production hit 8.824 million units, representing year-over-year growth of 35.6% and 25.5% respectively.
A robotics industry analyst noted that the explosive expansion of the robotics sector, particularly the significant growth in service robot production, with accelerated deployment of new scenarios including smart lawn mowers, unmanned delivery, and humanoid robots, has directly driven demand for LiDAR as a core perception component.
"Robots require various sensors to perceive their surroundings, including human-machine interaction and obstacle detection capabilities," explained a relevant manufacturer representative. From a global perspective, the most widespread application of LiDAR currently remains in automotive intelligent driving (ADAS), while in robotics, LiDAR primarily serves navigation and positioning functions.
The robotics industry analyst mentioned that compared to depth cameras (range ≤3 meters, error ±4cm), LiDAR offers advantages including 30-meter ultra-long range detection, centimeter-level precision, and 360° dead-angle-free scanning. Reliability is significantly enhanced, especially in complex outdoor environments with changing lighting conditions and rain/fog interference.
The current "robot-mounted" LiDAR track has become quite competitive, with traditional "automotive-mounted" manufacturers among the key players. The robotics industry analyst indicated that the current state of robot LiDAR industry shows overall characteristics of leading player concentration and technological route differentiation.
"Leading manufacturers such as Hesai Technology, ROBOSENSE, and Livox have begun rapidly penetrating the robotics field. Different brands position themselves in the market based on their products, with some targeting mid-to-high-end markets through high-performance products, while others occupy mid-to-low-end markets with high cost-performance advantages."
In this analyst's view, "Market competition will intensify in the coming years, with leading manufacturers expected to continue capturing growth dividends."
Since 2024, Longhorn Auto Co.,Ltd. (301488.SZ), primarily engaged in automotive intelligent driving perception system research and development, has expanded its layout in the robotics field. Regarding robotics business, a securities department representative stated that while the company has a research and development team for LiDAR, there is currently no mass production or fixed-point supply. For sensors, the company has signed cooperation agreements with Zhiyuan and is currently supplying products.
Regarding future plans in robotics, the representative noted, "We mainly focus on perception system products like ultrasonic modules and cameras, and may expand to other tactile sensors in the future."
Regarding multiple automotive LiDAR manufacturers entering the robotics track, the robotics industry analyst identified three main reasons: First, robot LiDAR market demand has entered a high-growth period, making robotics a more imaginative incremental market receiving focused attention. Second, technology homogeneity and cost sharing - automotive-grade LiDAR reliability certification (such as vibration resistance and temperature/humidity adaptability) can be directly transferred to robotic scenarios, reducing redundant R&D investment. Third, hedging automotive market risks - the automotive market is heavily influenced by automaker strategy fluctuations, while robotics demand is dispersed and growth stable, helping balance business risks.
Robot Application Market Expected to Continue Growing
This year has seen high growth in robotics LiDAR demand, with industry chain players competing on the same stage and uneven market share distribution. On one hand, leading manufacturers occupy higher market shares with strong product sales. According to GGII data, Hesai ranked first in China's robot LiDAR shipment volume in the first half of 2025.
In the first half of this year, Hesai Technology's total robotics LiDAR shipments reached 98,000 units, a 692.9% year-over-year increase, with Q2 quarterly shipments growing 743.6% year-over-year. During the same period, ROBOSENSE's LiDAR sales for robotics and other fields totaled approximately 46,300 units, a 420.2% year-over-year increase, with Q2 growth reaching 631.9%.
On the other hand, some companies producing robot LiDAR modules report that due to limited production scale from downstream customers, current order execution remains relatively small.
The field's market potential continues to be viewed favorably. According to media reports, Liu Xingwei, Vice President of Hesai Technology's Robot Perception Business, revealed that the entire robot LiDAR market shipment volume is expected to reach 300,000-400,000 units this year, with Hesai's robot market shipments expected to exceed 200,000 units.
According to ROBOSENSE representatives' predictions, the company's automotive and robotics LiDAR shipment volumes will gradually approach a 1:1 ratio by 2026.
OFweek predicts that by 2030, the robot LiDAR market size could climb to 28 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 67.90% from 2024-2030.
If LiDAR is not used, are there alternative solutions? A manufacturer representative cited Tesla's FSD solution as an example, which uses neither LiDAR nor depth cameras, but instead employs multiple cameras with algorithms. However, this solution has relatively stringent requirements for data collection and training, AI development teams, and other aspects, presenting implementation difficulties. Whether this technological approach can succeed in robotics remains questionable.
"Over 95% of manufacturers use LiDAR and depth cameras," the manufacturer representative further explained. Using a humanoid robot as an example, it might have one LiDAR unit plus 2-3 depth cameras, with specific quantities depending on the robot's value and functionality. Short-to-medium range navigation, obstacle avoidance, plus human-machine interaction and grasping operations require 3D depth cameras.
As underlying technologies continue maturing, robots capable of cross-scenario operations are accelerating emergence. Orbbec Inc. (688322.SH) can provide robot vision perception products including monocular/binocular structured light, LiDAR, and iToF systems. The company's securities department representative stated that some robots need to operate switching between indoor and outdoor scenarios, and the company's depth cameras perform well regarding temperature, environmental, and complex light source changes.
When asked about shipment volumes, the representative responded, "Growth rates are quite good now, with many service robots and humanoid robots on the market using our products."
What revolutionary changes might robot-related vision products undergo in performance, cost, and form factors over the next 3-5 years? "First, multi-sensor fusion, such as LiDAR and depth camera complementarity, achieving 'long-range detection + short-range high precision' perception closed loops; second, continued cost reduction; third, miniaturization and intelligentization," the robotics industry analyst explained.
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