Wang Xingxing (born 1990) is a Chinese robotics engineer and entrepreneur, and the founder of Unitree Robotics. Based in Hangzhou, China, the company develops quadruped and humanoid robots. His early work on an electrically powered quadruped prototype, XDog, provided the technical foundation for the business he established in 2016. (cincodias.elpais.com)
Education and early engineering work
Wang is from Yuyao in Zhejiang province. He studied mechatronics at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, where he began building robots as an undergraduate. The university’s alumni account records that he constructed a small bipedal robot during his first year, designing and making components by hand. (alumni.zstu.edu.cn)
In 2013, he entered Shanghai University as a master’s student in mechanical engineering, graduating in 2016. During his postgraduate studies, he independently developed XDog, a small, electrically driven quadruped robot, drawing on published robotics research. In 2015, the project won second prize in the international “Star Maker” competition. (alumni.shu.edu.cn)
XDog and the founding of Unitree
XDog combined mechanical design, electric motors, motor-drive electronics, and motion-control software. According to Unitree’s account of its development, Wang’s work encompassed control simulation, motor selection, circuit-board design, single-leg testing, and software development. The prototype used electric actuation and was designed around relatively low-cost components. (shop.unitree.com)
After graduating, Wang briefly worked for the drone manufacturer DJI. Publicity surrounding videos of XDog helped attract investor interest, and he left DJI to establish Unitree in 2016. Shanghai University records that he founded the company in August with angel investment and served as its chief executive and chief technology officer. (shop.unitree.com)
Unitree introduced Laikago in September 2017. The commercial quadruped incorporated redesigned mechanical structures, motors, drive electronics, and controls, extending the development work begun with XDog. Subsequent products included the Aliengo, A1, and Go1 quadrupeds. (shop.unitree.com)
Humanoid robotics and public recognition
Unitree subsequently expanded into humanoid robots. Its humanoid machines attracted wider attention through a folk-dance performance on the 2025 Spring Festival Gala broadcast by China Central Television. The performance also increased Wang’s public visibility beyond the robotics industry. (scmp.com)
In August 2025, Time included Wang in its TIME100 AI selection. In the accompanying profile, he characterized Unitree primarily as a hardware company while describing advances in artificial intelligence as important to enabling robots to perform unfamiliar tasks without explicit preprogramming. This distinguished the company’s established work on robotic hardware and locomotion from the broader goal of more general-purpose autonomous operation. (time.com)
References
- 让中国机器人领跑世界！厉害了我的校友！alumni.zstu.edu.cn
- 会跳舞会侧翻，上大校友研发的“打工牛”萌翻春晚！alumni.shu.edu.cn
- About Usshop.unitree.com
- About Unitree - Unitree Roboticsunitree-robot.com