A robot dog that is made by Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Unitree Robotics — a pioneer in making quadruped and humanoid robots based in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province — has joined the list of victors at the 2025 WIPO Global Awards.

In so doing, it's become the first company from Zhejiang province and China's first robotics firm to receive the honor.

The WIPO Global Awards, launched by the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization in 2022, recognize small and medium-sized enterprises and startups worldwide for leveraging intellectual property that have a major economic and social impact.

This year, over 780 companies from 95 countries competed, with the winners spanning health, the environment, agri-food, creative industries, and information and communications technology sectors.

Unitree was the only Chinese winner among the 10 recipients — alongside companies from Singapore, India, Iceland, Sri Lanka, Chile, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

Unitree impressed with its advances in robotics motion control, high-performance joint motors and real-time systems, filing 261 patent applications and 643 trademarks across major global markets.

The award is said to highlight both Unitree's technological strength and Hangzhou's supportive innovation ecosystem. The latter has fostered a thriving startup environment and propelled the city to 14th place in the WIPO Global Innovation Index's top tech clusters for three consecutive years.

A view of Hangzhou, an emerging tech hub in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/VCG]