[Bernstein: Payback period for humanoid robots in four major scenarios drops below 2.5 years, projected shipments to reach 1 million units by 2031] Deep Tide TechFlow reports, according to Tide Research, Bernstein's August 25 report indicates that humanoid robots in four major scenarios—urban patrol, warehouse stacking, factory material handling and inspection, and last-mile delivery—have achieved a payback period of less than 2 years for patrol. The payback period for warehouse and factory scenarios is approximately 2.7 years (in the U.S.), while the payback period for factory scenarios in China is 6.7 years. To reach the 2.5-year accelerated adoption threshold, robot prices in the Chinese market need to decrease by 30% to 50%, while prices in the U.S. market need to drop by 5% to 40%. Bernstein projects that global annual shipments of humanoid robots will reach 1 million units by 2031, with the four major scenarios contributing approximately 50%. Bernstein believes that, based on the experience of the electric vehicle and lithium battery industries, costs decrease by 15% to 18% every time production doubles, meaning price will not be a long-term barrier. The four major scenarios could deploy approximately 10 million units in China and 1.2 million units in the U.S. Bernstein suggests tracking winners from three dimensions: real commercial sales growth trajectory, performance improvement trajectory, and the trend of moving closer to the center of the industry ecosystem. When the payback period drops below 2.5 years, purchasing decisions will shift from 'Should we try this?' to 'Why not buy it?'