In recent years, the humanoid robot track has ushered in explosive growth, becoming another outlet for scientific and technological innovation and intelligent manufacturing. Globally, Tesla, Boston Dynamics and other companies have laid out, while in China, leading car companies are actively promoting the research and development and application of humanoid robots, accelerating the transformation from electric vehicles to intelligent robots.
The Rise of Humanoid Robots: The Convergence of Technology Creates New Opportunities
Behind the popularity of humanoid robots, it is inseparable from the rapid progress of artificial intelligence, automatic driving, motor control and other technologies. As a representative of embodied intelligence, humanoid robots have human-like perception, decision-making, and execution capabilities, and show great potential in industrial manufacturing, home services, medical care and other scenarios.
For Chinese car companies, humanoid robots are not only a breakthrough in technological innovation, but also an important direction to promote business diversification. With the accumulation of autonomous driving, intelligent cockpit, motor control, chip computing power, etc., car companies can efficiently reuse existing technologies and accelerate the landing and application of robot products. For example, Xpeng Motors' humanoid robot "Iron" directly reuses autonomous driving algorithms and is equipped with self-developed chips to enable it to have high-level environmental perception capabilities. The GAC Group's "GoMate" uses a variable wheel-foot movement structure to enable flexible industrial production collaboration.
Car companies compete for the robot track: accelerating from R&D to application
At present, a number of Chinese car companies have entered the stage of R&D or demonstration application of humanoid robots, showing a clear path to technology and commercialization:
GAC Group: The core components of the "GoMate" developed by GAC Group are completely self-developed, and the company plans to achieve mass production of parts in 2025 and take the lead in demonstrating its application at its own plant.
Xpeng Motors: It plans to promote "Iron" to the L3 level of intelligence, aiming to become the first company in China to mass-produce L3 robots.
BYD: Launched the "Yao Shunyu" humanoid robot project, and accelerated technology integration through capital operation.
Chery Automobile: Cooperating with an AI company to develop the bipedal robot "Mornine", which is intended to be used in scenarios such as store shopping guidance.
Changan Automobile: Plans to release humanoid robot products by 2027.
Li Auto: It has made it clear that it will set foot in the field of humanoid robots, but it is still focusing on L4 breakthroughs in autonomous driving.
In addition, SAIC, BAIC Group and other car companies have entered the game through capital investment to promote the coordinated development of the robot industry chain. At the same time, auto parts suppliers such as Joyson Electronics, Fulin Seiko, Suteng Juchuang and other enterprises also actively provide core component support such as motors, reducers, and sensors to lay the foundation for the development of the industry.
Figure: Humanoid robots are popular, and car companies have laid out robot tracks (Source: Unitree Robot)
From Electric Vehicles to Intelligent Robots: The Deep Transformation of Made in China
The deployment of humanoid robots by Chinese car companies is not only an extension of technical capabilities, but also represents the upgrading of the manufacturing industry to a higher intelligent form. In the era of electric vehicles, car companies have accumulated a lot of software and hardware experience through power batteries, intelligent driving and other technologies, and now, these technologies are naturally migrating to the field of robotics.
The core logic behind this trend is that automotive intelligence is highly correlated with the development of robots. Autonomous driving requires high-precision perception, path planning, and intelligent decision-making, and these capabilities are also applicable to humanoid robots. The motors, reducers, and computing platforms of electric vehicles can also be directly reused in the motion control of robots. Therefore, moving from electric vehicles to humanoid robots is not only an industrial extension, but also an inevitable choice for technology reuse, cost optimization and market expansion.
Commercialization Challenges: Core Technology Breakthroughs and Cost Control
Despite the popularity of humanoid robots, large-scale commercialization still faces challenges. At present, the cost of some high-end humanoid robots exceeds 200,000 yuan, and core components such as reducers and high-performance chips still rely on imports, and domestic substitution is still advancing. At the same time, the interaction ability of robots in complex environments needs to be improved, and it will take time to achieve from laboratory prototypes to large-scale commercial use.
However, with the continuous investment of leading car companies and the coordinated development of the industrial chain, it is only a matter of time before costs fall and technological breakthroughs occur. In the future, with the maturity of autonomous driving technology and the advancement of AI large models, humanoid robots are expected to become the next intelligent terminal after automobiles, and truly enter the production workshop, home and public service fields.
Conclusion: Humanoid robots have become a new battlefield for car companies
From electric vehicles to humanoid robots, Chinese automakers are undergoing a profound industrial transformation. Relying on the accumulation of autonomous driving, intelligent control, and motor technology, car companies are accelerating the industrialization of robots. In the future, with the reduction of technology costs and the expansion of application scenarios, humanoid robots will become another important engine to promote intelligent manufacturing and technological innovation after new energy vehicles.
