People look at Xiaomi’s humanoid robot “CyberOne” at the 2023 World Robot Conference held at the Beijing E-Tron International Exhibition and Convention Center in Beijing, China, on August 18, 2023.
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xiaomi The company’s president told CNBC that the company has introduced humanoid robots on a trial basis at its electric vehicle production plant in an effort to improve factory productivity.
The two humanoid robots can complete 90% of the work in three hours, Lu Weibing told CNBC in an interview at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain. It is said that tasks such as installing nuts and moving materials can be completed.
“The biggest challenge in integrating robots into production lines is keeping up with the pace,” Weibing added. “At Xiaomi’s car factory, a new car rolls off the assembly line every 76 seconds. Two humanoid robots can keep up with our pace.”
Lu said that having humanoid robots work in factories to improve productivity is a key focus for Xiaomi. In the future, he added, humanoid robots will be able to “replace humans for certain tasks” and “perform tasks that humans cannot do.”
Xiaomi first debuted its CyberOne humanoid robot in 2022, but it is no longer selling that product.
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However, Lu said the use of robots in production plants is still in its infancy.
“The robots on our production line didn’t have formal jobs; they were more like interns,” Lu told CNBC.
Still, the trial highlights the pace at which Chinese companies are investing in and improving robotic capabilities.
There are a number of Chinese companies, some recently listed, developing this technology. Experts expect Chinese companies to increase production of robots this year, and China itself is an early adopter of the technology.
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets predict that the global humanoid market will reach $9 trillion by 2050, with China accounting for more than 60% of that market.
Xiaomi built its business around selling various home appliances, but in recent years it has launched an electric vehicle business and is growing rapidly. Lu said he was “bullish” on robotics, but said it was “too early to say” how big the market would be.
Other Chinese companies are also moving into robotics. Chinese EV startup XPeng is developing its own humanoid robot, and on Sunday smartphone player Honor debuted its first model.
In the United States, Elon Musk is trying to take the following position. tesla As a robot and AI company. Musk said in January that Tesla would end production of the Model S and Model X and use its Fremont, Calif., factory to make the Optimus humanoid robot.
