Xiaomi Tests Self-Developed Humanoid Robots in Car Production at
Barcelona Mobile Congress
Xiaomi robots operated autonomously for
three continuous hours, successfully completing assembly tasks without human
intervention
1.
Humanoid Robots Trialled in Auto Plant:
Xiaomi has tested its self-developed humanoid robots at its car production
facility, where they operated autonomously for three continuous hours,
completing assembly tasks without human intervention.
2.
Founder’s Five-Year Vision:
Founder, CEO and Chairman Lei Jun said the company plans to deploy “a
large number” of humanoid robots across Xiaomi factories within the next five
years.
3.
Assembly Performance Metrics:
o
Robots picked and tightened screw nuts on car
floors.
o
Achieved a 90.2% success rate for
simultaneous installations on both sides.
o
Matched Xiaomi’s rapid vehicle production cycle of 76
seconds per unit.
4.
Technical Challenges Addressed:
Key hurdles included:
o
Precise alignment with locating pins
o
Handling nut spline variations
o
Counteracting magnetic forces affecting grip
stability
5.
Shift from Lab to Real Production:
Xiaomi described the trial as its first stable step toward large-scale
intelligent manufacturing, moving humanoid robotics from experimental
demonstrations to real industrial use.
6.
AI & Tactile Technology Backbone:
The robot is powered by Xiaomi’s tactile fine-tuning model TacRefineNet,
relying solely on tactile sensing (without 3D object models), combined with a
vision-language-action large model for precision assembly.
7.
Other Product Showcases at MWC 2026:
At MWC Barcelona 2026, Xiaomi also:
o
Debuted the Vision Gran Turismo electric hypercar
concept
o
Announced plans for a premium smartphone in
partnership with Leica
8.
Rising Investment in Humanoid Robotics:
China’s humanoid robotics sector continues to attract major capital:
o
Galbot raised
2.5 billion yuan in fresh funding.
o
Noetix Robotics secured
nearly 1 billion yuan in Series B financing.
Overall
Significance:
Xiaomi’s move signals deeper vertical integration
into AI-driven manufacturing, positioning humanoid robots as a future backbone
of smart factories. If scaled successfully, it could accelerate automation
trends across China’s automotive and electronics industries.
Tech
giant Xiaomi has tested self-developed humanoid robots for car production, as the
company pushes forward with plans to deploy “a large number” of self-developed humanoid
robots in its own factories over the next five years, company founder Lei Jun has
said.
Lei,
also Xiaomi’s CEO and chairman, shared an article on Monday about trial operations
in the firm’s car production facility, where the robots were said to have operated
autonomously for three continuous hours, successfully completing assembly tasks
without human intervention.
In
a video released by Xiaomi, the humanoid robots were shown picking screw nuts and
tightening them to designated spots on car floors, achieving a 90.2 per cent success
rate for simultaneous installation on both sides within Xiaomi’s rapid turnaround
time for vehicle production – as fast as 76 seconds per unit.
The
success rate was measured by the number of successful installations divided by total
attempts, according to Xiaomi.
Xiaomi
said the main technical challenges involved precise alignment with locating pins,
handling variations in the nuts’ internal spline structures and countering magnetic
forces that could affect gripping stability.
“This
marks the first step towards stable application of Xiaomi’s humanoid robot in the
field of intelligent manufacturing,” Lei said in a social media post on Tuesday.
He
added that Xiaomi would continue to promote the use of general-purpose humanoid
robots in smart manufacturing and anticipated that a large number of humanoid robots
would be working in Xiaomi factories in the next five years.
The
company said the robots carried out a range of tasks on the automotive production
line, including removing protective films, installing vehicle badges, picking up
and placing self-tapping nuts and moving material boxes. Xiaomi added this indicated
a shift from laboratory-based technology demonstration to real-world industrial
scenarios.
The
company did not disclose the expected number of robots to be deployed, the cost
per unit or a timeline for the five-year target.
The
firm added that the robot was built on the firm’s tactile fine-tuning model TacRefineNet, which relies solely on tactile sensing without
vision or object 3D models, as well as the vision-language-action large model, emphasising
the role of tactile perception in precision assembly.
The
company showcased several other products at the ongoing MWC Barcelona 2026, including
the debut of a concept electric hypercar, Vision Gran Turismo. It also announced
plans to produce a premium smartphone in partnership with German camera maker Leica.
Previous generations of the Leitzphone, named after Leica
founder Ernst Leitz, had been jointly built by the German company and Japanese electronics
firm Sharp.
Humanoid
robots, a high-profile segment of China’s growing technology sector, are receiving
renewed attention from capital markets.
The
momentum for humanoid robotics investment continues, following their dominant
presence at this year’s Spring Festival Gala. Two of the robotics companies that
appeared announced the results of fresh financing rounds this week.
Galbot revealed it had raised 2.5 billion yuan
(US$363 million) on Monday, just months after raising more than US$300 million at
a valuation exceeding 20 billion yuan, according to a report by Shanghai Securities
Journal.
Noetix Robotics also announced it raised nearly
1 billion yuan in Series B financing on Monday, led by Chendao
Capital, an affiliate of battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd.