The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2026) has concluded, offering a concentrated showcase for the embodied intelligence sector. Unlike previous years, where humanoid robots attracted attention with dance, stunts, and playful interactions, what has shifted in this year's industry direction?

Humanoid robots have moved beyond "spectacular demonstrations" on exhibition booths and officially entered the commercialization phase of real‑world industrial operations, large‑scale deployment, and routine on‑line work. These humanoid machines are now taking root in industrial scenarios such as automotive manufacturing, new energy, 3C electronics, warehousing and logistics, and precision quality inspection. With stable operational data and mature implementation solutions, they are proving to be a core productivity tool for smart manufacturing upgrades.

Industrial Deployment Becomes the Core Track for Humanoid Robots

The industry has moved past the prototype‑polishing phase. The focus has shifted to production‑line adaptability, operational yield rates, long‑duration continuous running performance, and the overall readiness of domestic software and hardware ecosystems. Based on publicly disclosed deployment practices from various manufacturers, humanoid robots have formed four mature industrial application tracks that precisely address the high‑intensity, high‑repetition, and high‑precision labor gaps in manufacturing.

1.      New Energy Vehicle Production Lines: Full‑Scale Precision Assembly Replacing Manual Labor

Junpu Intelligent has deployed multiple humanoid robots collaborating on a BMS (Battery Management System) controller mass‑production line. The process yield rate has reached 99.9%, replicating the complete assembly workflow of a real factory. It has passed pilot verification and is ready for batch entry into factories.

JAKA Robotics, in partnership with Huayu Automotive, has created a wheeled humanoid‑motor collaborative assembly system, which has been selected as a benchmark application for embodied intelligence. It completes the entire closed‑loop unmanned process from motor transfer, parts assembly, high‑precision fastening, to finished‑product warehousing. Parts recognition accuracy reaches 99%, adapting to mixed‑line flexible production needs of automakers.

Xiaomi's humanoid robot has entered its own automobile factory for training. The success rate for nut‑feeding operations has increased to 98%, while it has also been deployed for cover sorting and bin‑recycling tasks, formally integrating into the vehicle manufacturing process.

Tashi Zhihang replicated an automotive wiring harness assembly line at the exhibition in a 1:1 scale. The robot autonomously performs sub‑millimeter‑precision processes such as cable picking, routing, and connector insertion. The solution has been supplied in volume to wiring harness leaders like Tianhai Electronics, addressing the industry pain points of difficult recruitment and inconsistent manual operations in harness processing.

2.      Warehousing and Logistics: 24/7 Unmanned Material Handling Becomes Routine

Zhiyuan Elf G2 Max, in collaboration with JD Logistics, has been deployed in real warehousing scenarios. With a single‑arm maximum load of 18 kg and a dual‑arm coordinated peak load of 50 kg, it performs round‑the‑clock material handling and palletizing operations without the need for night‑shift manual attendance. This is a landmark case of large‑scale commercial deployment of humanoid robots in logistics.

Leju Kuafu humanoid robots performed live operations in the exhibition area, replicating the full workflow of depalletizing, bin transfer, and production‑line feeding in factories. The equipment ran stably for several continuous hours. The solution has already received purchase intention orders from multiple manufacturing enterprises including FAW, ZTE, and Changhong. The domestic localization rate of the complete robot exceeds 95%, building a self‑reliant and secure supply chain foundation.

Yinhe General humanoid robots rely on a pure vision solution to autonomously depalletize, transfer, and stack unordered bins, adapting to the real‑world condition of irregular incoming materials, thereby significantly reducing the investment cost of production‑line retrofitting.

3.      Online Quality Inspection and Auxiliary Workshop Processes – Bridging the Quality Control Gaps in Smart Manufacturing

Realman, in collaboration with Zhongke Huiyuan, has launched an industrial quality‑inspection humanoid robot. Single‑item inspection time is kept within 5 seconds, and model re‑debugging is not required when production lines are retooled. With self‑developed joint modules that have achieved 50,000 hours of fault‑free operation, it is well‑suited for long‑duration uninterrupted factory inspection work, replacing manual visual inspection and avoiding quality errors caused by human fatigue.

Yuanli Lingji leverages a multi‑robot swarm to complete sub‑millimeter‑precision assembly tasks. Through dynamic division of labor and autonomous decision‑making among multiple robots, it accomplishes the assembly of 80,000 parts. This collaborative control technology has already been deployed in factory small‑part precision assembly and warehouse sorting and packaging scenarios.

4.      Full‑Stack Domestic Software and Hardware System Takes Shape, Accelerating the Decline of Industrial Deployment Barriers

Sazhi Intelligent has built an integrated "data‑model‑body‑scenario" industrial closed‑loop system, amassing over 2,000 standardized industrial operational skills covering grasping, press‑fitting, and multi‑robot collaborative complex processes. It adapts to diverse scenarios such as precision machining, flexible loading/unloading, and factory distribution.

Joyson Electronics has released self‑developed core components including dexterous hands, AI head assemblies, and electronic skins, improving the upstream supply chain for humanoid robots and further reducing procurement and maintenance costs, removing hardware barriers for large‑scale adoption.

Humanoid Robots Officially Move from Exhibition Prototypes to Real Factories

Throughout all the displays at this WAIC, the competitive logic in the humanoid robot sector has fundamentally changed. In the past, the industry competed on motion parameters and interactive gimmicks. Today, all R&D iterations and product optimizations revolve around the real production pain points of factories.

Manufacturing has long faced challenges such as shortages of front‑line general workers, difficulty in hiring for hazardous positions, rising labor costs for repetitive roles year after year, and inconsistent manual quality. Humanoid robots, with their high flexibility and versatility, can adapt to multiple different production lines without requiring dedicated robotic arms for each single process, making them highly compatible with the current manufacturing trend of diversified, small‑batch production.

As the localization of core domestic components continues to improve, the industrial operation algorithms of embodied large models keep iterating, and the project deployment service system becomes more robust, humanoid robots will rapidly penetrate mainstream industrial sectors such as automotive, new energy, 3C electronics, and equipment manufacturing. They will become a critical core piece of equipment for China's manufacturing transformation and upgrading, enabling flexible smart manufacturing. The entire embodied intelligence sector will also enter a new development cycle of large‑scale deployment.

*Article content sourced from official public accounts and online materials.