China’s new factory is producing one humanoid robot every 30 minutes in a drastic scale-up

A new facility in China is scaling up robot production and can build 10,000 humanoid bots every year, with one rolling off the production line every half hour.

The advances we’ve seen in robotics in recent years are nothing short of mind-boggling. 

Just a few years ago, the concept of a robot that would be able to fold laundry, snap a selfie, or serve you up some popcorn would have been strictly confined to science fiction. 

However, we’ve seen bots doing all of the above, and more, in recent months; we’ve even seen one employed at a university in the UK.

The new facility is a turning point for robots

Many tech companies are betting on robots being the next big thing within the industry. 

Take Tesla, for example, which has announced plans to produce up to a million of its Optimus bots per year and says it could make Tesla a $25 trillion company.

Meanwhile, other robotics companies, including Unitree, are also eyeing plans to build robots at scale. 

This month, China’s Leju Robotics and Dongfang Precision Science & Technology joined forces to open up a new factory that will be producing humanoid robots at volume, with one being built every 30 minutes. 

The new facility is an important step for humanoid robots, as it proves that much like cars or appliances, the bots can be mass-produced. 

Until now, companies have mainly focused on showcasing what their bots can do, but investors and industry experts are now looking for companies to show that they can build these impressive humanoid robots at scale.

As well as being fast, the production line has an emphasis on quality and getting it right. 

During production, the bots go through 24 stages and are subject to 77 inspection checks before leaving the line. 

The smart system is also able to switch between different robot models without having to shut down, meaning it can build bots for a range of industries with ease.

The facility splits roles when it comes to creating the bots, with Dongfang Precision Science & Technology taking care of scaling and production, and Leju Robotics concentrating on the software and design. 

This approach means each company can handle what it does best, and should result in a smoother road to scaling up. 

What’s holding back humanoid bots?

While the new facility is a major milestone for the production of humanoid robots, one expert has warned that we’re still a long way off from truly capable bots. 

Robotics expert Ken Goldberg said it’ll be years before bots are able to perfectly mimic tasks and jobs carried out by humans. 

The main issue, according to Goldberg, is dexterity and being able to manipulate objects. 

Goldberg compared humanoid bots to AI chatbots and said that currently, there’s a ‘1,000-year data gap’ between AI’s language capabilities and dexterity in robots. 

“Things like being able to pick up a wine glass or change a light bulb,” Goldberg told UC Berkley News. 

“No robot can do that.”

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