Chinese robotics company UBTECH and FAW-Volkswagen have agreed to develop and test humanoid robots for logistics applications in vehicle manufacturing plants.
The focus of the partnership is on developing demonstration scenarios and testing robotic solutions for factory logistics and intelligent manufacturing.
UBTECH previously collaborated with FAW-Volkswagen on vehicle quality testing trials using its Walker S Lite humanoid robot at the automaker’s factory in Qingdao.
The companies said the expanded collaboration is aimed at supporting more flexible manufacturing as automakers respond to growing demand for personalized vehicles.
Targets factory logistics
UBTECH and FAW-Volkswagen have expanded their collaboration on humanoid robots, moving from vehicle inspection trials to logistics and broader intelligent manufacturing applications.
Under a strategic collaboration agreement announced Oct. 8, the companies will jointly develop and test embodied AI robotic applications for factory logistics and establish demonstration sites to evaluate their use in real-world manufacturing environments.
The partnership builds on FAW-Volkswagen’s previous deployment of UBTECH’s Walker S Lite humanoid robot at its Qingdao factory. The robot was used for vehicle quality inspection training and connected to the factory’s automation control system. The latest agreement expands cooperation beyond inspection and makes logistics a formal area of ​​development.
The two companies began working together in July 2024 when FAW-Volkswagen opened production line scenarios for UBTECH’s Walker S industrial humanoid at its factory in Qingdao. The robot was tested on tasks such as tightening screws, installing components and handling parts, among others. In addition, the companies identified industrial logistics and supply chain applications as potential areas for future collaboration.
The new logistics focus targets one of the more repetitive parts of vehicle manufacturing: transporting components and materials to production facilities. Unlike fixed industrial automation systems designed for specific operations, humanoid robots can potentially perform multiple tasks on the same physical platform. This could make them useful in factories where production configurations need to change more frequently to accommodate increasingly personalized vehicles.
Scales robot deployment
UBTECH builds its industrial humanoid technology on four main systems: an embodied brain, a humanoid cerebellum for motion control, powerful robotic hardware, and swarm intelligence for coordinating multiple robots. The company says its embodied intelligence system uses a homegrown stack that combines a foundation model, a world model, and an action model.
The architecture is intended to allow robots to interpret their environment, predict how the environment might change, and select appropriate actions. Combined with humanoid hardware, the approach is intended to give robots greater flexibility than traditional automation devices, which typically execute predefined movements.
UBTECH is also expanding its manufacturing infrastructure. Its industrial humanoid super smart factory in Liuzhou, Guangxi began operations on September 12th. The 14,000 square meter facility produces the company’s Walker S and Cruzr series and is designed to manufacture robots using robotic systems. According to the Guangxi regional government, the factory can produce a robot every 10 minutes.
For FAW-Volkswagen, the expanded partnership provides a real-world automotive manufacturing environment in which to test these capabilities. The automaker operates production facilities in Changchun, Chengdu, Foshan, Qingdao and Tianjin and produces Volkswagen, Audi and Jetta vehicles.
However, the agreement does not yet contain details about which humanoid model will be used for the new logistics applications, which exact logistics tasks will be tested, how many robots will be involved and what the schedule for routine use will be. The immediate focus is on joint development, testing and demonstration.
If the trials are successful, the partnership could allow humanoid robots to move from isolated inspection tasks into broader factory operations, where they could take on materials, components and other logistical tasks alongside existing automated production systems.
