NANCHANG, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At a tablet manufacturing workshop in the eastern Chinese city of Nanchang, four humanoid robots have completed an eight-hour live-streamed shift on a real assembly line requiring precision operations, marking another great leap in the country's embodied AI empowering its manufacturing sector.
During Tuesday's working hours, these black-and-white human-like machines, with streamlined torsos resembling polished metal, performed final quality inspections before tablets rolled off the line.
In a cramped space, AgiBot's Genie G2 identified and precisely picked up materials from the conveyor at speeds almost comparable to human workers, turned to put them in testing boxes, and placed any anomalies at a window for staff retrieval. This seemingly simple sequence was technically impossible for programmed automation equipment.
Live footage showed the Shanghai-designed robots, powered by integrated visual perception and force control, could automatically adapt to positional deviations within 1 centimeter and dynamic disturbances on the production line. This capability enabled it to complete scene calibration in as little as five minutes when facing different product models, with line changeover and retraining taking no more than four hours.
Field data revealed the G2 model finished each operation in 18 to 20 seconds, processing 310 units per hour with an overall success rate exceeding 99.9 percent.
This development represents a new leap in China's grand vision for AI-enabled manufacturing. By establishing mutually reinforcing feedback loops between its digital and industrial strategies, the country is now generating interlocking innovation flywheels that drive progress across related industries.
"Embodied intelligence is no longer a lab concept, but a genuine driver of productivity that can enter production lines, and create real value," said Yao Maoqing, senior vice president of AgiBot.
The successful deployment on precision, high-speed manufacturing production lines has provided valuable exploratory experience for the subsequent industrial deployment of robots, said Zhong Junhao, secretary-general of the Shanghai AI Industry Association.
Last July, AgiBot tested its dual-armed, wheeled robots at an auto parts factory in Mianyang, a city in southwestern China, where they undertook an unscripted, real-world stress test: identifying pallets and bins on the factory floor, autonomously planning their routes, and transporting the bins to designated shelves. Previously, Chinese intelligent robotics companies such as UBTECH, based in south China's Shenzhen, had conducted car factory training sessions.
This time, humanoid robots have officially entered the workforce, performing delicate operations rather than crude tasks like heavy lifting.
Li Long, general manager of the robotics business division at the tablet manufacturer Shanghai Longcheer, said that after just four months, the G2 was successfully integrated into a consumer electronics mass production line, and has now accumulated 140 hours of continuous operation. Their deployment in Longcheer is expected to expand to 100 units by the third quarter of 2026, Li added.
This rapid deployment and its potential return on investment will drive large-scale implementation across consumer electronics, automotive, semiconductor and energy sectors, said Yao.
Chinese robotics firms, notably, emerged as the largest producers of humanoid robots worldwide in 2025.
Shanghai-based AgiBot achieved an annual shipment volume of over 5,100 units, securing a 39-percent share of the global humanoid robot market and ranking first in the world for both shipment volume and market share, according to a January report released by Omdia, a tech consultancy in London. It was followed by Unitree and UBTECH.
"In the global competitive landscape of embodied AI, China is increasingly demonstrating its advantages by leveraging abundant production line application scenarios and first-mover opportunities in deployment," said Zhong. ■
