By Wang Zheng, People’s Daily
In Jingzhou, central China’s Hubei province, humanoid robots developed by Chinese home appliance manufacturer Midea Group have joined the workforce at the company’s washing machine factory, performing inspection, equipment operation, and maintenance.
At the Hannover Messe, Germany’s leading industrial trade fair,collaborative robots developed by Shanghai-based JAKA Robotics were exhibited, demonstrating their ultra-precise control capability so delicate that they can gently grasp a potato chip.
Today, Chinese industrial robots are being applied across a wide range of industries with rapidly advancing capability. Driven by technological innovation, scenario-based applications, and artificial intelligence (AI), these machines are evolving from traditional mechanical arms into “all-rounders” capable of coordination, intelligent decision-making, full-process autonomy, and cross-industry adaptability.
At Midea’s Lyceem Lab – a Chinese national key lab for high-end heavy-duty robots – rows of orange KUKA six-axis industrial robots swing weights of various sizes as part of rigorous durability and lifespan testing.
“This is a comprehensive test ofrobotic endurance and reliability,” said Tuo Liheng, assistant director of the lab.
Since acquiring Germany’s robot manufacturerKUKA in 2017, Midea has ramped up research and development (R&D) investment in core technologies and critical components for heavy-duty robots, achieving many breakthroughs.
“Robot technology is now moving beyond traditional industrial applications and expanding into broader markets,” said Chen Feng, general manager of KUKA China’s enterprise business division. “In strategic industries such as high-end manufacturing, aerospace, energy, and healthcare, heavy-duty robots with high rigidity, precision, and reliability are becoming increasingly vital.”
Chinese companies are making significant strides in the heavy-duty robot sector. Estun Automation, an intelligent equipment manufacturer, has launched a 700-kilogram-payload industrial robot for use in heavy machinery, automotive, and construction materials sectors. The latest heavy-duty model launched by Chinese echelon industrial robot company EFORT Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd., another leading robotics firm, sold over 100 units in 2024. Meanwhile, Inovance, a Chinese provider of industrial automation components and solutions, has developed a six-axis robot capable of handling up to 220 kilograms of weight.
In a welding workshop of a heavy truck manufacturing base of Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd (GAC Group), six yellow Estun spot-welding robots operate in perfect coordination. Thanks to an optimized design and automated tool-switching system, each robot can seamlessly alternate between welding and handling, dramatically boosting efficiency while maintaining a 100 percent pass rate.
As one of the few Chinese companies with fully self-developed core components, Estun also provides customized solutions tailored to specific application scenarios. “Estun even granted us access to parts of its core control software,” said Du Shibin, head of the GAC facility. “We jointly developed optimization programs for the cabin welding line and shared intellectual property rights.”
In recent years, the application of industrial robots in China has continued to expand. Statistics show that China produced 556,400 industrial robots in 2024, up 14.2 percent year on year. According to the International Federation of Robotics, China installed over 276,000 new industrial robots in 2023, accounting for 51 percent of the global installations.
Following their widespread use in the automotive and electronics sectors, industrial robots are now gaining traction in emerging sectors such as new energy, sanitary ceramics, metal processing, and furniture and home appliance manufacturing, becoming key growth drivers for general-purpose industries.
Moreover, the deep integration of industrial robots with AI is further accelerating this transformation. Modern robots are increasingly capable of perceiving their environment, learning from real-time data, and making autonomous decisions. This has paved the way for flexible manufacturing and intelligent collaboration, significantly enhancing production efficiency and adaptability.
In a large overseas warehouse covering 20,000 square meters, 700 autonomous mobile robots developed by Geekplus, a Beijing-based global leader in mobile robotics technologies, zip across at speeds of two meters per second. Working in sync with 40 multifunctional workstations, they have completely disrupted the traditional “man-to-goods” logistics model. Shelves now move autonomously to workstations, where robotic arms accurately pick goods, and autonomous mobile robots(AMRs) deliver them along dynamically optimized routes. The warehouse processes over 350,000 items per day, with each workstation capable of handling up to 500 items per hour.
Geekplushas achieved significant breakthroughs in swarm intelligence control and dynamic path planning, enabling the simultaneous deployment of over 5,000 robots through a single system. It has also established more than 10 smart warehouse demonstration projects worldwide, each deployed with over 1,000 robots. The company is also collaborating with global manufacturing leaders like Siemens and CATL to advance intelligent logistics.
Looking ahead to the integration of AI and industrial robots, Chen Feng observed that China’s current industrial robot market sees annual sales of around 300,000 units. “Today’s commercial model still relies on customized development, professional installation, commissioning, and even on-site support,” he said.
“But in the future, industrial robots will come equipped with built-in AI, ready to use straight out of the box. One-click installation and predictive maintenance will no longer just be market expectations – they will become standard features,” Chen explained
