China's humanoid robots to take on factory work, household tasks, half-marathon

Humanoid robots in China have recently been capturing widespread attention with their diverse capabilities. They are now being deployed not only in daily life, performing cooking or cleaning, but also in industrial production within factories. They are even gearing up to take on the challenge of a half-marathon.

A robot manufacturer in South China's Guangdong Province has been busy with orders from across the country since the beginning of 2025. With a dual-arm load capacity of 40 kilograms and a highly bionic skeletal and muscular structure, the humanoid robot LeadIn D1, designed for industrial use, is capable of easily handling high-intensity tasks such as heavy lifting, material handling, and loading in industrial production, a staff member from Guangzhou Li Gong Industry Co, Ltd told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to the company staff, LeadIn D1 is scheduled for official delivery to production lines in the second quarter of this year. Its application will span multiple industries, including aerospace, medical devices, and life sciences.

Especially in areas such as monitoring workshop capacity, tracking production task progress, as well as material handling, loading, and product assembly on production lines, LeadIn D1 can leverage intelligent interaction and precise operations to achieve digital and intelligent management of production processes.

Fourier's GRx Robot Series has also been trialed for deployment at car factories in Shanghai, where they are tasked with installing live high-voltage components and performing high-precision operations, a company representative told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The latest version of the Fourier GRx Robot Series, the GR-2 humanoid robot, stands 175 centimeters tall, weighs 63 kilograms, and has a battery life of up to two hours. GR-2 introduces more dexterous hands, designed to mirror the flexibility of human physiology, that can adapt seamlessly to complex tasks with greater precision.

The humanoid robots in the GRx Robot Series have been experimentally applied in scenarios such as reception, scientific research and education, industrial manufacturing, and rehabilitation healthcare, said the representative.

In terms of daily life, humanoid robots have also begun to be put into use. As the world's first full-sized humanoid robot driven purely by electric power, "Tiangong" can not only run on flat ground but also steadily move on slopes, grass, gravel, sand, and sandbags, according to a report by the Beijing Daily on Tuesday.

Since its official release in April 2024, Tiangonghas already been used in multiple scenarios, including warehouse pick-and-place tasks and patrols for electrical plants, the Global Times has learned.

In April, for the first time, dozens of humanoid robots will participate in a half-marathon to be held in Beijing's Daxing district.

Wei Jiaxin, brand and public relations manager of the Beijing-based National and Local Co-built Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center, introduced that participating in the marathon is ultimately about pushing boundaries and overcoming technical challenges in body structure and motion algorithms. This will help enhance compatibility, enabling humanoid robots to be used in a wider range of scenarios, according to the Beijing Daily.

By training humanoid robots in diverse environments and using them in remote operations, they become smarter and more capable. In a home setting, they can learn to do laundry, cook, and organize, paving the way for them to become helpful household assistants in the future, Wei added.

"Before humanoid robots entered factories, many industrial robots were already in place on China's automated production lines," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. However, he noted that humanoid robots, with their ability to mimic human movements, are better suited for complex environments. Their flexibility allows them to work in tight spaces, climb stairs, and navigate uneven terrain, tackling tasks that traditional industrial robots struggle with.

Wang further pointed out that industrial robots are mainly used for tasks like handling, welding, assembly, painting, processing, and cleanroom operations, covering most key areas of manufacturing. Meanwhile, humanoid robots have the potential to carry out tasks requiring human-like flexibility or those beyond the capabilities of traditional industrial robots.

"In the future, humanoid robots and industrial robots may form a complementary relationship in industrial settings," Wang said.