During an interview with Cailian Press, Jiao Jichao, Vice President and Executive Dean of Research Institute of UBTECH, stated that the predetermined timetable for small-scale production and further increases in humanoid robots has not changed, and UBTECH's robot solutions are also being promoted in 3C electronics and consumer factories. Ren Yutong, Executive Chairman of the Guangdong Robotics Association, believes that humanoid robots currently do not meet requirements in terms of intelligence and flexibility, and are expensive.
Ubtech's humanoid robot has made new progress in automobile manufacturing, and the company announced its strategic cooperation with Dongfeng Liuqi today. Jiao Jichao, deputy general manager and executive director of the research institute of Ubtech, said in an interview with Cailian Press that after the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement, Ubtech's humanoid robot combining the latest AI technology has entered Dongfeng Liuqi. The company's established timetable for small-scale production and further scaling up of humanoid robots has not changed. In terms of product structure, the operating income of 10-30 billion yuan products is 401/1288/60 million yuan respectively.
Ren Yutong, executive chairman of the Guangdong Robotics Association, believes that humanoid robots are still not up to par in terms of intelligence and flexibility, and are expensive, so it will take time for them to enter the market.
Through this cooperation, Ubtech's industrial version of the humanoid robot, Walker S, will enter Dongfeng Liuqi to carry out a series of tasks such as safety belt, door lock, headlight cover inspection, as well as oil filling, front axle subdivision, set distribution and picking, etc., freeing people from repetitive and low-value work. In addition, humanoid robots will also collaborate with traditional automation equipment to solve the flexible unmanned production of complex scenarios.
Lin Changbo, general manager of Dongfeng Liuqi, said, "Through training, (Walker S) will provide better solutions in more complex testing, assembly and logistics sites."
Public information shows that in February this year, Walker S has been trained at a new energy vehicle factory. Jiao Jichao told reporters that since this year, Ubtech Technology has focused on the automotive, 3C and other key fields of manufacturing industry, improved the operational and task execution capabilities of humanoid robots, built humanoid robot production lines and factories, and achieved deep application in typical manufacturing scenarios. The industrial version of the humanoid robot, Walker S, has entered other new energy vehicle factories for training.
At this year's earnings conference in April, Ubtech revealed that it hopes to conduct a large number of practical tests of humanoid robots in factories, and prepare for the mass production of humanoid robots in factories in 2025 or 2026. Jiao Jichao said that the plan to achieve small-scale production and delivery by the end of 2024, as well as the expectations for mass production in 2025 or 2026, have not changed.
"The current application difficulties are mainly in the safety, reliability, and cost of humanoid robots. Ubtech has accumulated a lot in safety and reliability with many years of deep cultivation of full-stack core technology of humanoid robots. In the automotive manufacturing scenario, it has gradually accumulated a lot of experience. Controlling the cost requires further expansion of the application market." Jiao Jichao said.
"In the process of exploring cutting-edge technology applications, an important experience is not to hold a hammer and find a nail, but to start from the user's perspective and judge whether the product can meet the demand. So to enter the next stage, feedback from the user side will still be the main basis." Jiao Jichao said.
He further revealed that Ubtech robot solutions are also promoting practical training in 3C electronic consumer factories other than automotive manufacturing plants.
The problem of the cost of humanoid robots has always been a "roadblock" to their large-scale application. Ren Yutong told reporters that although he doesn't know the price of Ubtech's Walker S, humanoid robots from other brands sold to schools cost as much as one or two million dollars. He thinks the price is still too high now.
Jiao Jichao responded to related questions, saying that the BOM cost of Utube's industrial version of humanoid robots is about 40,000 to 50,000 US dollars, but this is not a static number. According to Goldman Sachs' analysis, the manufacturing cost of humanoid robots will drop from 50,000-250,000 US dollars in 2023 to 30,000-150,000 US dollars this year, a decrease of 40%. Ubtech's humanoid robots will also achieve cost reduction with the development of technology and the maturity of the industry chain.