According to the Zhitong Finance APP, the global mobile robot new product launch roadshow day will be held on November 5, 2024, and it is worth noting that the robot news catalyst is continuous. Looking at the whole month of November, Xpeng AI Technology Day will be held on November 6 to share the latest developments and breakthroughs in AI robots and flying cars in various fields. China Aviation Securities stated that the trend of humanoid robot industry is clear. At present, the industry is entering an important breakthrough stage from 0 to 1. With the mass production of Tesla Optimus approaching, humanoid robots are expected to usher in catalysis such as determination, shaping, and confirmation of production rhythm in the fourth quarter. 2024 will be a key year for breakthrough mass production, and the sector market is expected to continue. It is recommended to focus on the core components sector.

Specifically, on October 24, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xpeng Motors, He Xiaopeng, announced in a post that Xpeng 1024 Technology Day will be fully upgraded to "Xpeng AI Technology Day." He Xiaopeng said: "This time I returned to my alma mater, back to where the technology dream began, and will share with you the latest developments and breakthroughs of Xpeng in AI cars, AI robots, flying cars, and more. Looking forward to meeting everyone!"

From the PPT, Xpeng's second-generation humanoid robot adopts a humanoid appearance similar to Tesla's Optimus. Information disclosed by Xpeng indicates that it will use an end-to-end autonomous driving model, with over 60 joints in the robot hand, significantly enhancing flexibility.

Currently, domestic automotive OEMs are expected to accelerate catching up with overseas leaders, while many domestic and foreign humanoid robots have successively launched new products and entered factory training.

Looking abroad, on October 11, Tesla held the WeRobot conference, showcasing the latest developments of Optimus and demonstrating actions such as dancing, pouring wine, distributing gifts, and interacting with the audience on site, showing higher agility and stability compared to the previous demonstration. In addition, a briefly separate demonstration at the conference showcased a new agile hand with different configuration from the past. This nimble hand moves more swiftly and smoothly, with improved freedom compared to the existing version. The upper limbs of humanoid robots are an important part of motion output, continuous hardware iteration and upgrades are expected to further enhance the interactive performance of humanoid robots.

The on-site presentation at the press conference showcased the application performance of humanoid robots in home service scenarios, capable of providing caretaker-type services similar to humans. The increasing complexity of application scenarios raises the software intelligence requirements for humanoid robots, and the entry of AI is expected to accelerate the software learning and training of humanoid robots.

2025 may be the first year of mass production for humanoid robots, with automotive factories potentially being the first landing application scenario. On one hand, automotive factories have the characteristics of large scale and high standardization, providing conditions for practical training of humanoid robots, which could help humanoid robots apply their skills to more scenarios. On the other hand, the automotive industry technology in areas such as autonomous driving, sensors, and machine vision shares commonalities with humanoid robots. Deep collaboration between car factories and humanoid robot manufacturers can leverage synergies between the two.

In addition, on August 31st, the US-Norway company 1X Technology announced the launch of a prototype bipedal humanoid robot designed for household use on the X platform. NEO's body adopts a muscular anatomical structure similar to humans, rather than a rigid hydraulic system, making it strong and gentle like a human. According to 1X on the X platform, the release of NEO Beta is an important milestone for the company to transition from concept development to popularizing humanoid robots for consumer households. 1X company-designed NEO robots are planned to be mass-produced in the smart factory in Moss, Norway.

NEO is 5.41 feet tall and weighs 66 pounds. It has a walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour and a running speed of 7.5 miles per hour. Its carrying capacity is 44 pounds, with a running time of 2-4 hours. Whether in safety, logistics, manufacturing, operating machinery, or handling complex tasks, NEO can easily complete various industrial tasks. In the long run, it is foreseen that NEO can not only provide valuable household assistance but also perform cleaning or organizing household chores. NEO's design intention is to be a versatile humanoid assistant in people's daily lives, capable of handling various household chores, including home cleaning, task handling, and interaction with people.

In terms of market size, prior concerns in the market were widespread that the shipment pace of humanoid robots would be significantly lower than expected, with global humanoid robot shipments still at around tens of thousands in 2025, showing a rapid increase trend. Tesla publicly stated in its financial report call that its shipments in 2025 will reach thousands of units. In addition, domestic manufacturers at the World Robot Conference also indicated that their shipments in 2025 will range from hundreds to thousands. With the rapid breakthrough of 1X NEO and Stanford Mobile ALOHA on the household end, as well as the accelerated deployment of Figure and Agility Robotics in the factory end, along with OPEN AI, Sanctuary AI, and NVIDIA in the model end, it is predicted that global humanoid robot shipments in 2025 is expected to reach 0.01 million units, with a total market size reaching tens of billions of RMB.

Soochow Securities believes that on October 11, 2024, Tesla held the WeRobot conference, publicly releasing Robotaxi and Robovan, and updated the latest situation of the humanoid robot Optimus. 2025 may be the year of mass production of humanoid robots, and automobile factories may be the first landing application scenarios. The mass production of humanoid robots still needs to solve the cost reduction issue, and it is recommended to pay attention to domestic component investment opportunities.

Related concept stocks:

Baidu Group (09888): On August 14, 2023, Ji Yue announced that the "Automotive Robot Strategic Cooperation Project" jointly created by Geely and Baidu had made significant progress. Geely's new automotive robot brand "Ji Yue" was officially launched, with the first model named "Ji Yue 01".

UBTECH (09880): Dongfeng Liuzhou Motors and UBTECH Technology have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the application of humanoid robots, jointly promoting the application of humanoid robots in the automotive manufacturing scene. This follows UBTECH's cooperation project with Nio Inc., further expanding its industrial layout towards automotive final assembly workshops.

Legendholding (03396): Legend Capital's investment in humanoid robots goes beyond financial support, also providing strategic guidance and market resources to invested enterprises. For example, Legend Capital led the angel round financing of humanoid robot R&D company 'Stardust Era' with over 100 million yuan, demonstrating its bullish outlook on the commercial prospects of humanoid robots.