China’s humanoid robots to tackle tricky car chores at Dongfeng Motor

Chinese state-owned automaker Dongfeng Motor is partnering with robotics firm UBTech to introduce the latter’s humanoid into its manufacturing process.

The industrial version of the Walker S humanoid robot from Ubtech will be used on the production line of Dongfeng Motor to carry out various manufacturing duties.

According to reports, it will involve conducting safety belt inspection, door lock testing, body quality checks, oil filling, and label application. The robot will integrate with traditional automated machinery to handle complex scenarios in unmanned manufacturing.

Recently, UBTech announced its association with Baidu to enable lifelike speech and real-time reasoning for the Walker S humanoid.

Walker S stands 1.7m tall and features advanced fusion control algorithms. UBTech claims that Walker S can communicate with the factory system to access production line status and share collected data in real-time.

Smart robots in assembly lines

UBtech’s humanoids, integrated with the latest AI technology, aim to advance operations at factory floors. Through hands-on training, these robots are expected to enhance their capabilities in inspecting and assembling components.

UBTech’s Walker S is already doing duty at automaker Nio’s manufacturing plant in China, where it is carrying out similar duties like quality inspections of door locks, seat belts, and headlight covers, and was able to affix vehicle logos.

“This will not only bring greater improvement to Dongfeng Motor’s intelligent manufacturing level, but will also become a new style of intelligent manufacturing in the automotive industry, and will accelerate the scene-based and large-scale application of humanoid robots in the automotive industry,” Lin Changbo, General Manager of Dongfeng Motor, according to Gizmochina.

The humanoid will reportedly include an inspection of the seat belts, door locks, headlight cover, body quality, rear cover, and interior. The robots are also expected to handle many other tasks including oil filling, front axle subassembly, collection and material picking, attaching the logo, and label printing.

UBTech claims that Walker S will offer superior solutions in more complicated inspection, assembly, and logistics sites through hands-on training.

Next-gen industrial robots

The Walker S was unveiled by UBTech last year to cater to industrial applications. Walker S is the first bipedal humanoid robot, according to the company, to finish tasks at a particular workstation on a vehicle production line.

With its dual RGBD sensors and sophisticated four-eye system, the humanoid offers advanced perceptive capabilities. With a force-controlled human-like hand and a robot arm with seven degrees of freedom, it can perform tasks with exceptional dexterity and accuracy.

UBTech claims that the humanoid’s advanced object-scene identification and sorting capabilities guarantee effective operation in various settings. Walker S has demonstrated its capacity to identify and carry out necessary activities, which were made possible by Baidu’s Ernie LLM.

According to UBTech, the humanoid’s vision cameras and depth sensors enable it to sense and navigate its environment more efficiently. Its capacity to recognize 3D objects allows for smooth obstacle avoidance. Furthermore, human-like hands improve their dexterity for jobs involving the manipulation of objects.

Walker S is also incredibly flexible and adept at controlling motion, carrying out complex maneuvers while maintaining stability through careful balance management. It can walk with 6.6 pounds (3 kilograms) in each hand and support up to 22 pounds (10 kilograms).

The introduction of humanoid robots by companies will assist traditional manufacturing firms in streamlining processes and increasing automation levels.