Capital accelerates humanoid robot mass production

The Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics on Thursday launched a pilot manufacturing and validation platform for humanoid robots, the first of its kind in the capital, transforming the industry from small-batch prototyping to large scale production.

According to the center, the platform is equipped with 500 sets of production and testing equipment and has an annual pilot production capacity of up to 5,000 embodied humanoid robots. It offers one-stop services including prototyping, performance and process validation, process optimization, module and whole-robot assembly, and testing and verification.

The launch comes as the global humanoid robotic industry moves beyond research and development toward application scenarios and commercial trials, with the transition from innovation to industrialization remaining a major challenge, as the sector lacks professional, standardized, and efficient pilot manufacturing infrastructure.

"Across the industry, the main bottlenecks lie in pilot manufacturing readiness, standardized production and testing, and the lack of data continuity from development to scale-up," said Liu Yizhang, head of the pilot platform.

He said research institutes and startups typically rely on small, self-developed trial lines that are costly and inefficient. Gaps in standardization make it difficult to ensure consistent quality and reliability, while incomplete end-to-end testing system can leave risks unaddressed before products reach real-world applications.

At the same time, limited data accumulation across the product life cycle weakens the feedback loop needed for large-scale production, he added.

These concerns are echoed at the policy level, where authorities have pointed to a broader shortage of pilot manufacturing and validation capacity across emerging and future industries.

In November 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology identified humanoid robots as a representative area that demands faster construction of manufacturing and validation pilot platforms, alongside stronger testing, inspection and technology-transfer systems, to accelerate the conversion of technological advances into real productive capacity.

On Jan 4, the Beijing government stated that a tiered support system will be established for the construction of a number of pilot testing platforms, with newly established platforms eligible for subsidies of up to 100 million yuan ($14.39 million).

In response, the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics promoted its new platform as an integrated industrial service facility, combining pilot production, verification, optimization, and testing within a framework.

It brings together four core functional components, including small-batch pilot lines, whole-robot and joint manufacturing demonstration lines for embodied humanoid robots, and specialized testing laboratories. Together, they offer end-to-end pilot manufacturing services, covering the full pathway from core components to complete robots.

Digitization is a central feature of the platform. Built around a unified master data platform and open interfaces, an integrated digital operation system connects information, logistics and data flows, enabling seamless data tracking from design and process planning to production and test feedback. It creates an efficient digital pilot manufacturing platform from prototype validation to small-batch production, helping to shorten the iteration cycles.

Completed and commissioned last year, the center covering approximately 9,700 square meters, is located in Beijing's Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as E-town.

The center plans to further expand the platform's capabilities by undertaking national key research and development projects.

According to data from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, revenue from Beijing's robotics industry grew by nearly 40 percent in 2025. The number of "little giant" enterprises specializing in robotics, which are specialized, refined, unique and innovative, ranked first in the country.