Amid the wave of domestic substitution, these companies are at the forefront of humanoid robotics.
As the 1.78-meter tall Iron robot at Xpeng’s factory flexibly moves its mechanical arms to precisely assemble automotive components, a new era of intelligent manufacturing in China has quietly begun. Just last week, Xpeng’s chairman, He Xiaopeng, announced that by the end of 2026, they will achieve large-scale production of advanced humanoid robots. Behind this declaration is an impending trillion-yuan blue ocean market.
The Xpeng Iron robot, with 62 degrees of freedom throughout its body and 15 degrees of freedom in its hands, is equipped with a self-developed Turing AI chip and the Dimensity AIOS system, and has already been implemented on the factory production line. Its total weight is controlled at 85 kg, which is 30% lighter than Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, supported by a complete set of domestic supply chain technologies.
1. Core Systems and Supplier Overview
Motion Execution System: The Robot’s Muscles and Joints
Top Group (601689): Provides linear actuators and rotary actuator assemblies, utilizing a planetary roller screw + hollow cup motor integrated solution, with positioning accuracy of ±0.01mm and a lifespan exceeding 20,000 hours. The Ningbo factory plans an annual production capacity of 1 million sets, with costs 20%-30% lower than foreign brands.
Founder Motor (002196): Jointly established a robotic joint technology company with Xpeng, supplying drive motor assemblies and planetary roller screws, with robot orders exceeding 1.2 billion yuan by 2025. Their technology supports the power core of the robot’s 76-degree of freedom joints.
Zhondalide (002896): Provides RV reducers for the waist rotation joints, with product performance matching international standards and costs 30% lower, now ranking among the top tier of domestic manufacturers.
Green Harmonic (688017): Leads the supply of harmonic reducers for the robot’s hand joints, ensuring the stability and precision of fine movements, which are core components for dexterous operations.
Lightweight and Structural Systems: The Robot’s Skeleton
Guangdong Hongtu (002101): Applies 7200T ultra-large integrated die-casting technology, reducing the number of torso components from 37 to 5, achieving a 42% weight reduction and 35% cost reduction, with a magnesium-aluminum alloy frame becoming the core of lightweight design.
Shuanglin Co. (300100): Their self-developed reverse planetary roller screw has passed Xpeng’s durability tests, with high precision characteristics (0.02mm joint clearance) providing a physical basis for 0.01N level force control.
Perception and Control Systems: The Robot’s Nervous System
Hanwei Technology (300007): Provides electronic skin and fingertip-like sensors, endowing the robot with tactile perception capabilities, able to recognize pressure, temperature, and texture, achieving humanoid skin functions.
Yinlun Co. (002126): Develops specialized thermal management systems to ensure stable operation of the drive unit in environments ranging from -20 to 60°C, addressing heat dissipation bottlenecks under high-load conditions.
2. Technical Synergy: Cross-Industry Empowerment from Automotive Genes
The core competitiveness of Xpeng’s robots lies in their ability to reuse technology:
- The intelligent driving domain controller is directly transplanted from the automotive platform (provided by Desay SV), costing only 60% of traditional solutions.
- The XNGP intelligent driving algorithm is migrated to the robot’s navigation system, combined with Hanwei Technology’s electronic skin to achieve millimeter-level obstacle avoidance.
- Flying car technology feedback: The transmission system from Guangyang Co. enhances the load-bearing capacity of the hip joint, while carbon fiber materials achieve overall lightweighting.
This technology triangle ecosystem of automotive, aircraft, and robotics gives Xpeng a unique advantage in the mechatronics field. As supply chain experts say: when the supply chains of these three major industries intersect and empower each other, Chinese intelligent manufacturing is forming an ecological advantage that is difficult for other countries to replicate.
3. Mass Production Progress and Market Space
Xpeng plans to achieve a mass production target of 50,000 units by 2026, which will directly drive a surge in demand for core components:
- Each robot requires 12-16 screws and over 10 reducers.
- Top Group’s weekly production capacity of 3,000 units has matched the mass production target.
- The localization rate of precision components such as harmonic reducers and planetary roller screws exceeds 80%.
The market prospects are even more astonishing: institutions predict that by 2045, the number of humanoid robots in use in China will exceed 100 million units, with the overall market scale reaching 10 trillion yuan, and the entire industry chain scale expected to impact 100 trillion yuan. Currently, there is a market space of 9 billion yuan just in the electric power inspection field.
This article is based on publicly available information and is for reference only, not constituting any investment advice. The humanoid robot industry is still in its early stages, with uncertainties in technology routes and commercial implementation; investors should make prudent decisions.