China’s Midea to deploy humanoid robots in factory operations next month

Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer Midea will deploy self-developed humanoid robots next month at a washing machine factory in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, to support machine operations, equipment inspections, and material handling, the company has announced. Beginning in the second half of this year, the robots will also be introduced to offline retail stores for roles such as customer guidance and coffee preparation, according to the company. Midea is focusing this year on iterating its humanoid robot products to tackle challenges such as battery life, data collection, simulation, and joint lightweighting, said Xi Wei, head of Midea’s humanoid robot innovation center. However, It may take another three to five years for humanoid robots to achieve full industrialization, Xi added. [Jiemian, in Chinese]