China's embodied AI sector is gaining momentum, with investment in the first quarter already exceeding half of the total for all of 2025. The latest breakthrough: humanoid robots have been deployed alongside traditional assembly lines for routine production.

At a smart device factory in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, four humanoid robots are now working on a mass-production line, handling tasks such as material picking and precision placement in a fully closed-loop process.

Each robot completes a task cycle in about 18 seconds, producing roughly 300 units per hour, with a success rate above 98.5%. Unlike conventional robotic arms, they require no specialized tooling and can be quickly reconfigured to handle different products and workstations.

The factory's operators say the robots can reduce safety risks and physical strain from repetitive tasks, while enabling workers to shift toward higher-value, lower-risk roles.

The deployment reflects major advances in hardware reliability, algorithm maturity and system integration – bringing humanoid robots from the R&D stage into real industrial use, according to Yao Maoqing, partner and president of Embodied Business Unit at AgiBot, a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Shanghai.