"If a robot maintains stationary walking for 30 seconds with lateral deviation not exceeding 50 centimeters, it then enters the 'hardcore' endurance test. It walks for 30 minutes and runs for 20 minutes on a treadmill, repeating this process twice to comprehensively assess sustained mobility."
On May 20, at the second-floor testing zone of the "Pilot Verification Platform" under the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, a wheeled robot named "Tianyi" approached reporters with a microphone to deliver an animated explanation. Tianyi added, "During the development phase, we conduct 720 hours of continuous testing, but in mass production, we apply only about 100 minutes of aging tests due to delivery schedules and cost constraints."
While the explanation continued, two humanoid robots were running on treadmills behind, their footsteps heavy and rhythmic. The star was "Tiangong," which won China's first humanoid robot half marathon last year with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. Tiangong is scheduled to compete in the second competition on June 19. Right beside them, two other robots were shifting their feet back and forth in place, as if practicing basic dance steps. In a corner, robots awaiting testing hung from a conveyor line, waiting for their final checkpoint before shipment.
Since 2024, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has been establishing humanoid-related industrial innovation centers in "tier-one cities" including Beijing and Shanghai. The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center is one such facility, supported by MIIT and the Beijing municipal government while operated by private enterprises. In January last year, the center opened this "Pilot Platform" to bridge humanoid robots from R&D to mass production. It serves as a one-stop platform handling everything from prototype fabrication to final assembly, process optimization, and performance verification. Located in Beijing's Yizhuang Economic-Technological Development Area, the six-story facility spans approximately 9,600 square meters, with systematic division of labor across floors: smart logistics warehouse on the first floor, testing on the second, and assembly on the third.
Upon entering the building, the first thing that caught the eye was a logistics warehouse with more robots than people. The 300-square-meter space with 6-meter ceilings was packed with over 5,000 material boxes, yet workers were barely visible. Instead, dozens of robots crisscrossed the floor, picking up components. Large robots handle materials on upper shelves while smaller ones manage lower sections. The system automatically selects the robot closest to the target item and moves materials along optimal routes. Workers simply retrieve the delivered materials. An on-site official explained, "When robots handle operations, logistics accuracy exceeds 99 percent."
In the second-floor testing zone, robot arms, legs, and torsos were connected to equipment, busily moving joints. All data including current, voltage, joint temperature, and motion curves are recorded in real time. With industry standards not yet established, companies are creating their own inspection criteria.
Unlike logistics, assembly and testing still require significant human involvement. A completed robot must pass approximately 640 inspection items before shipment, with testing alone taking about 8 hours. The entire process from component assembly to final shipment takes roughly two days, with current daily production at 8 units. However, as demand grows rapidly, production expansion is being pursued simultaneously. The company is running a separate project to increase automation and plans to raise annual production targets to 5,000 units this year.
Challenges remain in supply chain independence. While the "brain," including AI large models, was developed in-house, some critical components such as semiconductors still depend significantly on overseas sources. A company official said, "We are expanding cooperation with domestic component suppliers to gradually increase self-sufficiency."