Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng is set to unveil its latest humanoid robot, ‘Iron,’ with production slated for 2026. This development is a significant step forward in creating robots that closely resemble humans. The company’s founder, He Xiaopeng, has invested heavily in this project, pouring over $32 billion into various initiatives, including other robots, flying cars, and autonomous driving technologies under Xpeng’s AI network.
Iron Robot: Capabilities and Features
The ‘Iron’ robot stands 178 cm tall and weighs 70 kg. It boasts 62 degrees of freedom, allowing it to mimic human-like movements and learn from interactions with people. Powered by Xpeng’s in-house Turing AI chip, it can process 30 billion parameters simultaneously.
After five years of development, He Xiaopeng noted that building robots is far more challenging than manufacturing cars. While a car can still operate without advanced intelligence, a robot without AI is essentially useless.
He Xiaopeng is confident that Xpeng will achieve Level 3 autonomous capabilities for the ‘Iron’ robot by next year. The company has already invited factory owners to witness the robot in action and collaborate with human workers to boost production efficiency. By 2026, the ‘Iron’ robot is expected to work seamlessly alongside humans, enhancing productivity.