Hitachi China Validates Physical AI with UBTECH Humanoid Robots at Own Factory

Industry reports highlight humanoid robots performing eight-hour shifts in factories and new bionic news anchors entering media workflows. Concurrently, ABB partners with Itstone and SIEC to scale embodied AI on manufacturing lines by year-end. These developments signal a shift from lab prototypes to verified industrial operations across global supply chains.

At CIIE 2026, humanoid robots transitioned from demonstrations to active tasks like photography and concierge services. Companies such as Geekplus, Sharpa, and Unitree showcased real-world applications including table tennis and hotel check-ins. This marks a clear industry shift toward practical productivity rather than just technical showcases.

At the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Hitachi and Ubtech showcased an industrial humanoid robot performing material handling tasks within Hitachi's elevator manufacturing workshop. The collaboration involves secondary development to adapt the robot to existing factory workflows, utilizing physical AI for perception and autonomous planning. Hitachi views its own factory as the first user and validator of this technology before offering solutions to external clients.

At the 9th China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Hitachi demonstrated humanoid robots performing material handling tasks within its elevator manufacturing workshop. The company partnered with UBTECH (Youbixuan) to integrate industrial-grade humanoid robots into existing production workflows. Hitachi aims to validate physical AI capabilities through real-world factory operations before broader commercial deployment.