UBTECH, a leading Chinese robotics specialist, has entered into a strategic partnership with Siemens Digital Industries Software. The aim of this collaboration is to scale up manufacturing to an industrial level of up to 10,000 units per year. This agreement, signed in Shenzhen, signifies a significant milestone in the emerging field of humanoid robotics, moving away from mere technology verification towards cost-efficient mass production.
UBTECH has set ambitious targets, aiming to achieve an annual production capacity of 10,000 industrial humanoid robots by 2026 to meet the rapidly growing market demand. To achieve these high production numbers with the required industrial quality for 24/7 operation, UBTECH is leveraging Siemens’ expertise in automation and digitalization. The focal point of this partnership is the implementation of a seamless “digital thread.”
Through Siemens’ Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and manufacturing software, the entire value chain, from research and development to mechanical design and final assembly, will be digitized and represented as a digital twin. This approach allows UBTECH to drastically shorten iteration cycles in hardware design and seamlessly transition new robot models to physical mass production.
In addition to this, Siemens is assisting UBTECH in developing a comprehensive digital transformation strategy. Siemens’ role as both an equipment supplier and user, as well as a software provider for robotics platforms, was demonstrated in a recent pilot project in Erlangen. Siemens successfully completed a project involving the deployment of the humanoid robot “HMND 01” by a British startup called Humanoid in its own electronics factory. Over a two-week period, the robot autonomously handled complex intralogistics tasks in shifts, including 60 container movements per hour.
What sets this project apart is that the humanoid robot navigated using Siemens’ navigation software, SIMOVE ANS+, based on LiDAR-powered SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology. The robot operated autonomously and safely alongside more than 30 traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs) on the factory floor.
This collaboration underscores Siemens’ commitment to enhancing automation processes and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to meet the evolving needs of the robotics industry effectively.
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