Apple Partner Foxconn Announces Humanoid Deployment in iPhone Factories

• Chinese robotics firm UBTech aims to revolutionise Apple supplier Foxconn’s manufacturing

• UBTech and Foxconn have signed a ‘comprehensive long-term partnership’ to deploy more robots in the iPhone maker’s factories

Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics, China’s largest maker of humanoid robots, will deploy its robots in Apple supplier Foxconn’s factories to help with “complicated and delicate production”, according to a senior executive.

The company is training its robots to handle different tasks required for modern-day manufacturing, chief brand officer Michael Tam said on the sidelines of the China conference in Nansha organised by the South China Morning Post.

“For car manufacturing, there [are] thousands of tasks on our list,” he said. “In areas like 3C production, [these are] totally new skills for humanoid robots to learn.” 3C refers to computers, communication and consumer electronics. In the manufacturing industry, it is used to describe products and technologies related to these three categories.

Hong Kong-listed UBTech on Wednesday announced a “comprehensive long-term partnership” with Foxconn, which assembles iPhones and is venturing into making electric vehicles, to deploy more robots in its factories.

Walker S1, a humanoid robot launched last October, has completed two months of training for logistics operations at Foxconn’s factories in Shenzhen’s Longhua district, and it will soon go to the company’s car factory in Zhengzhou city, in Henan province, according to a statement from UBTech.

Tam said the company aims to launch an upgraded version of S1, called Walker S2, in the second quarter of this year.

Under the partnership, UBTech will test the feasibility of using humanoid robots in tasks including moving, sorting and quality inspection that can impact workers’ health based on Foxconn’s requirements.

The two companies will work together to improve the motion, perception and decision-making capabilities of the robots and also jointly establish a laboratory to explore more applications and technologies.

The move comes amid growing interest from Chinese companies to build humanlike robots and integrate them into various industries.

Earlier this week, Shenzhen-based Engine AI’s SE01 robot drew praise from Nvidia scientist Jim Fan after a video of its humanoid robot walking on the street went viral.

China is pushing ahead with automation as part of a broader effort to upgrade its industrial infrastructure amid a deepening tech rivalry with the US. China has surpassed Germany and Japan in the adoption of industrial robotics, according to a report by the International Federation of Robotics in November.

UBTech, which went public in 2023, has been urging Chinese companies to use the Walker S1 for different uses. Currently, the robot is used by carmakers including BYD as well as courier giant SF Express.

UBTech also said that it would be Foxconn’s exclusive humanoid robot partner.

The company said the partnership would not only “accelerate the wider application of humanoid robots in smart manufacturing” but also “rapidly reduce the cost of production by leveraging Foxconn’s supply chain advantages”.

The company said that it also aims to be the world’s first robot maker to achieve “commercial mass production” of humanoid robots through the Foxconn tie-up.