China’s humanoid surge: from pilot projects to industrial scale
China’s latest humanoid rollout signals a shift from experimental prototypes to true factory humanoid robots. Shanghai-based Agibot has delivered its 10,000th humanoid robot, with 5,000 units shipped in just the first quarter of the year and a target of 100,000 units by year-end. The company’s new dedicated plant in Foshan underlines how rapidly production is scaling, with its Agibot G2 model aimed at logistics, manufacturing, and even entertainment deployments. This aggressive ramp-up contrasts with Western players such as Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and Figure AI, which are still largely in prototype or limited pilot stages rather than mass production. For the global humanoid robot market, this means China is stress-testing embodied AI robots in real factories and warehouses first, gathering the operational data and customer feedback that will shape next-generation designs long before many Western rivals leave the lab.
Chery’s Mornine M1: buying a humanoid like a gadget online
Humanoid robots are no longer confined to trade shows; they are now appearing in online shopping carts. Chery-backed AiMOGA has launched its Chery Mornine M1 humanoid on JD.com with a clear sticker price of 285,800 yuan, roughly USD 41,000–42,000 (approx. RM192,000–RM197,000). Listed alongside a quadruped “robot dog,” the M1 is pitched as a service robot for showrooms, reception desks, and corporate spaces rather than a household helper. What makes this launch significant is not just the hardware, but the retail experience: transparent pricing, a standard product page, and defined delivery expectations. Under the shell, the M1 reuses automotive software, battery systems, and intelligent cockpit tech from Chery’s electric vehicles, showing how car-industry platforms are bleeding into embodied AI robots. For Malaysian businesses, this is an early look at how humanoids might eventually be ordered as easily as office equipment.
Why car factories are the training ground for embodied AI robots
Automotive production lines are emerging as the most practical training ground for embodied AI robots. Car plants offer structured environments, repeatable workflows, and clear metrics for productivity gains, making them ideal for testing factory humanoid robots at scale. As vehicle makers shift from mass manufacturing to more customised, fast-iterating models, flexibility becomes critical. Embodied AI robots can be re-tasked via software updates rather than reconfiguring entire lines. In this context, humanoids such as Agibot’s units and the Chery Mornine M1 are designed to work alongside existing automation: inspecting parts, handling materials in areas that are hard to fully automate, or acting as intelligent guides in showrooms. For Malaysians, this means the first encounter with embodied AI robots is more likely to be in industrial zones, ports, or car dealerships, where these machines operate behind the scenes or at reception, rather than walking into homes.
East–West divide and what Malaysians may see next
The differing trajectories of Chinese and Western humanoid programs could shape how quickly robots appear in Southeast Asia. While companies like Boston Dynamics and Figure AI refine their platforms and AI stacks—Figure, for example, working with OpenAI to improve natural language task instructions—most Western efforts remain in pilot phases. In contrast, China’s push to deploy tens of thousands of units gives its manufacturers a head start in cost reduction, reliability, and supply chains. This may translate into earlier availability of embodied AI robots in markets like Malaysia through Chinese partners in automotive, logistics, and retail. Malaysians could first see humanoids greeting customers, guiding visitors through car showrooms, or assisting workers in warehouses. Behind these public-facing roles, shared cloud platforms and AI models will allow updates over time, gradually increasing capabilities without needing to replace the entire robot fleet.
From humanoids to robot dogs: shared brains, shared challenges
Humanoid deployments are also paving the way for robot dogs and other service bots. The same sensors, perception algorithms, and cloud-based control stacks used in humanoid robot market leaders can be repurposed for quadruped security or inspection robots. Chery’s JD.com listing already places the Mornine M1 alongside a robot dog, hinting at a shared ecosystem of embodied AI robots that can patrol facilities, escort customers, and interact via natural language. As prices trend downward—Unitree’s G1, for instance, disrupted pricing around USD 16,000 (approx. RM75,000)—such platforms become feasible not only for large factories but also for malls, campuses, and gated communities. However, large-scale deployment still faces hurdles: safety standards for working near people, evolving regulations, workforce upskilling to supervise and maintain robots, and public acceptance. For Malaysians, this means the robots are coming, but careful governance will decide how smoothly they fit into everyday spaces.