Xiaomi's humanoid robots start 'internship' at auto plant

Chinese tech company Xiaomi has taken a significant step toward integrating humanoid robotics into industrial manufacturing, with its robots now undergoing "internships" at its electric vehicle plant, the company's founder said.

Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi, revealed that the company's humanoid robots have begun autonomous operations in real-world manufacturing scenarios at its automotive factory.

The robots, built on Xiaomi's general-purpose VLA (Vision-Language-Action) foundation model Xiaomi-Robotics-0, combine multi-modal perception capabilities with reinforcement learning technologies to achieve autonomous operation, Lei said.

However, he acknowledged the significant challenges in transitioning robotic operations from a laboratory setting to a factory floor.

"In the lab, we can pursue technological exploration — 10,000 failures can lead to one success," Lei said. "But in real factories, we must achieve 10,000 consecutive successes to meet production requirements. While our robots may still appear somewhat 'clumsy' to observers, this represents a meaningful beginning."

Lei projects that "large numbers of humanoid robots will enter Xiaomi factories to work within the next five years" as the company contributes to promoting the application of general-purpose humanoid robots in intelligent manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi unveiled its first Vision Gran Turismo concept vehicle at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, making it the first Chinese automaker to participate in the iconic racing game’s concept car program in its 28-year history.

The electric supercar concept sits on Xiaomi's own 900V Silicon Carbide (SiC) platform and features a radical low-slung design with scissor doors, a massive carbon fiber rear wing, and center-lock wheels hiding carbon-ceramic brakes.