Zhejiang Accelerates Humanoid Robot Deployments in Factories

Zhejiang Province is accelerating the deployment of humanoid robots across multiple real-world industrial scenarios, signaling a pivotal shift in China’s robotics industry from demonstration showcases to productive commercial applications. The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, based in Ningbo, has deployed its NAVIAI-branded robots in clothing manufacturing, logistics, automotive assembly, and supermarket retail, according to Xinhua News.

From Laboratory to Production Line

Established in December 2023 through a partnership between the Ningbo municipal government and a research team led by Professor Xiong Rong of Zhejiang University, the innovation center has rapidly moved from concept to commercial reality. The center’s NAVIAI robots are now actively performing tasks such as parcel sorting, circuit board coating, and clothes ironing across multiple sectors.

The transition marks a critical evolution in China’s humanoid robot industry. As 21st Century Business Herald reported, 2026 has become a year of profound strategic shift, with the industry’s evaluation criteria moving from “hardware competition” to whether companies can “achieve a commercial closed loop in real scenarios.”

Landmark Garment Industry Order

A defining moment came in April 2026, when the center signed a landmark agreement with Jack Technology, the global leader in intelligent sewing equipment, for 2,000 custom humanoid robots tailored for clothing manufacturing. This represents the world’s first batch deployment of humanoid robots in the garment industry.

The clothing sector presents unique challenges for robotics, as flexible fabrics are difficult to identify and manipulate. The center has achieved a 98% fabric separation success rate, with a single operation time of just 3 seconds and alignment accuracy of ±2 millimeters. According to the company’s CTO Xu Xuecheng, the robots currently operate at approximately 80% of human efficiency in clothing scenarios, with the remaining gap targeted for optimization through systematic automation improvements.

Technological Architecture: The “Big Brain + Small Brain” Approach

The center’s technological foundation rests on a dual-model system that separates high-level cognitive functions from real-time motor control. The “big brain” (C2L2 model) handles environmental perception, task decomposition, and path planning, while the “small brain” (M2S2 model) manages high-frequency, real-time motion control.

As PingWest detailed, this architecture enables the robots to understand complex environments, generate semantic behaviors, and self-correct when tasks encounter obstacles. The NAVIAI-WA2 wheeled-armed robot achieves ±0.02mm repeat positioning accuracy, a 6-hour battery life, and 20-degree climbing capability, making it suitable for demanding industrial environments.

Financial Backing and Domestic Self-Reliance

The company has raised approximately ¥2.2 billion (about $300 million) in cumulative funding, including a ¥450 million Pre-A round completed in January 2026. As Economic Information Daily reported, the funding round attracted a diverse coalition of industrial capital, government-backed funds, and market-oriented investors, including Zhongkong Technology, China Merchants Innovation, Lenovo Capital, and Ningbo Industrial Internet Research Institute.

A key differentiator is the center’s achievement of 91% domestic component localization, with core component costs reduced by over 30% compared to competitors. This aligns with China’s broader push for technological self-reliance in advanced manufacturing.

International Expansion

The company has begun expanding beyond China’s borders, with deployments at BEKO’s refrigerator factory in Turkey and a strategic partnership with Germany’s KION Group, a global leader in industrial vehicles and supply chain solutions. At LogiMAT 2026 in Stuttgart, the NAVIAI-WA2 operated continuously for three days without failure, demonstrating the technology’s reliability in international settings, as China.com Tech reported.

In July, the company appeared at AUTOMATE 2026 in North America alongside Jiazhi Technology, showcasing its full-size bipedal humanoid robot NAVIAI-I2. The robot’s English-language intelligent interaction capabilities, with response times under 3 seconds, drew significant attention from international audiences, according to China Newsweek.

Recognition and Leadership

Chief Scientist Xiong Rong, a Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University with over 25 years of robotics research experience, received the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) “Women Shaping the Future of Robotics 2026” award in March 2026. She was one of only 11 recipients globally and the only Chinese winner, as Sina Finance reported.

Xiong’s career spans from developing the world’s first humanoid robots capable of rapid continuous ping-pong response in 2011 to founding the innovation center in Ningbo. Her research philosophy emphasizes the importance of letting robots adapt to complex, open environments through semantic understanding and self-correction capabilities.

Ningbo’s Manufacturing Ecosystem

Ningbo was selected as the center’s base due to its robust manufacturing ecosystem, which includes a complete automotive and robotics industry chain, a rich clothing manufacturing heritage as China’s “clothing capital,” and established research partnerships with institutions like Zhejiang University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As PEdaily noted, Ningbo’s robot industry output reached ¥22.379 billion in 2022, supported by the China Robot Summit and the Yuyao Robot Town.

What’s Next

The humanoid robot industry is entering what analysts describe as a pivotal commercialization phase. Xiong Rong has predicted that China’s humanoid robot production could reach 100,000 to 200,000 units in 2026, while Morgan Stanley projects global shipments could reach 100,000 units this year.

The Zhejiang center’s approach - focusing on real-world deployment across diverse industries rather than spectacle-driven demonstrations - positions it as a key player in this transformation. As the company continues to refine its technology, expand internationally, and scale production capacity, its progress will be closely watched as a bellwether for China’s broader humanoid robot ambitions.

The ultimate goal, according to CTO Xu Xuecheng, is for humanoid robots to eventually enter households - to accompany and assist people in daily life. While that vision may still be a decade away, the foundation being built in Zhejiang’s factories today represents a significant step toward making it a reality.