Dongfeng's Xiaodong Humanoid Robot to Enter Factory in October

Dongfeng Motor's humanoid robot, Xiaodong, is scheduled to enter a factory for training by the end of October, according to Zhang Zhenlin, the automaker's chief engineer for intelligent technology. The timeline was reported by TechNode, citing Changjiang Daily.

The robot is expected to take part in trial production by the end of this year. Dongfeng is planning small-batch production next year.

The plan places Xiaodong in a factory training phase before it moves to trial production and small-batch manufacturing. The robot is being prepared for manufacturing tasks, and the factory training is intended to validate its performance in a real production environment.

Humanoid robots are increasingly being tested in factories for tasks that require mobility and dexterity. Dongfeng's plan reflects that trend, with Xiaodong set to begin training before the end of October.

Xiaodong is being developed for manufacturing tasks including sorting, material handling and quality inspection. These tasks are common in automotive plants and other industrial settings.

Dongfeng said it is validating the robot in sorting automotive materials. The company is working toward autonomous execution across more flexible production tasks.

That validation work focuses on whether the robot can handle materials without human intervention. It also tests the robot's ability to adapt to different production requirements.

The goal is for Xiaodong to perform a range of jobs on the factory floor, from moving parts to checking quality. Dongfeng is using the sorting application as an initial test case.

Dongfeng is starting with sorting automotive materials and aims to expand to more flexible production tasks.