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| Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Chinese name | 浙江人形机器人创新中心有限公司 |
| Also known as | ZJ Humanoid, Zhejiang Humanoid |
| Type | Private technology company |
| Industry | Humanoid robotics, Embodied AI |
| Founded | December 21, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Yongshuiqiao Science and Innovation Center, Haishu District, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China |
| Chief Scientist | Professor Xiong Rong (熊蓉) |
| Primary backer | SUPCON Technology |
| Employees | 51-100 |
| Total funding | |
| Key products | Navigator Alpha, Navigator 2 (NAVIAI-I2), NAVAI-I3, NAVIAI-WA1 |
| Website | zj-humanoid.com |
The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center (Chinese: 浙江人形机器人创新中心有限公司) is a government-backed research and commercialization hub focused on the development and deployment of humanoid robots. Located in Haishu District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China, it was formally established on December 21, 2023, as a joint initiative between the Ningbo Municipal People's Government and the robotics laboratory of Professor Xiong Rong at Zhejiang University.[1][2]
The center operates as a private technology company and serves as a comprehensive innovation platform that integrates humanoid robot technology research and development, commercialization, talent cultivation, and industrial ecosystem building.[1][3] Its primary strategic backer is SUPCON Technology Co., Ltd., a Hangzhou-based industrial automation company that serves as the center's largest shareholder.[2][4]
Since its founding, the center has released three generations of humanoid robots in the Navigator and NAVAI series, raised approximately 2.2 billion yuan in cumulative funding over 18 months, and deployed robots in real-world industrial settings at companies including Lenovo, Geely Automobile, and Beko in Turkey.[5][6][7] The center's robots have achieved sub-millimeter manipulation precision and reliable assembly success rates exceeding 99.99% on industrial production lines for clients such as Huawei.[5][8]
The technical foundations of the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center trace back nearly two decades to the robotics laboratory at Zhejiang University's Institute of Intelligent Systems and Control. In 2006, Professor Xiong Rong's team began developing a 60-centimeter humanoid soccer robot. The team's soccer robots went on to win the national championship for more than ten consecutive years and achieved four runner-up finishes in the humanoid group of the RoboCup Robot World Cup, building deep expertise in bipedal locomotion, motion control, perception, and human-robot interaction.[9][10]
In 2011, after more than four years of dedicated research, the team developed the table tennis humanoid robots "Wu" and "Kong" (collectively known as "Wukong," named after the Monkey King from the Chinese novel Journey to the West). Standing 1.6 meters tall and weighing 55 kilograms, the Wukong robots featured 30 degrees of freedom across two 7-DOF arms, two 6-DOF legs, and 4 DOF for the head and waist. Wukong 1.0 could sustain 145 rounds of continuous table tennis rallies with a human opponent, adapting to front and back shots as well as spinning balls.[11][12]
This progression from small-scale competition robots to indoor and outdoor walking robots capable of terrain adaptation, and then to the Wukong table tennis robots, built the foundational expertise that directly informed the Navigator series of full-size humanoid robots.[9]
The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center was formally registered on December 21, 2023, in the context of China's national push to develop humanoid robotics. In late 2023, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published guidelines calling for humanoid robots to "realize mass production by 2025" and become "an important new engine of economic growth" by 2027.[13] This policy push catalyzed the establishment of multiple government-backed humanoid robot innovation centers across the country, with the Zhejiang center being among the earliest.
The center was co-founded by the Ningbo Municipal People's Government and Professor Xiong Rong's team from Zhejiang University. It is structured as a private technology company (rather than a government institution) and is located in the Yongshuiqiao Science and Innovation Center in Ningbo's Haishu District.[1][3] Its mission is to focus on humanoid robot intelligent sensing and control technology research and whole-machine system development, bridging the gap between academic robotics research and real-world industrial deployment.[1]
The center followed a compressed development timeline, releasing three generations of humanoid robots within roughly two years of its founding:
The center also developed the NAVIAI-WA1, a wheeled-arm variant specializing in ultra-precise operations at 0.03-millimeter accuracy, designed for industrial environments where bipedal locomotion is not necessary.[5][18]
Professor Xiong Rong (熊蓉) serves as the center's Chief Scientist and Director. She is a Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University and the director of the Robotics Laboratory at the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Control. Her research spans intelligent perception, cognition, decision-making, and control of robots, as well as machine vision, machine learning, mapping, localization, and navigation of mobile robots.[19][20]
With 28 years in robotics research, Xiong Rong has made significant contributions to the field. Since 2001, she has built robotics education platforms, competitions, and course systems at Zhejiang University, introducing hundreds of students each year to the field of robotics. Her educational legacy has produced several prominent figures in the Chinese robotics industry:[20][21]
| Former student | Role | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Zhu Qiuguo (朱秋国) | Founder | Deep Robotics |
| Wang Shiquan (王世全) | Founder | Flexiv |
| Chen Shouxian (陈首先) | General Manager | IPLUSMOBOT |
| Wang Yue (王越) | Faculty member | Zhejiang University |
In 2016, Xiong Rong co-founded IPLUSMOBOT, which grew into one of China's leading providers of autonomous mobile robot systems for industrial logistics.[20] In March 2026, she received the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) "Women Shaping the Future of Robotics 2026" award, one of only 11 women worldwide recognized by the IFR that year and the sole recipient from China.[20][21]
George Cui Shan, the Chairman and CEO of SUPCON Technology, played a central role in launching the center. He formally announced the innovation center and the Navigator Alpha robot on March 28, 2024, at a public event in Ningbo. Cui Shan has positioned the center as a strategic extension of SUPCON's broader objective of integrating artificial intelligence with robotics to serve China's manufacturing sector.[2][14]
The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has attracted substantial investment since its founding, reflecting both the strategic importance of humanoid robotics in Chinese industrial policy and the center's rapid progress in technology development.
| Date | Round/Event | Amount | Key details |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | Seed investment | 17.62 million yuan | SUPCON Technology (14.48M yuan, 44.4% stake) and Ningbo Yunyi Enterprise Management Partnership (3.14M yuan, 9.62% stake) |
| August 2024 | Equity round | 610.59 million yuan | SUPCON contributed 285.52M yuan; post-financing valuation exceeded 1.8 billion yuan; SUPCON's stake adjusted to 38.85% |
| January 2026 | Pre-A round | 450 million yuan (~$65M USD) | China Merchants Innovation and Technology, Lenovo Capital, Fengyuan Capital, Ningbo Industrial Internet Institute, Zhejiang Province Venture Capital Group, Yuexiu Industrial Fund, FG VENTURE |
As of early 2026, the center has raised a cumulative total of approximately 2.2 billion yuan (roughly $300 million USD) over the 18 months since its founding.[5][6] The Pre-A round mix of industrial capital (such as SUPCON and Lenovo Capital), government-backed venture funds (Zhejiang Province Venture Capital Group), and market-oriented investors (FG VENTURE) reflects the center's strategy of leveraging both public and private sector support.[5]
SUPCON Technology Co., Ltd. (stock codes: 688777.SH, SUPCON.SW) is the center's largest shareholder and primary strategic backer. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Hangzhou, SUPCON is one of China's leading providers of industrial automation and information technology, serving over 21,000 enterprises across more than 50 countries. The company specializes in distributed control systems (DCS), safety instrumented systems, industrial software, and process automation for sectors including oil and gas, chemical, power generation, and manufacturing.[22]
SUPCON completed its secondary listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange in April 2023, raising approximately $565 million. The company had trailing twelve-month revenue of approximately $1.21 billion as of 2024.[22][23] SUPCON's investment in the humanoid robotics center aligns with its strategic objective of integrating AI with industrial automation, leveraging its deep expertise in manufacturing control systems and extensive network of industrial clients to accelerate the deployment of humanoid robots in real-world factory environments.[2][14]
The center has developed a product lineup spanning full-size bipedal humanoid robots and specialized wheeled-arm variants, all under the Navigator and NAVAI brand families.
| Model | Designation | Unveiled | Height | Weight | DOF | AI computing | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navigator Alpha | Navigator 1, 领航者α | March 2024 | 1.5 m | 50 kg | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Proof-of-concept, basic bipedal locomotion |
| Navigator 2 | NAVIAI-I2, 领航者2号 | August 2024 | 1.65 m | 60 kg | 41 | 275 TOPS | Dexterous manipulation, AI interaction |
| NAVAI-I3 | NAVIAI-I3 | November 2025 | 1.8 m | ~80 kg | 82 | 2,250 TOPS | Multi-terrain mobility, security, industrial tasks |
| NAVIAI-WA1 | Wheeled-arm variant | 2024-2025 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Ultra-precise manipulation (0.03 mm accuracy) |
The Navigator Alpha (Navigator 1, Navigator Alph, 领航者Alph) was the center's first humanoid prototype, unveiled in March 2024 alongside the official launch of the research team in Haishu District. Standing 1.5 meters tall and weighing 50 kilograms, it featured lightweight mechanical arms and a dexterous hand with 15 finger joints and six active degrees of freedom. The Navigator Alpha was built upon and upgraded from the "Wukong 4.0" humanoid robot platform developed at Zhejiang University, incorporating a control method that fuses mechanism-based and learning-based approaches.[2][9][14]
The Navigator Alpha demonstrated basic bipedal walking, terrain adaptation, and coordinated full-body motion including tasks such as wiping a table, pouring water, and dancing. It served as a proof-of-concept platform, validating the center's ability to independently develop a complete humanoid system from mechanical design through to control algorithms. The development timeline was compressed by two months through intensive effort by the team.[14][24]
The Navigator 2 (NAVIAI-I2, 领航者2号) was introduced on August 17, 2024, less than five months after the Navigator Alpha's debut. Standing 1.65 meters tall and weighing 60 kilograms, the Navigator 2 featured 41 degrees of freedom, 275 TOPS of AI computing power, and a comprehensive multimodal sensor suite. At the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing, it attracted widespread attention for its fluid, natural movements and the ability to deliver speeches, prepare tea, and play chess.[8][15][25]
The Navigator 2's most significant technical achievement was its industrial-grade manipulation precision. Each arm supports a 5 kg payload, with an end-effector control accuracy of 0.1 mm. The center described it as the first domestically produced humanoid robot with precise skill operation capabilities, emphasizing its ability to perform sub-millimeter accuracy tasks in real-world industrial settings. The robot achieved a reliable assembly success rate exceeding 99.99% on industrial production lines.[8][15]
Zhou Hongyi, the founder of the 360 Group (a major Chinese internet security company), publicly praised the Navigator 2 at the World Robot Conference, calling it "the best-looking humanoid robot in the showroom."[26]
The NAVAI-I3 was unveiled on November 12, 2025, at the center's facility in Haishu District. At 1.8 meters tall and approximately 80 kilograms, it is significantly larger and more robust than the Navigator 2. The I3 doubled its predecessor's degrees of freedom from 41 to 82 and increased AI computing power roughly eightfold, from 275 TOPS to 2,250 TOPS. The robot can walk and run at speeds up to 9 km/h over uneven terrain, performing dynamic movements such as bending, squatting, and light basketball drills.[16][17][27]
The NAVAI-I3's design philosophy shifted from primarily dexterous manipulation toward a combination of robust locomotion, physical endurance, and intelligent task execution in challenging real-world environments. Its primary intended use cases include security patrols, facility inspection, and protective services, earning it the informal nickname "mechanical policeman" in Chinese media.[17]
The NAVIAI-WA1 is a wheeled-arm robot variant developed alongside the bipedal humanoid series. Rather than using legs, the WA1 is mounted on a wheeled base, specializing in ultra-precise 0.03-millimeter manipulation operations. This design reflects the center's pragmatic approach to deployment: while bipedal humanoid robots offer versatility in unstructured environments, wheeled platforms are more stable and efficient for tasks that require precision manipulation in structured factory settings.[5][18]
The center has developed a proprietary robotic "brain" system built around three integrated AI models:[5][8]
| Model | Full name | Function |
|---|---|---|
| VLM | Visual Language Model | Scene understanding, object recognition, and human-robot interaction through natural language |
| VLA | Visual Language Action Model | Translates visual and linguistic inputs into manipulation actions for complex dexterous tasks |
| VLN | Visual Language Navigation Model | Autonomous navigation in open, unstructured environments |
This VLM + VLA + VLN architecture covers three core capabilities: interaction, manipulation, and navigation. The system enables the robots to perceive their environment, understand spoken instructions, and plan and execute actions in real time using multimodal sensor data including vision, depth, force-torque, and touch.[5][16]
The center has independently developed three core technology engines that support its AI architecture:[5][8]
Real2Sim2Real closed-loop system: A method for constructing large-scale 3D high-fidelity virtual environments and generating synthetic training data at scale. This system reduces the cost and time required for reinforcement learning and imitation learning by creating realistic simulated scenarios where robots can practice tasks millions of times before transferring learned skills to the physical world.
Knowledge-driven visual-tactile fusion perception-control model: A hybrid approach that combines model-based ("white box") control methods, which offer interpretability and safety guarantees, with data-driven ("black box") deep learning methods, which provide adaptability and generalization. This fusion enables robots to perform reliably in real-world conditions while still adapting to novel situations.
High-safety autonomous mobility system: Provides robust navigation capabilities in open, unstructured environments. The system enables the robots to understand spatial relationships at a semantic level and navigate based on natural language instructions or task-level commands rather than pre-mapped routes.
The center's dexterous hand system is a consistent feature across the Navigator series. Each hand features 15 finger joints with 6 active degrees of freedom, capable of exerting 10 newtons of fingertip force at joint speeds of 150 degrees per second. At 600 grams per hand, the design prioritizes a favorable weight-to-force ratio, enabling fine motor tasks including grasping irregularly shaped objects, manipulating tools, and executing coordinated bimanual operations.[8][15][16]
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Finger joints per hand | 15 |
| Active DOF per hand | 6 |
| Fingertip force | 10 N |
| Single hand weight | 600 g |
| Joint speed | 150 degrees/second |
| End-effector accuracy (NAVIAI-I2) | 0.1 mm |
| End-effector accuracy (NAVIAI-WA1) | 0.03 mm |
The center has prioritized real-world industrial deployment over purely theoretical research, differentiating it from several other Chinese humanoid robot innovation centers that focus on open-source frameworks or standardization.
| Client | Facility | Robot model | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo | Southern Intelligent Manufacturing Base (Lenovo AI Factory) | NAVIAI-I2 | Factory training for assembly and manufacturing tasks |
| Geely Automobile | Lynk and Co factory | NAVIAI-I2 | Automobile assembly line training |
| Huawei | Production lines | NAVIAI-I2 | Precision assembly with 99.99%+ success rate |
| HAOSEN | Manufacturing facility | NAVIAI series | Clothing and auto parts manufacturing |
| Transfar Group | Manufacturing facility | NAVIAI series | Home appliance industry applications |
The center's robots have been applied across a range of industrial scenarios including garment manufacturing, automobile assembly, power grid inspection, and petrochemical operations.[5][7][20]
In a significant milestone for the Chinese humanoid robotics industry, a NAVIAI robot developed by the center began operations at the Turkish production base of Beko, one of Europe's leading home-appliance manufacturers with products reaching over 100 countries. The deployment represented one of the first instances of a Chinese autonomous humanoid robot operating in an overseas industrial setting.[7]
The partnership originated when Beko representatives encountered the NAVIAI robot at the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing and identified a match between the robot's operational precision and their production requirements. Following months of development, testing, and cross-border logistics, the customized NAVIAI robot arrived in Turkey in mid-August 2025, accompanied by a technical team for deployment and training.[7]
At the Beko facility, the robot performs quality-inspection routines including tapping touchscreens with 0.1-millimeter accuracy, opening refrigerator doors, and executing controlled, human-like motions for product testing. As of December 2025, the robot had been operating on site for approximately four months.[7]
In early 2025, the center opened a manufacturing facility in Haishu District, Ningbo, with plans to begin mass-producing hundreds of humanoid robots by April 2025. The factory represents a transition from prototype development to small-batch commercial production, reflecting the center's goal of scaling the Navigator platform from laboratory demonstrations to real-world deployment.[24]
On October 30, 2025, the center launched the "Navigator Future Embodied Intelligence Verification Site" (领航未来具身智能验证场) at its Ningbo facility. This purpose-built testing ground allows the center to validate robot performance under controlled conditions that simulate real-world environments before deploying robots to client sites.[28]
As of 2025, the estimated price for the Navigator 2 is approximately $100,000 USD, positioning it in the upper range of the emerging humanoid robot market and targeting institutional and industrial buyers rather than individual consumers.[3]
The center has formed the Preparatory Committee of the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Industry Alliance, comprising 11 member organizations. The alliance aims to strengthen industrial collaboration, promote research and development, and build a complete industrial ecosystem for humanoid robots in the Zhejiang region.[9]
| Alliance member | Type |
|---|---|
| Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center | Lead institution |
| Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Research institute |
| Zhichang Technology Group Co., Ltd. | Industrial partner |
| China Electronics Technology Group | Industrial partner |
| ZKTeco | Technology company |
| Additional six member organizations | Various supply chain partners |
The center benefits significantly from Ningbo's well-developed robotics and precision manufacturing ecosystem. The city's industrial base provides comprehensive supply chain coverage for key robot components, and the center's presence has further catalyzed growth in the regional robotics sector.
| Metric | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Robot enterprises (above designated size) | 50+ | As of late 2025 |
| Aggregate output value | 8 billion yuan | As of late 2025 |
| Companies with full production capability | 8 (up from 3) | Growth during 2025 |
| Supply chain enterprises | 88 (up from 25) | Growth during 2025 |
| Specialized sensor companies | 18 | As of late 2025 |
The ecosystem includes established companies such as Ningbo Joyson Electronics and Ningbo Tuopu Group, as well as newer entrants like Unitree Robotics and Bionic establishing operations locally. A joint venture between Ningbo's PIA Automation and Shanghai-based Zhiyuan Robotics launched a production line in Ningbo capable of producing 3,000 humanoid robots annually.[29][30]
Ningbo's manufacturing base comprehensively covers robot reducers, controllers, servo motors, industrial robots, service robots, and specialized machines. Approximately 50 upstream suppliers are located in the region, and the number of supply chain enterprises grew from 25 to 88 during 2025. The ecosystem also includes a humanoid robot training facility and what has been described as China's first commercial insurance product for humanoid robots.[29][30]
The complementary strengths of Ningbo (precision manufacturing, supply chain) and nearby Hangzhou (intelligent sensing, control technology, software) create a synergistic development corridor for the humanoid robotics industry across the Zhejiang province.[9]
The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center is one of at least six major government-backed humanoid robot innovation centers established across China since late 2023, each with distinct focuses and approaches.[31]
| Center | Location | Established | Key robots | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics | Beijing | November 2023 | Tiangong | Embodied AI, open-source frameworks |
| Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center | Ningbo | December 2023 | Navigator series, NAVAI-I3 | Industry-university integration, manufacturing deployment |
| Shanghai Embodied AI Innovation Center | Shanghai | May 2024 | Qinglong (open-source) | Standards, open-source, training grounds |
| Sichuan center | Chengdu | 2024 | Various | Industry-research integration |
| Guangdong center | Guangdong | 2024 | Various | Manufacturing applications |
| Anhui center | Anhui | 2024 | Various | Industry-research integration |
The Zhejiang center's differentiation lies in its tight integration with the region's developed private manufacturing sector and its focus on real-world industrial deployment. While the Beijing center emphasizes open-source embodied AI frameworks and the Shanghai center focuses on standards and training infrastructure, the Zhejiang center has prioritized getting robots into actual factories and achieving commercial milestones such as the Beko overseas deployment.[31]
Key competitors in the Chinese humanoid robot market include:
| Company | Key robot | Notable feature |
|---|---|---|
| Unitree Robotics | H1, G1 | Fast locomotion, affordable price |
| Agibot | A2 series | Industrial focus, modular design |
| UBTECH | Walker S | Service-oriented, NIO factory deployment |
| Fourier Intelligence | GR-2 | Rehabilitation and research |
| Beijing Innovation Center | Tiangong | Open-source, embodied AI |
| Deep Robotics | DR01 | Quadruped and humanoid platforms |
In the broader global market, the center's robots compete with platforms from Tesla (Optimus), Figure AI (Figure 02, Figure 03), Boston Dynamics (Atlas), 1X Technologies (NEO), and Agility Robotics (Digit). The Zhejiang center differentiates itself through its focus on precision manipulation for Chinese manufacturing supply chains and its government-backed funding model.[9]
China's government has committed substantial resources to the humanoid robotics sector. Since January 2025, the central government launched an $8.2 billion National AI Industry Investment Fund to steer capital into frontier technologies, including embodied AI. The MIIT established a dedicated Humanoid Robot and Embodied Intelligence Standardization Technical Committee in December 2025, and by March 2026 had released the first national standard system covering the humanoid robot industry's entire lifecycle.[32]
China's 15th Five-Year Plan framework calls for the country to "coordinate the layout of embodied intelligence training grounds, promote virtual-real fusion collaborative training and evolution, develop integrated big-brain/small-brain embodied models and algorithms, tackle key technologies in the body and core components, and accelerate the upgrade and deployment of humanoid robots."[32]
Over 40 state-funded robot training centers have been established across the country, and more than 150 humanoid robot companies now operate in China. According to CICC research estimates, Chinese humanoid robot shipments are projected to reach 350,000 units by 2030, with market potential nearing 60 billion yuan.[9][32]