On Tuesday, UBTECH officially deployed its proprietary humanoid robot, Walker S1, at the Audi-FAW New Energy Vehicle plant in Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
This robot performs key quality inspection tasks, including detecting air-conditioning system leaks. This marks the first time a humanoid robot has been integrated into Audi’s global production system.
In August 2023, Audi-FAW and UBTECH signed a memorandum of understanding to incorporate humanoid robots into Audi’s smart manufacturing strategy. As a result, the Walker S1 has become the world’s first humanoid robot to be deployed in a premium automobile production line. The tasks performed by the Walker S1 are relatively simple but essential, such as detecting refrigerant leaks in air conditioning systems. This process previously required manual labor and exposed workers to respiratory risks. Although this is considered a low-risk task, exposure to volatile gases poses potential respiratory hazards for human workers, making it a suitable area for robotic replacement.
Equipped with a customized end-effector and precision motion control technology, the Walker S1 performs existing quality inspection tasks with a high degree of accuracy. It boasts millimeter-level operational precision and a visual recognition speed of under 70 milliseconds.
Standing 172 cm tall and weighing 76 kg, the robot can carry up to 15 kilograms while maintaining stable movement. It features adaptive motion control for navigating complex terrain and can operate reliably even in harsh environments. Its design enables it to perform across three key domains: multimodal sensing, 24/7 continuous operation, and military-grade structural stability.
Beyond Audi, UBTECH’s Walker S series has also been adopted by major manufacturers such as BYD, Geely, and Foxconn. According to UBTECH, over 500 units have been preordered. At BYD’s Shenzhen plant, the Walker S1 reportedly improved sorting efficiency by 120 percent, while at Lynk & Co’s Chengdu facility, it reduced warehouse processing time by 40 percent and labor costs by 65 percent through collaboration with autonomous forklifts.
