Nio Exec Explains How Its Factories Use Humanoid Robots
Nio Exec Explains How Its Factories Use Humanoid Robots
Nio assembled a humanoid robot team in 2023 and has made two major attempts.
Nio 于 2023 年组建了一个仿人机器人团队，并进行了两次重大尝试。
(A video screenshot shows a UBTech humanoid robot walking in a Nio plant.)
（视频截图显示UBTech仿人机器人在蔚来工厂中行走。）
CnEVPost reported in late February that Nio (NYSE: NIO) was testing the use of humanoid robots on its factory production lines. Now, an executive at the electric vehicle (EV) maker has shared more details about the endeavor.
CNEVPost在2月下旬报道说，蔚来（纽约证券交易所代码：NIO）正在测试其工厂生产线上使用仿人机器人。现在，这家电动汽车（EV）制造商的一位高管分享了有关这项工作的更多细节。
Based on its thinking and understanding of humanoid robots, Nio has assembled a humanoid robot "squad" in 2023, said Yi Peng, the EV maker's head of humanoid robots for intellectual engineering.
电动汽车制造商智力工程类人机器人负责人易鹏说，基于其对类人机器人的思考和理解，蔚来在2023年组建了一支仿人机器人 “小队”。
Yi revealed the information at the China Humanoid Robot Ecology Conference 2024 in Shanghai earlier this month, explaining how Nio will use humanoid robots in its factories.
易在本月早些时候在上海举行的2024年中国仿人机器人生态大会上透露了这一信息，解释了蔚来将在其工厂中使用仿人机器人。
Nio has made two main attempts with humanoid robots, according to Yi:
易说，蔚来已经对仿人机器人进行了两次主要尝试：
Fixing humanoid robotic arms in tight spaces and multitasking with 5G and vision algorithms.
Using humanoid robots in some quality control processes.
在狭窄的空间中修复仿人机械臂，使用 5G 和视觉算法进行多任务处理。
在某些质量控制过程中使用仿人机器人。
On February 22, Hong Kong-listed humanoid robot maker UBTech Robotics (HKG: 9880) shared a video on Weibo showing its Walker S robot working on an assembly line at a factory of Nio.
2月22日，在香港上市的人形机器人制造商UBTech Robotics（HKG：9880）在微博上分享了一段视频，显示其Walker S机器人在蔚来一家工厂的装配线上工作。
In the training session, the Walker S utilizes its real-time image capture and transmission capabilities to participate in quality inspections of door locks, seat belts, headlight covers, and can affix vehicle identification, according to the video.
视频显示，在培训中，Walker S利用其实时图像采集和传输能力参与门锁、安全带、大灯罩的质量检查，并可以粘贴车辆识别码。
Nio's vehicles are produced at its F1 and F2 plants in Hefei, in eastern China's Anhui province, which were originally the assets of its automotive production partner, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group, but were acquired by the company late last year.
蔚来的汽车由其位于中国东部安徽省合肥的F1和F2工厂生产，这些工厂最初是其汽车生产合作伙伴安徽江淮汽车集团的资产，但去年年底被该公司收购。
Both plants have highly automated production lines, and CnEVPost visited the F1 plant in December 2020 and the F2 plant in November 2023.
两家工厂都有高度自动化的生产线，CNEVPost于2020年12月访问了F1工厂，并于2023年11月访问了F2工厂。
Nio completed the integration of the humanoid robot with the tools of the production system and utilized the humanoid robot's on-board visual sensors to capture the appearance of the vehicle and use algorithms to judge the quality of the images for quality control, according to Yi.
易说，蔚来完成了人形机器人与生产系统工具的集成，并利用人形机器人的车载视觉传感器捕获了车辆的外观，并使用算法来判断图像的质量以进行质量控制。
Traditional industrial automation in the automotive sector has struggled to address the increased demand for smart manufacturing in automobiles, according to Yi.
易说，汽车行业的传统工业自动化一直难以满足对汽车智能制造不断增长的需求。
However, humanoid robots, which are integrated tools with human form and intelligence, have a greater potential in automotive manufacturing for the replacement and automation of hazardous operations, he said.
但是，他说，仿人机器人是具有人类形态和智能的集成工具，在汽车制造中具有更大的潜力，可以替代危险操作并实现自动化。
Humanoid robots also offer new solutions in dealing with increasing labor costs in the global automotive industry, according to Yi.
易说，仿人机器人还为应对全球汽车行业不断上涨的劳动力成本提供了新的解决方案。
"We believe that the scaled application of humanoid robots can facilitate the transformation of the automotive industry towards intelligence, globalization and decarbonization," Yi said.
易说：“我们相信，仿人机器人的大规模应用可以促进汽车行业向智能化、全球化和脱碳化的转型。”
Nio focuses on the underlying technology of humanoid robots, including algorithms, dynamic sensing, large models, and has conducted some research, he said, adding that the company is pushing the application of humanoid robots in automobile manufacturing.
他说，蔚来专注于仿人机器人的底层技术，包括算法、动态传感、大型模型，并进行了一些研究，并补充说，该公司正在推动仿人机器人在汽车制造中的应用。
With the help of humanoid robots, automotive manufacturing assembly lines, which inevitably require human involvement, are expected to be fully automated in the future, according to Yi.
易说，在仿人机器人的帮助下，不可避免地需要人类参与的汽车制造装配线有望在未来实现全自动化。
Notably, Yi believes that it will take a long time for humanoid robots to achieve widespread adoption.
值得注意的是，易认为，人形机器人需要很长时间才能得到广泛采用。
The commercialization of humanoid robots in automotive manufacturing can be divided into three phases -- scenario-driven, efficiency-driven, and cost-driven, according to Yi.
易说，仿人机器人在汽车制造业中的商业化可以分为三个阶段——场景驱动、效率驱动和成本驱动。
In the scenario-driven phase, typical scenarios need to be found to provide opportunities to help humanoid robots iterate.
在场景驱动阶段，需要找到典型的场景，为帮助仿人机器人进行迭代提供机会。
In the efficiency-driven stage, Nio will focus more on the system operation capability of humanoid robots, and more on the real value that humanoid robots create in real business.
在效率驱动阶段，蔚来将更多地关注仿人机器人的系统操作能力，更多地关注仿人机器人在实际业务中创造的真正价值。
In the cost-driven phase, the overall adoption scale of humanoid robots, including the level of embodied intelligence, will play a decisive role, according to Yi.
易说，在成本驱动阶段，仿人机器人的总体采用规模，包括化身智能水平，将起决定性作用。
Yi believes that in automotive manufacturing, logistics handling, parts assembly, quality inspection are currently more appropriate scenarios for humanoid robots.
易认为，在汽车制造中，物流搬运、零件组装、质检是目前更适合仿人机器人的场景。
Nio testing use of humanoid robots on factory production line
没有测试在工厂生产线上使用仿人机器人