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 於 2023 年組建了一個仿人機器人團隊，並進行了兩次重大嘗試。
(A video screenshot shows a UBTech humanoid robot walking in a Nio plant.)
（視頻截圖顯示UBTech仿人機器人在蔚來工廠中行走。）
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月下旬報道說，蔚來（紐約證券交易所代碼：NIO）正在測試其工廠生產線上使用仿人機器人。現在，這家電動汽車（EV）製造商的一位高管分享了有關這項工作的更多細節。
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.
電動汽車製造商智力工程類人機器人負責人易鵬說，基於其對類人機器人的思考和理解，蔚來在2023年組建了一支仿人機器人 “小隊”。
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.
易在本月早些時候在上海舉行的2024年中國仿人機器人生態大會上透露了這一信息，解釋了蔚來將在其工廠中使用仿人機器人。
Nio has made two main attempts with humanoid robots, according to Yi:
易說，蔚來已經對仿人機器人進行了兩次主要嘗試：
Fixing humanoid robotic arms in tight spaces and multitasking with 5G and vision algorithms.
Using humanoid robots in some quality control processes.
在狹窄的空間中修復仿人機械臂，使用 5G 和視覺算法進行多任務處理。
在某些質量控制過程中使用仿人機器人。
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，在香港上市的人形機器人制造商UBTech Robotics（HKG：9880）在微博上分享了一段視頻，顯示其Walker S機器人在蔚來一家工廠的裝配線上工作。
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.
視頻顯示，在培訓中，Walker S利用其實時圖像採集和傳輸能力參與門鎖、安全帶、大燈罩的質量檢查，並可以粘貼車輛識別碼。
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.
蔚來的汽車由其位於中國東部安徽省合肥的F1和F2工廠生產，這些工廠最初是其汽車生產合作夥伴安徽江淮汽車集團的資產，但去年年底被該公司收購。
Both plants have highly automated production lines, and CnEVPost visited the F1 plant in December 2020 and the F2 plant in November 2023.
兩家工廠都有高度自動化的生產線，CNEVPost於2020年12月訪問了F1工廠，並於2023年11月訪問了F2工廠。
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.
易說，蔚來完成了人形機器人與生產系統工具的集成，並利用人形機器人的車載視覺傳感器捕獲了車輛的外觀，並使用算法來判斷圖像的質量以進行質量控制。
Traditional industrial automation in the automotive sector has struggled to address the increased demand for smart manufacturing in automobiles, according to Yi.
易說，汽車行業的傳統工業自動化一直難以滿足對汽車智能製造不斷增長的需求。
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，他說，仿人機器人是具有人類形態和智能的集成工具，在汽車製造中具有更大的潛力，可以替代危險操作並實現自動化。
Humanoid robots also offer new solutions in dealing with increasing labor costs in the global automotive industry, according to Yi.
易說，仿人機器人還爲應對全球汽車行業不斷上漲的勞動力成本提供了新的解決方案。
"We believe that the scaled application of humanoid robots can facilitate the transformation of the automotive industry towards intelligence, globalization and decarbonization," Yi said.
易說：“我們相信，仿人機器人的大規模應用可以促進汽車行業向智能化、全球化和脫碳化的轉型。”
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.
他說，蔚來專注於仿人機器人的底層技術，包括算法、動態傳感、大型模型，並進行了一些研究，並補充說，該公司正在推動仿人機器人在汽車製造中的應用。
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.
易說，在仿人機器人的幫助下，不可避免地需要人類參與的汽車製造裝配線有望在未來實現全自動化。
Notably, Yi believes that it will take a long time for humanoid robots to achieve widespread adoption.
值得注意的是，易認爲，人形機器人需要很長時間才能得到廣泛採用。
The commercialization of humanoid robots in automotive manufacturing can be divided into three phases -- scenario-driven, efficiency-driven, and cost-driven, according to Yi.
易說，仿人機器人在汽車製造業中的商業化可以分爲三個階段——場景驅動、效率驅動和成本驅動。
In the scenario-driven phase, typical scenarios need to be found to provide opportunities to help humanoid robots iterate.
在場景驅動階段，需要找到典型的場景，爲幫助仿人機器人進行迭代提供機會。
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.
在效率驅動階段，蔚來將更多地關注仿人機器人的系統操作能力，更多地關注仿人機器人在實際業務中創造的真正價值。
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.
易說，在成本驅動階段，仿人機器人的總體採用規模，包括化身智能水平，將起決定性作用。
Yi believes that in automotive manufacturing, logistics handling, parts assembly, quality inspection are currently more appropriate scenarios for humanoid robots.
易認爲，在汽車製造中，物流搬運、零件組裝、質檢是目前更適合仿人機器人的場景。
Nio testing use of humanoid robots on factory production line
沒有測試在工廠生產線上使用仿人機器人