Humanoid robots have been a popular talking point in recent months, but most examples so far have involved carefully staged demos rather than real factory work. CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, now claims it has crossed that gap, quietly rolling out humanoid robots on an actual production line.
The company says it has completed large-scale deployment of its Moz humanoid robot at a battery pack factory, making it the first power battery production line to use humanoid “embodied intelligence” robots at scale. Moz was developed by Spirit AI, a CATL subsidiary focused on robotics and automation.
Rather than handling simple pick-and-place jobs, Moz is reportedly positioned at quality-critical stages of the production process. Its main task involves attaching battery connectors, a job that demands high precision, consistency, and careful control of applied force. According to CATL, the robot has reached performance levels comparable to experienced human workers, delivering a reported 99% success rate in connector insertion.
That level of reliability is achieved through an end-to-end vision system that allows the robot to adapt in real time. Moz can compensate for slight misalignments in materials or connection points by adjusting its posture and movements on the fly. It also monitors how much force it applies, ensuring wiring harnesses are secured firmly without damaging fragile components.
CATL contrasts this with reports of difficulties faced by other humanoid robots during factory trials, including overheating joints and failures in complex mechanical assemblies. While those systems have drawn attention through public demonstrations, many have yet to prove they can operate continuously in demanding industrial environments.
The timing is notable, as China’s humanoid robotics sector is expanding rapidly, with some analysts already warning of potential overcapacity similar to what the country experienced in EV manufacturing. CATL’s deployment suggests that, at least in some cases, humanoid robots are moving beyond experiments and into practical, revenue-generating roles on the factory floor.
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(Source: CATL)
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