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Shanghai Electric Unveils New Humanoid Robots and AI-Native Factory Framework at WAIC 2026
Shanghai Electric (SEHK: 02727, SSE: 601727) presented a suite of embodied intelligence solutions during the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High‑Level Meeting on Global AI Governance (WAIC 2026) in Shanghai. The event, held from 17 to 20 July at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, highlighted the company’s robotics portfolio and its new AI‑native smart factory architecture.
"The true value of embodied intelligence lies in understanding real industrial tasks: combining the strength, precision, and stability of machines with human experience and judgment to drive a genuine paradigm of ‘machine‑assisted, human‑machine collaboration,’" said Wang Chunlei, deputy general manager of Shanghai Electric’s Robotics Business Unit. The statement underscored the company’s focus on integrating advanced robotics with data‑driven decision making.
Shanghai Electric’s robotics lineup covers five key industrial scenarios: connector insertion, electrical operations, flexible sorting, intelligent assembly, and pipe processing. The firm showcased four robots that illustrate its approach.
* SUYUAN – a bipedal humanoid robot with 41 degrees of freedom, a multimodal visual sensing system on its head and torso, and a dual‑battery hot‑swap system. The robot is designed for inspection, material handling, and assembly tasks.
* TUOYUAN – an industrial wheeled humanoid robot that runs on an embodied intelligence foundation model and a force‑position hybrid control scheme. It can perform multi‑connector insertion, material sorting, and loading/unloading of automotive sheet metal parts.
* Mermaid – a bionic wheeled humanoid robot that autonomously identifies buttons, knobs, and air switches, generating real‑time operation paths.
* Autonomous pipe inner‑wall chamfering robot – built for confined spaces, it can position and process thousands of hole edges with an accuracy of 1 mm while transmitting data in real time.
In addition to hardware, Shanghai Electric announced the launch of 51 AI models and agents under its “StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing” series. The models span research and design, production and manufacturing, and operations and maintenance, covering critical equipment processes such as process optimization and wind‑power‑facility maintenance. The agents are embedded in robotic decision‑making systems and the operational logic of AI‑native smart factories, enabling production‑line scheduling, quality inspection, and predictive maintenance.
The company also released the “AI‑Native Smart Factory Technology White Paper.” The document proposes an active evolution architecture that supports real‑time, closed‑loop optimization of production data. It describes a three‑layer structure: an AI factory brain that acts as the control center; industrial agents and embodied robots that form the execution network; and a physical twin that serves as the digital mirror. The architecture aims to dismantle traditional hierarchies and bridge data silos, allowing factories to perceive, decide, and execute autonomously.
Shanghai Electric’s presentation emphasized its commitment to expanding AI implementation in industrial settings. The company stated it will tackle technical challenges in complex scenarios, accelerate large‑scale deployment of AI‑native smart factories, and deliver replicable solutions across diverse manufacturing environments.
The WAIC 2026 event attracted a broad audience of AI researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers. Shanghai Electric’s demonstration of humanoid robots and AI‑driven factory frameworks aligns with China’s broader strategy to advance embodied intelligence and industrial automation.
As the conference concluded, Shanghai Electric positioned itself as a key player in the next phase of industrial AI, combining long‑standing manufacturing expertise with cutting‑edge robotics and AI models.
The company’s developments are part of a larger trend of integrating embodied cognition into production systems, a shift that seeks to blend physical dexterity with data‑driven decision making. Shanghai Electric’s portfolio demonstrates how advanced robotics can be coupled with AI agents to create more flexible, efficient, and autonomous manufacturing processes.
Future updates are expected as Shanghai Electric continues to refine its robot designs, expand its AI model library, and roll out its AI‑native smart factory architecture in pilot deployments.
"The true value of embodied intelligence lies in understanding real industrial tasks: combining the strength, precision, and stability of machines with human experience and judgment to drive a genuine paradigm of ‘machine‑assisted, human‑machine collaboration,’" said Wang Chunlei, deputy general manager of Shanghai Electric’s Robotics Business Unit. The statement underscored the company’s focus on integrating advanced robotics with data‑driven decision making.
Shanghai Electric’s robotics lineup covers five key industrial scenarios: connector insertion, electrical operations, flexible sorting, intelligent assembly, and pipe processing. The firm showcased four robots that illustrate its approach.
* SUYUAN – a bipedal humanoid robot with 41 degrees of freedom, a multimodal visual sensing system on its head and torso, and a dual‑battery hot‑swap system. The robot is designed for inspection, material handling, and assembly tasks.
* TUOYUAN – an industrial wheeled humanoid robot that runs on an embodied intelligence foundation model and a force‑position hybrid control scheme. It can perform multi‑connector insertion, material sorting, and loading/unloading of automotive sheet metal parts.
* Mermaid – a bionic wheeled humanoid robot that autonomously identifies buttons, knobs, and air switches, generating real‑time operation paths.
* Autonomous pipe inner‑wall chamfering robot – built for confined spaces, it can position and process thousands of hole edges with an accuracy of 1 mm while transmitting data in real time.
In addition to hardware, Shanghai Electric announced the launch of 51 AI models and agents under its “StarCloud Intelligent Manufacturing” series. The models span research and design, production and manufacturing, and operations and maintenance, covering critical equipment processes such as process optimization and wind‑power‑facility maintenance. The agents are embedded in robotic decision‑making systems and the operational logic of AI‑native smart factories, enabling production‑line scheduling, quality inspection, and predictive maintenance.
The company also released the “AI‑Native Smart Factory Technology White Paper.” The document proposes an active evolution architecture that supports real‑time, closed‑loop optimization of production data. It describes a three‑layer structure: an AI factory brain that acts as the control center; industrial agents and embodied robots that form the execution network; and a physical twin that serves as the digital mirror. The architecture aims to dismantle traditional hierarchies and bridge data silos, allowing factories to perceive, decide, and execute autonomously.
Shanghai Electric’s presentation emphasized its commitment to expanding AI implementation in industrial settings. The company stated it will tackle technical challenges in complex scenarios, accelerate large‑scale deployment of AI‑native smart factories, and deliver replicable solutions across diverse manufacturing environments.
The WAIC 2026 event attracted a broad audience of AI researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers. Shanghai Electric’s demonstration of humanoid robots and AI‑driven factory frameworks aligns with China’s broader strategy to advance embodied intelligence and industrial automation.
As the conference concluded, Shanghai Electric positioned itself as a key player in the next phase of industrial AI, combining long‑standing manufacturing expertise with cutting‑edge robotics and AI models.
The company’s developments are part of a larger trend of integrating embodied cognition into production systems, a shift that seeks to blend physical dexterity with data‑driven decision making. Shanghai Electric’s portfolio demonstrates how advanced robotics can be coupled with AI agents to create more flexible, efficient, and autonomous manufacturing processes.
Future updates are expected as Shanghai Electric continues to refine its robot designs, expand its AI model library, and roll out its AI‑native smart factory architecture in pilot deployments.
