China's 'robot work live streams' showcase automation in factories and logistics

Chinese robotics company Agilebot has deployed eight of its humanoid robot G2 units onto a tablet production line at electronics manufacturer Longqi Technology. These robots are responsible for product inspection, defect sorting, and material handling. In a novel approach, Agilebot chose to live-stream the robots' operations for six days, from March 23 to 28, via platforms like YouTube. During this period, the robots accumulated 64 hours of work, inspected 17,625 products, performed 64,827 operations, and achieved a remarkable success rate of 99.989%. Human staff were only occasionally visible to replace robot batteries.

China is witnessing a simultaneous rollout of robots and autonomous vehicles, particularly in factories, on roads, and within logistics networks. The integration of humanoid robots into industrial settings is becoming increasingly visible, while the use of autonomous vehicles and drones for last-mile delivery is accelerating. The Chinese government is actively establishing a regulatory framework and implementing policies to support the growth of these advanced industries.

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The robots are responsible for product inspection, defect sorting, and material handling.

The robotics sector is currently focused on the "Special Action for Field Training of Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence Robots in 2026." Led by bodies like the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, this initiative aims to identify over 100 high-value application scenarios and deploy 10,000 robots by the end of the year. The goal is to move robots beyond labs and exhibitions into repetitive tasks in factories, warehouses, and logistics centers to gather real-world data and verify their stability.

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The goal is to move robots beyond labs and exhibitions into repetitive tasks in factories, warehouses, and logistics centers to gather real-world data and verify their stability.

Meanwhile, regulatory efforts are underway in the autonomous vehicle sector. Previously, the classification of autonomous delivery vehicles and their permitted roadways varied by local government. To address this, China implemented the "Norms for Road Testing and Pilot Application of Intelligent Connected Vehicles" on July 1. This regulation establishes nationwide safety standards for road testing and pilot operations of autonomous and connected vehicles.

These regulatory advancements are expected to further expand autonomous delivery services. A report by the China Transportation Association's Logistics Investment and Financing Branch forecasts that China's fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles will exceed 47,000 units by the first quarter of this year, a fourfold increase from approximately 10,000 in 2024. Over 100 Chinese cities have already opened their roads to these vehicles. Companies are reporting significant operational achievements; for instance, Chinese e-commerce company JD.com stated that its autonomous vehicles transported 5.53 million packages during the recent 618 shopping festival. This expansion has also sparked discussions about workforce reallocation, with JD.com's founder, Liu Qiangdong, suggesting that delivery personnel might become obsolete and announcing plans to retrain 700,000 blue-collar workers in robot maintenance.

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Delivery personnel might become obsolete.