UBTECH Robotics and Hitachi China have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly develop and deploy humanoid robot applications across Hitachi’s manufacturing operations in China. The partnership focuses on sectors where Hitachi holds established market positions – elevators, building systems, healthcare, industrial equipment, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment – and is already in active deployment testing with UBTECH’s Walker S2 industrial humanoid.
The agreement moves beyond a memorandum of understanding stage. Both companies confirmed that cooperation has entered what they describe as the substantive verification stage, with Walker S2 units introduced into Hitachi manufacturing scenarios and on-site operation testing underway.
Elevator Manufacturing as the Initial Focus
The most developed application is at Hitachi Elevator’s manufacturing site, where Hitachi China Research Institute, UBTECH Robotics, and Hitachi Elevator are conducting secondary development of humanoid robot applications. The work targets full-process flexible intelligent flow and data integration across key elevator production processes – tasks that require the high precision and adaptability that fixed automation has historically struggled to deliver in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing environments.
Elevator manufacturing presents a relevant test case for humanoid deployment. The components are large, varied, and assembled in configurations that change between product types, creating the kind of flexible production demand that humanoid robots are specifically designed to address. Successfully automating key processes here would provide a replicable model for Hitachi’s other manufacturing segments.
The Broader Scope
The agreement covers the full range of Hitachi Group’s competitive markets in China. Healthcare and semiconductor manufacturing equipment represent the other near-term targets alongside elevators – both sectors where precision requirements are high, labor costs are rising, and production flexibility is commercially valuable.
UBTECH brings Walker S2 hardware and its software stack for industrial humanoid deployment. Hitachi brings system integration experience, existing manufacturing infrastructure, and a customer base across the sectors the partnership is targeting. The combination follows a pattern emerging across the humanoid industry: established industrial operators providing the deployment context and domain knowledge, while robotics companies provide the hardware and AI capability.
The partnership also extends UBTECH’s international footprint beyond its existing European presence through Terra Robotics in the DACH region, adding a major Japanese industrial partner with operations across Asia to its commercial network.
