In Shanghai's Pudong New Area, humanoid robots are moving beyond demonstrations and increasingly stepping into real industrial roles.

At a manufacturing facility in Jiangxi province, humanoid robots developed by Pudong-based company AgiBot completed an eight-hour continuous shift on an electronics production line as formal production workers.

The robots performed 2,283 pick-and-place operations with zero errors or malfunctions, processing about 310 units per hour in sync with the assembly line. They also automatically identified defective products, maintained real-time connectivity with the factory system and operated continuously without human intervention.

The robots work on a production line. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

The deployment is considered the world's first large-scale use of embodied AI robots in a precision 3C electronics (computer, communication and consumer electronics) manufacturing line.

Beyond AgiBot, other humanoid robot firms in Pudong are also carving out niche roles. Fourier, a general-purpose robotics company, is focusing on interactive healthcare applications, introducing humanoid robots into cognitive rehabilitation training and exploring the use of its GR-3 model in elderly care settings.

Leading humanoid robot models, such as those from AgiBot and Fourier, are priced below 200,000 yuan ($29,297.12), with costs expected to decline further as production scales up.

While hardware costs can be reduced through mass production, advances in intelligence will require longer-term technological progress. As a result, investors are increasingly favoring companies that can solve practical, everyday problems.

Pudong's strength lies in its ecosystem integration. More than 100 embodied AI companies are now operating in the area, covering the entire industrial chain from chips, joints, and sensors to system integration and final assembly, with partners often located within a 15-minute walk of each other.

Policy support is also accelerating the sector's development. Pudong has introduced 16 targeted support measures covering R&D, application deployment, and talent development. The Zhangjiang AI Robot Valley provides shared training facilities, testing and certification platforms, and a multibillion-yuan industry fund, offering end-to-end support from development to commercialization.