Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center

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The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center (Chinese: 浙江人形机器人创新中心有限公司; also called ZJ Humanoid) is a government-backed Chinese research and commercialization company that develops the Navigator (领航者) series of humanoid robots. Based in Haishu District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, it was founded on December 21, 2023, as a joint initiative between the Ningbo Municipal People's Government and the robotics laboratory of Zhejiang University professor Xiong Rong, who serves as its Chief Scientist.^[1][2][20]

The center operates as a private technology company and serves as a comprehensive innovation platform that integrates humanoid robot technology research and development, commercialization, talent cultivation, and industrial ecosystem building.^[1][3] Its primary strategic backer is SUPCON Technology Co., Ltd., a Hangzhou-based industrial automation company that serves as the center's largest shareholder.^[2][4]

Since its founding, the center has released three generations of humanoid robots in the Navigator and NAVAI series, raised approximately 2.2 billion yuan (about $300 million) in cumulative funding over 18 months, and deployed robots in real-world industrial settings at companies including Lenovo, Geely Automobile, and Beko in Turkey.^[5][6][7] The center's robots have achieved sub-millimeter manipulation precision and reliable assembly success rates exceeding 99.99% on industrial production lines for clients such as Huawei.^[5][8] Among Chinese AI robotics ventures, it is positioned as an industry-university effort focused on putting humanoid robots into factories rather than on open-source research alone.^[31]

What is the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center?

The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center is one of at least six major government-backed humanoid robot innovation centers established across China since late 2023.^[31] It is structured as a private technology company rather than a public institution, co-founded by the Ningbo Municipal People's Government and the team of Zhejiang University professor Xiong Rong, and headquartered in the Yongshuiqiao Science and Innovation Center in Ningbo's Haishu District.^[1][3][14] The Robot Report summarized its remit by noting that "the center's primary focus is on intelligent sensing and control technologies, while it also works toward the development of fully operational robots."^[14]

Its mission is to focus on humanoid robot intelligent sensing and control technology research and whole-machine system development, bridging the gap between academic robotics research and real-world industrial deployment.^[1] The center differentiates itself from peers such as the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics (open-source frameworks) and the Shanghai Embodied AI Innovation Center (standards and training grounds) by prioritizing commercialization and factory deployment in the Zhejiang region's private manufacturing economy.^[31]

History

Academic origins

The technical foundations of the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center trace back nearly two decades to the robotics laboratory at Zhejiang University's Institute of Intelligent Systems and Control. In 2006, Professor Xiong Rong's team began developing a 60-centimeter humanoid soccer robot. The team's soccer robots went on to win the national championship for more than ten consecutive years and achieved four runner-up finishes in the humanoid group of the RoboCup Robot World Cup, building deep expertise in bipedal locomotion, motion control, perception, and human-robot interaction.^[9][10]

In 2011, after more than four years of dedicated research, the team developed the table tennis humanoid robots "Wu" and "Kong" (collectively known as "Wukong," named after the Monkey King from the Chinese novel Journey to the West). Standing 1.6 meters tall and weighing 55 kilograms, the Wukong robots featured 30 degrees of freedom across two 7-DOF arms, two 6-DOF legs, and 4 DOF for the head and waist. Wukong 1.0 could sustain 145 rounds of continuous table tennis rallies with a human opponent, adapting to front and back shots as well as spinning balls.^[11][12]

This progression from small-scale competition robots to indoor and outdoor walking robots capable of terrain adaptation, and then to the Wukong table tennis robots, built the foundational expertise that directly informed the Navigator series of full-size humanoid robots.^[9]

Founding

The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center was formally registered on December 21, 2023, in the context of China's national push to develop humanoid robotics. In late 2023, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published guidelines calling for humanoid robots to "realize mass production by 2025" and become "an important new engine of economic growth" by 2027.^[13] This policy push catalyzed the establishment of multiple government-backed humanoid robot innovation centers across the country, with the Zhejiang center being among the earliest.

The center was co-founded by the Ningbo Municipal People's Government and Professor Xiong Rong's team from Zhejiang University. It is structured as a private technology company (rather than a government institution) and is located in the Yongshuiqiao Science and Innovation Center in Ningbo's Haishu District.^[1][3] Its mission is to focus on humanoid robot intelligent sensing and control technology research and whole-machine system development, bridging the gap between academic robotics research and real-world industrial deployment.^[1]

Rapid product development (2024-2025)

The center followed a compressed development timeline, releasing three generations of humanoid robots within roughly two years of its founding:

• March 2024: The Navigator Alpha, the center's first full-size humanoid prototype, was unveiled alongside the official launch of the research team in Haishu District.^[2][14]
• August 2024: The Navigator 2 (NAVIAI-I2), featuring 41 degrees of freedom and 275 TOPS of AI computing power, debuted at the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing.^[8][15]
• November 2025: The NAVAI-I3, with 82 degrees of freedom and 2,250 TOPS of AI computing power, was unveiled at the center's facility in Ningbo.^[16][17]

The center also developed the NAVIAI-WA1, a wheeled-arm variant specializing in ultra-precise operations at 0.03-millimeter accuracy, designed for industrial environments where bipedal locomotion is not necessary.^[5][18]

Who leads the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center?

Xiong Rong

Professor Xiong Rong (熊蓉) serves as the center's Chief Scientist and Director. She is a Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University and the director of the Robotics Laboratory at the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Control. Her research spans intelligent perception, cognition, decision-making, and control of robots, as well as machine vision, machine learning, mapping, localization, and navigation of mobile robots.^[19][20]

With 28 years in robotics research, Xiong Rong has made significant contributions to the field. Since 2001, she has built robotics education platforms, competitions, and course systems at Zhejiang University, introducing hundreds of students each year to the field of robotics. Describing her own rapid-iteration philosophy, she has said: "Technology develops like a snowball rolling forward. You must start pushing the next one before the last one has melted."^[20] Her educational legacy has produced several prominent figures in the Chinese robotics industry:^[20][21]

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In 2016, Xiong Rong co-founded IPLUSMOBOT, which grew into one of China's leading providers of autonomous mobile robot systems for industrial logistics.^[20] In March 2026, she received the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) "Women Shaping the Future of Robotics 2026" award, one of only 11 women worldwide recognized by the IFR that year and the sole recipient from China.^[20][21]

George Cui Shan

George Cui Shan, the Chairman and CEO of SUPCON Technology, played a central role in launching the center. He formally announced the innovation center and the Navigator Alpha robot in late March 2024 at a public event in Ningbo. Cui Shan has positioned the center as a strategic extension of SUPCON's broader objective of integrating artificial intelligence with robotics to serve China's manufacturing sector.^[2][14]

How is the center funded?

The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has attracted substantial investment since its founding, reflecting both the strategic importance of humanoid robotics in Chinese industrial policy and the center's rapid progress in technology development.

Funding timeline

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The January 2026 Pre-A round of 450 million yuan closed on January 22, 2026.^[5][6] As of early 2026, the center has raised a cumulative total of approximately 2.2 billion yuan (roughly $300 million USD) over the 18 months since its founding.^[5][6] The Pre-A round mix of industrial capital (such as SUPCON and Lenovo Capital), government-backed venture funds (Zhejiang Province Venture Capital Group), and market-oriented investors (FG VENTURE) reflects the center's strategy of leveraging both public and private sector support; the company has said it will channel the capital into core technologies, talent recruitment, mass production, and expansion into multiple industry scenarios.^[5][6]

SUPCON Technology

SUPCON Technology Co., Ltd. (stock codes: 688777.SH, SUPCON.SW) is the center's largest shareholder and primary strategic backer. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Hangzhou, SUPCON is one of China's leading providers of industrial automation and information technology, serving over 21,000 enterprises across more than 50 countries. The company specializes in distributed control systems (DCS), safety instrumented systems, industrial software, and process automation for sectors including oil and gas, chemical, power generation, and manufacturing.^[22]

SUPCON completed its secondary listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange in April 2023, raising approximately $565 million. The company had trailing twelve-month revenue of approximately $1.21 billion as of 2024.^[22][23] According to The Robot Report, "the company said its investment in the center follows its strategic objective of seamlessly integrating artificial intelligence with robotics and supporting the evolution of the humanoid robot sector in China," leveraging its deep expertise in manufacturing control systems and extensive network of industrial clients to accelerate the deployment of humanoid robots in real-world factory environments.^[14]

What robots has the center built?

The center has developed a product lineup spanning full-size bipedal humanoid robots and specialized wheeled-arm variants, all under the Navigator and NAVAI brand families.

Product lineup overview

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Navigator Alpha

The Navigator Alpha (Navigator 1, 领航者α) was the center's first humanoid prototype, unveiled in March 2024 alongside the official launch of the research team in Haishu District. Standing 1.5 meters tall and weighing 50 kilograms, it featured lightweight mechanical arms and a dexterous hand with 15 finger joints and six active degrees of freedom. The Navigator Alpha was built upon and upgraded from the "Wukong 4.0" humanoid robot platform developed at Zhejiang University, incorporating a control method that fuses mechanism-based and learning-based approaches.^[2][9][14] The Robot Report reported that "Navigator α has been deployed in several field-proven projects."^[14]

The Navigator Alpha demonstrated basic bipedal walking, terrain adaptation, and coordinated full-body motion including tasks such as wiping a table, pouring water, and dancing. It served as a proof-of-concept platform, validating the center's ability to independently develop a complete humanoid system from mechanical design through to control algorithms. The development timeline was compressed by two months through intensive effort by the team.^[14][24]

Navigator 2 (NAVIAI-I2)

The Navigator 2 (NAVIAI-I2, 领航者2号) was introduced on August 17, 2024, less than five months after the Navigator Alpha's debut. Standing 1.65 meters tall and weighing 60 kilograms, the Navigator 2 featured 41 degrees of freedom, 275 TOPS of AI computing power, and a comprehensive multimodal sensor suite. At the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing, it attracted widespread attention for its fluid, natural movements and the ability to deliver speeches, prepare tea, and play chess.^[8][15][25]

The Navigator 2's most significant technical achievement was its industrial-grade manipulation precision. Each arm supports a 5 kg payload, with an end-effector control accuracy of 0.1 mm. The center described it as the first domestically produced humanoid robot with precise skill operation capabilities, emphasizing its ability to perform sub-millimeter accuracy tasks in real-world industrial settings. The robot achieved a reliable assembly success rate exceeding 99.99% on industrial production lines.^[8][15]

Zhou Hongyi, the founder of the 360 Group (a major Chinese internet security company), publicly praised the Navigator 2 at the World Robot Conference, calling it "the best-looking humanoid robot in the showroom."^[26]

NAVAI-I3

The NAVAI-I3 was unveiled on November 12, 2025, at the center's facility in Haishu District, Ningbo.^[17] At 1.8 meters tall and approximately 80 kilograms, it is significantly larger and more robust than the Navigator 2. The I3 doubled its predecessor's degrees of freedom from 41 to 82 and increased AI computing power roughly eightfold, from 275 TOPS to 2,250 TOPS. The robot can walk and run at speeds up to 9 km/h over uneven terrain, performing dynamic movements such as bending, squatting, and light basketball drills.^[16][17][27]

The NAVAI-I3's design philosophy shifted from primarily dexterous manipulation toward a combination of robust locomotion, physical endurance, and intelligent task execution in challenging real-world environments. Its primary intended use cases include security patrols, facility inspection, and protective services, earning it the informal nickname "mechanical policeman" in Chinese media. At its unveiling, the center reported that potential clients had already expressed interest and that teams were working overtime to accelerate production.^[17]

NAVIAI-WA1

The NAVIAI-WA1 is a wheeled-arm robot variant developed alongside the bipedal humanoid series. Rather than using legs, the WA1 is mounted on a wheeled base, specializing in ultra-precise 0.03-millimeter manipulation operations. This design reflects the center's pragmatic approach to deployment: while bipedal humanoid robots offer versatility in unstructured environments, wheeled platforms are more stable and efficient for tasks that require precision manipulation in structured factory settings.^[5][18]

How do the center's robots work?

AI architecture

The center has developed a proprietary robotic "brain" system built around three integrated AI models:^[5][8]

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This VLM + VLA + VLN architecture covers three core capabilities: interaction, manipulation, and navigation. The system enables the robots to perceive their environment, understand spoken instructions, and plan and execute actions in real time using multimodal sensor data including vision, depth, force-torque, and touch.^[5][16]

Core technology engines

The center has independently developed three core technology engines that support its AI architecture:^[5][8]

1. Real2Sim2Real closed-loop system: A method for constructing large-scale 3D high-fidelity virtual environments and generating synthetic training data at scale. This system reduces the cost and time required for reinforcement learning and imitation learning by creating realistic simulated scenarios where robots can practice tasks millions of times before transferring learned skills to the physical world.

2. Knowledge-driven visual-tactile fusion perception-control model: A hybrid approach that combines model-based ("white box") control methods, which offer interpretability and safety guarantees, with data-driven ("black box") deep learning methods, which provide adaptability and generalization. This fusion enables robots to perform reliably in real-world conditions while still adapting to novel situations.

3. High-safety autonomous mobility system: Provides robust navigation capabilities in open, unstructured environments. The system enables the robots to understand spatial relationships at a semantic level and navigate based on natural language instructions or task-level commands rather than pre-mapped routes.

Manipulation system

The center's dexterous hand system is a consistent feature across the Navigator series. Each hand features 15 finger joints with 6 active degrees of freedom, capable of exerting 10 newtons of fingertip force at joint speeds of 150 degrees per second. At 600 grams per hand, the design prioritizes a favorable weight-to-force ratio, enabling fine motor tasks including grasping irregularly shaped objects, manipulating tools, and executing coordinated bimanual operations.^[8][15][16]

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Where are the center's robots deployed?

The center has prioritized real-world industrial deployment over purely theoretical research, differentiating it from several other Chinese humanoid robot innovation centers that focus on open-source frameworks or standardization.

Domestic deployments

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The center's robots have been applied across a range of industrial scenarios including garment manufacturing, automobile assembly, power grid inspection, and petrochemical operations.^[5][7][20]

International deployment: Beko (Turkey)

In a significant milestone for the Chinese humanoid robotics industry, a NAVIAI robot developed by the center began operations at the Turkish production base of Beko, one of Europe's leading home-appliance manufacturers with products reaching over 100 countries. The deployment represented one of the first instances of a Chinese autonomous humanoid robot operating in an overseas industrial setting.^[7]

The partnership originated when Beko representatives encountered the NAVIAI robot at the 2024 World Robot Conference in Beijing and identified a match between the robot's operational precision and their production requirements. Following months of development, testing, and cross-border logistics, the customized NAVIAI robot arrived in Turkey in mid-August 2025, accompanied by a technical team for deployment and training.^[7]

At the Beko facility, the robot performs quality-inspection routines including tapping touchscreens with 0.1-millimeter accuracy, opening refrigerator doors, and executing controlled, human-like motions for product testing. As of December 2025, the robot had been operating on site for approximately four months.^[7]

Manufacturing and commercialization

Production facility

In early 2025, the center opened a manufacturing facility in Haishu District, Ningbo, with plans to begin mass-producing hundreds of humanoid robots by April 2025. The factory represents a transition from prototype development to small-batch commercial production, reflecting the center's goal of scaling the Navigator platform from laboratory demonstrations to real-world deployment.^[24]

Embodied intelligence verification site

On October 30, 2025, the center launched the "Navigator Future Embodied Intelligence Verification Site" (领航未来具身智能验证场) at its Ningbo facility. This purpose-built testing ground allows the center to validate robot performance under controlled conditions that simulate real-world environments before deploying robots to client sites.^[28]

Pricing

As of 2025, the estimated price for the Navigator 2 is approximately $100,000 USD, positioning it in the upper range of the emerging humanoid robot market and targeting institutional and industrial buyers rather than individual consumers.^[3]

Industry alliance

The center has formed the Preparatory Committee of the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Industry Alliance, comprising 11 member organizations. The alliance aims to strengthen industrial collaboration, promote research and development, and build a complete industrial ecosystem for humanoid robots in the Zhejiang region.^[9]

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Ningbo robotics ecosystem

The center benefits significantly from Ningbo's well-developed robotics and precision manufacturing ecosystem. The city's industrial base provides comprehensive supply chain coverage for key robot components, and the center's presence has further catalyzed growth in the regional robotics sector.

Regional industry statistics

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The ecosystem includes established companies such as Ningbo Joyson Electronics and Ningbo Tuopu Group, as well as newer entrants like Unitree Robotics and Bionic establishing operations locally. A joint venture between Ningbo's PIA Automation and Shanghai-based Zhiyuan Robotics launched a production line in Ningbo capable of producing 3,000 humanoid robots annually.^[29][30]

Ningbo's manufacturing base comprehensively covers robot reducers, controllers, servo motors, industrial robots, service robots, and specialized machines. Approximately 50 upstream suppliers are located in the region, and the number of supply chain enterprises grew from 25 to 88 during 2025. The ecosystem also includes a humanoid robot training facility and what has been described as China's first commercial insurance product for humanoid robots.^[29][30]

The complementary strengths of Ningbo (precision manufacturing, supply chain) and nearby Hangzhou (intelligent sensing, control technology, software) create a synergistic development corridor for the humanoid robotics industry across the Zhejiang province.^[9]

How does it compare to other humanoid robot makers?

China's humanoid robot innovation centers

The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center is one of at least six major government-backed humanoid robot innovation centers established across China since late 2023, each with distinct focuses and approaches.^[31]

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The Zhejiang center's differentiation lies in its tight integration with the region's developed private manufacturing sector and its focus on real-world industrial deployment. While the Beijing center emphasizes open-source embodied AI frameworks and the Shanghai center focuses on standards and training infrastructure, the Zhejiang center has prioritized getting robots into actual factories and achieving commercial milestones such as the Beko overseas deployment.^[31]

Domestic competitors

Key competitors in the Chinese humanoid robot market include:

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International competitors

In the broader global market, the center's robots compete with platforms from Tesla (Optimus), Figure AI (Figure 02, Figure 03), Boston Dynamics (Atlas), 1X Technologies (NEO), and Agility Robotics (Digit). The Zhejiang center differentiates itself through its focus on precision manipulation for Chinese manufacturing supply chains and its government-backed funding model.^[9]

National policy context

China's government has committed substantial resources to the humanoid robotics sector. Since January 2025, the central government launched an $8.2 billion National AI Industry Investment Fund to steer capital into frontier technologies, including embodied AI. The MIIT established a dedicated Humanoid Robot and Embodied Intelligence Standardization Technical Committee in December 2025, and by March 2026 had released the first national standard system covering the humanoid robot industry's entire lifecycle.^[32]

China's 15th Five-Year Plan framework calls for the country to "coordinate the layout of embodied intelligence training grounds, promote virtual-real fusion collaborative training and evolution, develop integrated big-brain/small-brain embodied models and algorithms, tackle key technologies in the body and core components, and accelerate the upgrade and deployment of humanoid robots."^[32]

Over 40 state-funded robot training centers have been established across the country, and more than 150 humanoid robot companies now operate in China. According to CICC research estimates, Chinese humanoid robot shipments are projected to reach 350,000 units by 2030, with market potential nearing 60 billion yuan.^[9][32]

ELI5: Explain it like I'm 5

A group in the Chinese city of Ningbo builds robots that look like people and can walk, run, and use their hands. A professor named Xiong Rong, who used to make robots that play table tennis and soccer, leads the team. Their robots are called "Navigator," and the newest one is so steady that its hands can touch a tiny spot smaller than the tip of a pen. Real factories that make cars and refrigerators use these robots to help build and check products, and one even went all the way to a factory in Turkey to work.

See also

• NAVAI-I3
• Navigator 2
• Humanoid robot
• Humanoid robots
• Embodied AI
• Chinese AI
• SUPCON Technology
• Zhejiang University
• RoboCup
• Deep Robotics
• Flexiv

References

1. Aparobot - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Co., Ltd. Company Profile ↩
2. PR Newswire - Navigator Alpha Humanoid Robot: SUPCON Integrates AI with Robotics (March 28, 2024) ↩
3. Aparobot - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Company and Robot Details ↩
4. MarketScreener - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center receives CNY 17.62 million from SUPCON Technology ↩
5. Gasgoo - Led by Zhejiang University Professor, Humanoid Robot Company Just Secured 450 Million Yuan in Financing ↩
6. AHR - ZJ Humanoid Raises $65M in Pre-A Round, Backed by Industrial Giants ↩
7. China Daily Ningbo - Zhejiang's humanoid robot steps into global manufacturing (December 22, 2025) ↩
8. 1ai.net - Humanoid robot "Pilot 2 NAVIAI" released: 1.65 meters, 60 kilograms, AI algorithm 275 TOPS ↩
9. Sango Automation - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center: The Eve of the Blowout of the Regional New Forces Wave Industry ↩
10. Zhejiang University - Cracking the code: How Zhejiang University shapes the "Six Little Dragons" ↩
11. Xiong Rong et al. - Impedance Control and its Effects on a Humanoid Robot Playing Table Tennis (SAGE Journals, 2012) ↩
12. Sango Automation - Wukong table tennis robot details ↩
13. The Robot Report - China plans to mass produce humanoids by 2025 ↩
14. The Robot Report - SUPCON opens new innovation center and launches Navigator Alpha humanoid robot ↩
15. Rockingrobots - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center launches the NAVAI Navigator 2 ↩
16. Humanoid.press - NAVIAI-I3: High-DOF Humanoid Robot by Zhejiang Innovation Center ↩
17. China Daily Ningbo - Ningbo innovation center unveils humanoid robot NAVIAI-I3 (November 13, 2025) ↩
18. CyberRobo on X - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center testing wheeled version of NAVIAI ↩
19. Zhejiang University - Homepage of Rong Xiong ↩
20. Zhejiang University - Professor XIONG Rong receives IFR "Women Shaping the Future of Robotics 2026" award ↩
21. IFR - Women in Robotics 2026 ↩
22. Stock Analysis - Supcon Technology Co., Ltd. Company Profile ↩
23. MarketScreener - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center receives CNY 610.59 million in funding ↩
24. China Daily Ningbo - Humanoid robot takes a stride in Ningbo (March 12, 2025) ↩
25. AIBase - The Rise of Domestic Humanoid Robots: The NAVIAI 2.0 Excels in Speech, Tea Making, and Chess Playing ↩
26. Dongfang Caifu - Zhou Hongyi praises Navigator 2: "The best-looking humanoid robot in the showroom" (November 30, 2024) ↩
27. Humanoid.guide - Navai-I3 Humanoid Robot: Multi-Terrain Mobility Platform ↩
28. Beijing Science and Technology Daily - Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center verification site launch (October 2025) ↩
29. China Daily Ningbo - Ningbo companies ramp up application of humanoid robots (November 27, 2025) ↩
30. China Daily Ningbo - Ningbo shows humanoid robotics power at World Robot Conference 2025 (August 13, 2025) ↩
31. Gasgoo - Embodied AI's "City War": State-owned Firms Feature Dual Cores, Regional Forces Break Through ↩
32. Jamestown Foundation - Embodied Intelligence: The PRC's Whole-of-Nation Push into Robotics ↩