CATL independently researches and develops humanoid and quadruped robots | Exclusive from 36Kr

Text | Tian Zhe

Editor | Su Jianxun Yang Xuan

In the field of embodied intelligence, it is an open secret that "the automotive industry loves robots the most". Not only do many automobile manufacturers conduct self-research or invest in robot companies, but as an important player in the new energy vehicle industry chain, CATL, a power battery manufacturer, is also unwilling to fall behind and is attempting to conduct self-research on humanoid robots.

"Intelligent Emergence" has exclusively learned that the Future Energy Research Institute (Shanghai) of CATL (hereinafter referred to as the "Future Energy Research Institute") is collaborating with Shanghai Jiao Tong University to develop multiple types of robots in preparation for their application in factories.

The Future Energy Research Institute is a wholly-owned subsidiary established by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. The official website of CATL shows that in January 2022, the Future Energy Research Institute collaborated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University to jointly tackle forward-looking technologies in the new energy field and build a global future energy innovation center.

"Intelligent Emergence" has learned that in 2023, under the cooperative background of "meeting the overall development needs of the CATL Group and benchmarking against the international cutting-edge technology development", the Future Energy Research Institute issued five joint research and development projects for intelligent robots to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, namely legged robots, bipedal robots, heavy-duty quadruped robots, humanoid robots, and visual servo robots.

In addition to collaborating with universities for research and development, CATL is also conducting self-research on robots internally. An informed source told "Intelligent Emergence" that the 21C Innovation Laboratory of CATL, which focuses on cutting-edge technology research, has established a team of about 20 people to conduct self-research on robotic arms.

Regarding the above news, 36Kr's "Intelligent Emergence" sought verification from CATL. As of the time of publication, CATL has not responded.

CATL is a world-renowned power battery manufacturer. Data released by the South Korean research institution SNE Research shows that in 2024, CATL maintained the world's first market share for seven consecutive years with a power battery loading capacity of 137.7GWh, and its loading capacity increased by 29.5% compared to the previous year.

Extremely large-scale production to compress product costs is one of the reasons why CATL maintains a leading market share. It has already applied technologies such as full-process virtual simulation and AI image algorithms in the factory to improve battery production efficiency and reduce product defects.

It is reported that CATL's factory produces one battery cell per second on average, and its single-line production capacity is nearly three times that of enterprises in Japan and South Korea.

CATL Kirin Battery; Source: CATL Official Website

However, CATL, which pursues "extreme manufacturing", intends to further strengthen its manufacturing advantages. Wu Kai, the chief scientist of CATL, has publicly stated that in the future, the factory will be promoted to develop towards fully automated production.

Introducing robots is one of the ways for CATL's factory transformation. "Intelligent Emergence" has learned that the Future Energy Research Institute has opened robot-related positions such as joint motor drive engineers, robot operation and control engineers, wiring harness and sensor engineers, etc.

Currently, CATL is more focused on the research and development of the robot body. Publicly available information shows that it has obtained 10 robot-related patents, including mobile robots, material-grabbing robots, and robot components, etc.

But a person close to CATL told "Intelligent Emergence" that CATL believes that the progress of self-research on robots is relatively slow. Therefore, this year, it has contacted multiple humanoid robot companies including Zhiyuan Robot and tested and verified humanoid robots in the battery factory.

At the same time, CATL is attempting to invest in humanoid robot companies to accelerate the layout of the robot industry.

Recently, Borui Capital, founded by Li Ping, the co-founder and vice chairman of CATL, invested in Qianxun Intelligence. This is CATL's first investment in the field of embodied intelligence.

Investing in humanoid robot companies and conducting self-research on robots by multiple teams, CATL has taken a step forward towards the robot industry.