XPeng is hot on the heels of the Tesla Optimus in the race to build the best humanoid robot.
The startup is best known for its electric vehicles but has just revealed its robot, ‘Iron’.
Iron has incredible capabilities, and moves scarily like a real person.
The robot has already been deployed onto factory floors too.
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Unveiling the XPeng Iron
XPeng has been making waves in the flying car sector for years, with its X2 recently being spotted in Shanghai.
Presales for the car are already in the thousands, meaning what once seemed like a sci-fi fantasy will be a reality in the next few years.
Now the company is setting its sights on the world of humanoid robotics.
Iron has been in the works for five years, but has already been implemented in factories and stores.
The robot stands tall at 5″11 and weighs 154 pounds.
What’s most impressive is how human-like it can move, thanks to its 60 joints with more than 200 degrees of freedom.
XPeng put a lot of care into making its hands as close to human hands as possible, able to perform intricate and complicated tasks.
How does Iron match up to Optimus?
While Tesla is not the only company producing humanoid robots, it’s certainly one of the front-runners.
Besides Optimus, we’ve also seen robots at work in BMW’s factory and NASA’s Valkyrie preparing to explore Mars on our behalf.
Tesla first showed its humanoid robot, Optimus, to the world in 2022.
Elon Musk has shared that Tesla will start ramping up production next year.
“Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026,” he said in a post on X.
Optimus has 28 moveable joints, with 12 joints in each of its hands.
Most recently, guests at the We Robot event were treated to Optimus robots dancing and serving drinks.
As to whether or not Iron will be able to dance, only time will tell.
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