CATL, the world’s largest power battery manufacturer, has deployed the first heavy-load humanoid robot powered by its own batteries on a production line.

The company announced a strategic partnership with Chinese humanoid robot developer Galbot to advance intelligent manufacturing and accelerate the large-scale deployment of embodied AI robots worldwide.

At the center of the collaboration is the Galbot S1, a heavy-load humanoid robot that CATL says is the world’s first embodied-intelligence robot in regular industrial operation powered by CATL battery technology.

Yesterday, CATL launched the world’s first field-proven sodium-ion energy storage system and expects shipments to reach 1 GWh by 2026.

Smart factory humanoid

The Chinese battery giant has deployed what it says is the world’s first heavy-load humanoid robot powered by its own battery technology on a production line, marking a new milestone in industrial automation and embodied AI. The collaboration centers on the Galbot S1, a heavy-load humanoid robot that CATL describes as the first embodied-intelligence robot in regular industrial operation powered by CATL batteries.

Designed for demanding factory environments, the Galbot S1 features a dual-arm payload capacity of 110 pounds (50 kilograms), vision-only centimeter-level positioning, and 360-degree omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. The robot is optimized for material handling, picking, and other high-intensity production-line tasks, reports CNEVPost.

The humanoid has already entered CATL’s smart manufacturing facilities, where it autonomously performs long-duration operations in battery module and battery pack production. The robot handles repetitive logistics and material transport tasks that were previously performed by human workers.

CATL said the robot’s battery system incorporates advanced technologies, including particle-grading cathode materials, low-lithium-consumption anodes, and a bionic self-healing electrolyte. These innovations help achieve a cell failure rate at the parts-per-billion level while supporting up to eight hours of continuous operation.

Beyond manufacturing, the partners plan to integrate the robot into CATL’s existing after-sales service network, extending support services from batteries to embodied-intelligence robots. The company’s aim is to establish the world’s first aftermarket service standard for humanoid robots, reports CNEVPost.

Smarter battery manufacturing

The deployment builds on CATL’s earlier launch of a humanoid robot-enabled battery pack production line at its Luoyang facility in Henan Province.

In December 2025, CATL introduced Xiaomo, a humanoid robot designed to perform complex manufacturing tasks, including high-precision battery connector insertion, marking a significant step in applying embodied AI to advanced battery production.

Developed by Spirit AI, a Hangzhou-based robotics startup backed by CATL, Xiaomo is part of the battery giant’s broader effort to integrate robotics and artificial intelligence into large-scale industrial operations. The robot is intended to replace human operators in critical End-of-Line and Direct Current Internal Resistance testing processes, which are the final quality checks before battery packs leave the factory.

These tasks previously required workers to manually connect high-voltage test plugs, creating safety risks and making it difficult to maintain consistent efficiency. Powered by an end-to-end Vision-Language-Action model, Xiaomo can accurately perceive its surroundings and autonomously adapt to changes in material positions and connection points.

The robot dynamically adjusts its posture and force when inserting and removing flexible wiring harnesses, ensuring secure connections without damaging sensitive battery components. According to reports, Xiaomo achieves a connection success rate of more than 99 percent while matching the cycle times of experienced human workers.

In addition to handling testing operations, the robot continuously monitors wiring harness connections and reports anomalies in real time, helping reduce defects. During production pauses, Xiaomo can switch to inspection duties, further improving manufacturing efficiency, quality control, and operational reliability.

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