Updated
Updated · Electrek · Aug 7
Mitsubishi Plans 1,000 Humanoid Robots a Month in Kyoto as Early as 2027
Updated
Updated · Electrek · Aug 7

Mitsubishi Plans 1,000 Humanoid Robots a Month in Kyoto as Early as 2027

3 articles · Updated · Electrek · Aug 7

Summary

  • Mitsubishi aims to mass-produce up to 1,000 Highlanders humanoid robots a month at a former Kyoto engine plant, with output potentially starting next year.
  • The robots will first be deployed inside Mitsubishi’s own factories, including helping build more robots, under a memorandum of understanding signed last month with University of Tokyo startup Highlanders.
  • HL Human uses a 19-degree-of-freedom body, electric actuators, AI perception, motion planning and natural-language interaction to handle industrial work alongside human staff.
  • Mitsubishi says the push is meant to deepen its robotics business and address labor shortages in manufacturing, logistics, construction and disaster-response work.

Insights

Will repurposing an old engine plant to let robots build themselves save a legacy automaker, or accelerate human job losses?
How can a 19-degree-of-freedom robot compete with billion-dollar giants like Figure AI in the ruthless race for physical AI?