Hutchinson eyes embodied robotics market in Leju partnership

Suzhou, China – Hutchinson has entered a strategic partnership with Chinese humanoid robot developer Leju Robotics to develop technologies and applications for embodied robots in industrial manufacturing.

The agreement positions Leju as Hutchinson's key embodied intelligence partner in China, said the French supplier 29 July.

The companies will be collaborating on technology integration, joint development and pilot projects to accelerate the deployment of humanoid robots in high-end manufacturing.

Under the partnership, Hutchinson will contribute technologies including sealing systems, vibration control, thermal management, advanced materials and sensing systems for next-generation intelligent robots.

The companies will initially focus on applications such as “intelligent factory inspection, production line logistics coordination and precision assembly assistance to carry out pilot projects and scenario verification.”

The partners will also jointly explore "key technical routes" covering production operation assistance, in-house logistics and human-machine collaboration to overcome bottlenecks in reliability, adaptability and performance.

Through combined R&D and coordinated product adaptation, the parties said they would jointly create demonstration cases for industrial applications and build "a replicable and scalable benchmark for embodied intelligence in the industry.”

Hutchinson said the agreement represented an opportunity to establish a position in the rapidly emerging embodied robotics value chain by adapting technologies already used in demanding industrial sectors to humanoid robots.

"The rapid development of embodied robotics in Asia is creating new opportunities across the entire industrial value chain," said Frederic Le Du, senior executive vice president Asia at Hutchinson.

"By combining Leju's expertise in embodied robotics with Hutchinson's technologies and industrial know-how, we aim to explore new industrial applications and create long-term value for customers and industry alike."

Leju Robotics CEO Chang Lin said the companies would combine their technologies and industrial expertise to develop demonstration projects for key manufacturing applications and support the industrialisation of humanoid robots.