UBTECH and Shenhao Technology Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement for Humanoid Robots in Power Industry
Hardware
Originally reported by industrysourcing.cn
UBTECH (优必选), the Shenzhen-based humanoid robot company listed as the 'first humanoid robot stock,' has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hangzhou Shenhao Technology (申昊科技) on July 8, 2026. The partnership targets the State Grid and China Southern Grid's substation and distribution room operations, combining UBTECH's embodied intelligence humanoid robots with Shenhao's system integration and deployment capabilities in the power sector. The two companies will jointly establish an 'Embodied Intelligence Power Application Joint Innovation Lab' to develop integrated hardware-software solutions for autonomous navigation, infrared temperature measurement, defect recognition, switchgear operation, and ground wire handling in high-voltage environments. UBTECH reported 2025 total revenue of RMB 2.001 billion ($280M), up 53.3% year-over-year, with full-size humanoid robot sales reaching 1,079 units and revenue of RMB 820 million ($115M), a 2,203.7% increase, primarily deployed across automotive, logistics, 3C electronics, semiconductor, and aerospace manufacturing clients including multiple Fortune 500 companies.
This agreement represents a targeted vertical application play for humanoid robots, moving beyond general-purpose factory demonstrations into a regulated, safety-critical infrastructure segment. The power utility inspection and maintenance market in China is a high-value, labor-intensive domain where existing wheeled or tracked robots have limited dexterity for tasks like switchgear operation and ground wire attachment. UBTECH's strategy mirrors the additive manufacturing industry's pattern of moving from machine theater to repeatable factory deployment - here, the challenge is not print quality but autonomous manipulation in electromagnetic interference environments. Shenhao Technology brings 24 years of power industry integration experience and existing relationships with grid operators, providing the qualification pathway that UBTECH's hardware alone cannot achieve. The joint lab structure also suggests a push toward formalizing technical standards for humanoid robots in power applications, which could create a regulatory moat similar to how aerospace qualification documents lock in AM suppliers.
For UBTECH, the practical challenge is demonstrating that its humanoid robots can achieve the reliability and safety certifications required for live substation operations, where a single failure could cause grid outages or personnel risk. The company must prove its 1,079-unit production base can translate into field-proven uptime metrics, not just delivery numbers. For the power industry, this partnership signals that humanoid robots are moving from pilot curiosity to procurement consideration, but the qualification cycle for grid infrastructure typically spans 18-24 months before operational deployment at scale.
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