MagicLab, a rising Chinese robotics startup, says its humanoid robots have recently been deployed to production lines.
Wuxi-based MagicLab just released footage of a fleet of collaborative humanoids at an unnamed factory. MagicLab says the robots are mastering industrial automation tasks like product inspections, material transport, precision assembly, barcode scanning, and inventory management. In the video, multiple MagicBots team up, which MagicLab says redefines “efficiency and collaboration in industrial settings.”
MagicBots are fully electric, featuring advanced joint motor modules that deliver up to 525 Nm of peak torque. With the combination of power and precision, the robots can handle a range of tasks from delicate operations to heavy lifting. MagicLab says the electric drive system is compact, energy-efficient, and sustainable, making it more practical for industrial applications than traditional hydraulics.
The robotics industry increasingly favors fully electric designs. Notable examples include Atlas by Boston Dynamics, Tesla’s Optimus, Figure 02 by FigureAI, and Tiangong by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, which China has open-sourced to promote wider development.
On the X social media platform, a researcher from MagicLab said the robots are in the learning phase, not yet able to operate fully autonomously.
Currently, our robots are still in the skill training and learning phase, and they are not yet able to fully operate autonomously.
— Albert Wei (@Magic__Albert) December 3, 2024
MagicBots feature highly dexterous hands, with six mini high torque servo actuators and pressure sensors for sub-millimeter precision. The robots can handle delicate objects, mimicking 70 percent of human hand gestures.
MagicLab, which operates under the name Magic Atom Robotics Technology, was founded in December 2023. Earlier in 2024, its robots gained attention with their ability to dance, somersault, roast marshmallows, and fold clothes. The company aims to disrupt search and rescue, logistics, and manufacturing with their humanoids.
According to TMT Post, the company is testing its robots assembly line capabilities at an electronics factory.
The startup is also exploring a potential partnership with ByteDance to integrate TikTok’s parent company’s Doubao large language model to enhance the third-generation robot’s AI capabilities.
Doubao is much cheaper than other models like OpenAI’s GPT-4. It’s designed for generating text and images and also powers advanced video creation tools which could help robots like MagicBot handle creative and communication tasks.
Earlier in 2024, MagicLabs’ robots gained attention with their ability to dance, somersault, roast marshmallows, and fold clothes. MagicLab is also developing a robot dog it describes as “the smartest friend you’ll ever have.”
The MagicBot is entering the fray as a growing array of firms release their robots into industrial settings as China seeks to mass produce humanoids by 2025 and corner the market by 2027.