Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will begin mass-producing humanoid robots equipped with artificial intelligence at one of its plants in the first half of 2027, the Japanese automaker announced Thursday.
Tokyo-based startup Highlanders, Inc. will develop the robots, which Mitsubishi plans to use at its manufacturing facilities. Mitsubishi has invested in Highlanders.
Many major carmakers expect to face labor shortages in the future. This latest announcement is part of a growing trend among the carmakers to consider using humanoid robots at their plants.
A humanoid robot unveiled before reporters at Mitsubishi's head office in Tokyo on Thursday walked stably on two legs. Standing about 1.75 meters tall, the robot is equipped with physical AI that allows it to autonomously assess its surroundings. The robot has five fingers that will be able to perform tasks involving holding and carrying objects. The graphics processing unit, which is essentially the robot's brain, is manufactured by U.S. semiconductor giant Nvidia Corp., but the majority of the other components were reportedly manufactured in Japan.
Highlanders Chief Executive Officer Hiroya Masuoka, who studied robotics at university, is one of the founders of the company, which launched in 2023. In just three years, Highlanders has developed humanoid robots that can be used in the real world.
Mitsubishi will employ an unused engine production line at its Kyoto Plant in Kyoto to manufacture the robots developed by Highlanders.
The plant can manufacture 1,000 units monthly, and Mitsubishi plans to harness the quality management and expertise cultivated during its vehicle production in the robot production process. In addition to using these robots at Mitsubishi's plants, the automaker is also considering external sales.
Mitsubishi Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Takao Kato said the robots could be an extremely effective way to address labor shortages.
Masuoka said his company was eager to take a major step toward mass-production of a domestically made humanoid robot.
Rapid market growth expected
Major automakers have been using robots for decades. In Japan, the introduction of industrial robots accelerated in the 1980s, and now welding and paintwork for cars is done mostly without direct human involvement.
Industrial robots repeatedly perform set tasks, but they struggle to respond to changing situations in the way humans can. If advances in AI enable these robots to move autonomously, they could learn to do multiple tasks and be able to change and tailor their movements depending on the situation.
Humanoid robots are starting to see growing use at auto factories. Toyota Motor Corp. has deployed robots developed by a U.S. company at a plant in Canada on a trial basis, and German automaker BMW Group announced it has introduced humanoid robots at a plant. Nissan Motor Co. is also considering using such robots.
According to market research company Fuji Keizai Group Co., the global humanoid robot market is forecast to expand by almost five times its current size to about 650 billion yen in 2030 and then climb to 3.5 trillion yen in 2035. However, companies from the United States and China currently lead the way in development of these robots. Companies selling humanoid robots have already appeared in China, and U.S. electric vehicle giant Tesla Inc. plans to start sales as soon as 2027.
However, some observers believe Japanese technologies could be competitive when it comes to doing the intricate tasks required at factories. Honda Motor Co. is developing a robot hand that can perform fine movements like human fingers can, such as tightening a screw.
"It's logical to use robots at manufacturing facilities in Japan, where the population is declining," said Takaki Nakanishi, analyst at Nakanishi Research Institute Co. "Major Japanese automakers should introduce robots suitable for their manufacturing processes and improve their productivity."
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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July 10, 2026 07:51 ET (11:51 GMT)
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