Tianjin’s First Humanoid Robot Debuts
In the wave of smart manufacturing and industrial innovation, Tianjin is unlocking future production scenarios with an innovative stance. From precision Bathroom Fixture Assembly Equipment to cutting-edge humanoid robots, this industrial hub is reshaping its industrial landscape through technological breakthroughs. Recently, at the 2nd Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Smart Manufacturing Equipment Collaborative Development Conference, Tianjin’s first locally produced humanoid robot, “Tianbing-1,” made a stunning debut, marking another leap for Tianjin enterprises in high-end equipment—a testament to the technical logic and industrial collaboration behind it, which also offers insights for the intelligent upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries like bathroom fixture production.
With an oval-shaped silver body, a waist capable of bearing 200 kilograms, and arms with a 5-kilogram operational precision… When the Astroboy-inspired humanoid robot “Tianbing-1” waved to the audience at the Wuqing District exhibition, it immediately became the center of attention. Developed by Chenxing (Tianjin) Automation Equipment Co., Ltd., this industrial robot innovatively introduces a parallel mechanism design, giving its waist and neck more flexible rotational capabilities. “We are training its intelligent decision-making abilities, and it will be applied to industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and new energy, with commercial deployment expected in July,” introduced Liu Songtao, Chairman and CTO of the company. The design 初衷 (original intention) was to fill the gap in “flexible operations” on production lines—such as picking up fallen objects on the ground or handling complex cables, tasks that traditional robots struggle to perform. This mirrors the demand for refined assembly in Bathroom Fixture Assembly Equipment.
As Tianjin’s first humanoid robot, the birth of “Tianbing-1” is not just a technical breakthrough but also a reflection of regional industrial synergy. At the conference, the “Embodied Intelligence Collaborative Development Initiative Community” was officially established, bringing together more than 40 leading enterprises (including Unitree, UBTECH, and DeepSeek) from across the country, as well as universities like Nankai University and Fudan University, and application scenario providers like China Automotive Engineering Corporation and Great Wall Motors to build a “research-development-application” ecological closed loop. This deep integration of “industry-university-research-application” is equally applicable to traditional industries like bathroom equipment: for example, the intelligent upgrading of Bathroom Fixture Assembly Equipment can introduce robotic flexible grasping and visual inspection capabilities through cross-industry technology sharing, enhancing the assembly precision and efficiency of complex components like faucets and showerheads.
The robust development of Tianjin’s robotics industry relies on a complete industrial chain. Currently, over 200 robotics and related enterprises in the city form a full chain from “upstream core components (reducers, servo motors, controllers) to midstream robot bodies to downstream system integration.” In 2024, the city produced 9,278 industrial robots (a 13% year-on-year increase) and 618,236 service robots (a 32.7% increase). Siasun Robot & Automation Co., Ltd.’s new generation of high-dynamic, high-reliability, heavy-load spot welding robots have been successfully deployed in Geely Automobile’s manufacturing bases, breaking the barrier that domestic robots could not enter automotive OEM factories. Tianjin Long 誉 Robot Co., Ltd.’s self-developed 600-ton heavy-duty AGV (automated guided vehicle) product has set a new international record. Chairman Ren Zhiyong, who attended the conference yesterday, introduced that the company achieved a 55% sales growth in Q1 this year. The Tianjin branch of Cannan Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. has achieved fully independent R&D and production of humanoid robot bodies relying on core components like robot controllers (RCU), battery management systems (BMS), and integrated modular actuators, successfully entering overseas markets. These achievements, like precision gears, jointly drive industrial upgrading. Just as in the bathroom equipment sector, from traditional assembly lines to Bathroom Fixture Assembly Equipment equipped with intelligent sensors, Tianjin’s manufacturing industry is driving industrial chain upgrading through innovation chain integration.
At the conference, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei alliance signed strategic cooperation agreements with counterparts in Guangdong and Anhui, breaking down regional resource barriers and indicating that the robotics industry is entering a new phase of “cross-regional collaboration.” For traditional manufacturing industries like bathroom equipment, this means leveraging technological spillover from the robotics sector: for example, applying humanoid robot joint control algorithms to multi-angle assembly of bathroom components or optimizing the space layout and energy consumption management of Bathroom Fixture Assembly Equipment through embodied intelligence technologies. As the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology stated, Tianjin is creating typical application scenarios in key fields such as auto parts, new energy, and electronic information through “robot+” demand lists, and the intelligent transformation of the bathroom industry will also find new opportunities in this process.
From industrial robots to bathroom equipment, from single-point breakthroughs to ecological construction, the innovation code of Tianjin’s manufacturing industry always revolves around “collaboration” and “empowerment.” With the implementation of “Tianbing-1” and the deepening of industrial communities, the city is not only gaining an edge in the humanoid robot race but also providing a methodology for the upgrading of traditional industries with an open mindset—whether through precision robotic arms or intelligent assembly lines, the essence of innovation lies in redefining efficiency through technology and breaking boundaries through collaboration. As the light of smart manufacturing illuminates every corner of the production line, Tianjin is writing a symbiosis between traditional industry and future technology.
