With the rise of humanoid robots, how can engineering plastics become the key to supporting the "skeleton"

　　Recently, Shenzhen Zhongqing Robot Technology Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhongqing Robot") has launched two robot products on its e-commerce platform. Among them, the Zhongqing ENGINEAI PM01 humanoid robot, which has recently become popular for "dancing", is priced at 188,000 yuan. Meanwhile, Zhongqing Robot has also launched another bipedal robot - Zhongqing ENGINEAI SA01, priced at 42,000 yuan.

　　This can't help but make netizens exclaim, "Science fiction has come to life", and it also marks that China has entered the world's top echelon in the field of high-speed dynamic movement of humanoid robots.

　　EngineAI's "superpower" stems from its core technology: through millisecond-level dynamic balance calculation and instantaneous acceleration control of joints, it precisely adjusts the center of gravity during somersaults and ultimately lands smoothly. Behind this cutting-edge technology, apart from breakthroughs in algorithms and hardware, the application of materials, especially special engineering plastics, has become the key to supporting its "bones" and "muscles".

　　Humanoid robots: How does Plastic support the "steel body"?

　　Recently, the research team of the Embodied Intelligence Center of Shanghai AI Lab has also made the latest breakthrough in the field of robot Control. The proposed HoST(Humanoid Standing up Control) algorithm has successfully enabled humanoid robots to stand up independently in various complex environments and demonstrated strong anti-interference ability.

　　The humanoid robot is covered with hundreds of precise components all over its body. It needs to be lightweight to reduce energy consumption and strong enough to withstand high-intensity movements. Engineering plastics have become the preferred alternative to metal materials due to their high strength, wear resistance and strong plasticity.

　　▲ Unitree Humanoid Robot (Image source: Unitree)

　　Which plastics are used for the core components?

　　Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) : It is used in load-bearing parts such as leg joints and the spine. Its strength is comparable to that of aluminum alloy, but its weight is 30% lighter.

　　Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) : It is heat-resistant and fatigue-resistant, and is widely used in high-load transmission components such as gears and bearings.

　　Polyamide (PA, nylon) : Applied in casings and flexible joints, it combines toughness and shock absorption performance.

　　Polycarbonate (PC) : Used for the outer cover of visual sensors, it features high light transmittance and impact resistance.

　　Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) : Biomimetic muscle material, providing elasticity and flexibility.

　　How much plastic is used for a humanoid robot?

　　According to the calculations of Guohai Securities and Changjiang Securities, the PEEK usage for a single humanoid robot is approximately 6.6 to 12.18 kilograms. For example:

　　Tesla Optimus Gen2 has reduced its weight by 10 kilograms through the extensive use of PEEK material, and its components such as joints and bearings have a significant demand for PEEK.

　　▲ Tesla's humanoid robot "Optimus Gen2" (Image source: Zhejiang Economic Television)

　　If calculated based on the scale of 10 million humanoid robots, the market size of PEEK exceeds 40 billion yuan.

　　Industrial Chain Map: Who is Supplying the "skeleton" of Robots?

　　The explosive growth of humanoid robots has driven a trillion-yuan industrial chain from upstream materials to terminal manufacturing:

　　● Upstream material suppliers

　　Golden Hair Technology

　　The leading domestic engineering plastic provider, supplying special materials such as PEEK and PA. Modified plastic

　　The current production capacity is 2.736 million tons per year. With the completion of the third phase of the project in Qingpu District, Shanghai (in 2025) and the commissioning of the 600,000-ton factory in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam (in 2025), the total production capacity will exceed 3.6 million tons per year.

　　Water Shares

　　LCP(Liquid Crystal Polymer) supplier, for high-precision sensors. The current production capacity of its LCP is 5,000 tons per year. The first phase of the 20,000-ton project under construction at the Chongqing base has passed the acceptance inspection. After reaching full production capacity, the total production capacity will reach 25,000 tons per year (the largest new production capacity added globally). The designed annual production capacity of PEEK is 1,000 tons (divided into two phases). During the trial production stage of the first phase, equipment debugging has been completed and extended to profile processing.

　　Zhongyan Co., LTD.

　　It is one of the earliest enterprises in China to engage in PEEK production, and also the fourth in the world and the first in China to master the thousand-ton industrial production technology of PEEK resin. Currently, it has an annual PEEK production capacity of 1,000 tons, ranking first in China.

　　● Midstream component enterprises

　　Transmission and execution system

　　Reducers: Green Harmonic (the leading domestic harmonic reducer manufacturer, suitable for humanoid robot joints), Double Ring Transmission (mass production supplier of RV reducers), Japanese Harmonic Drive (global benchmark in harmonic reducer technology).

　　Servo motors and drivers: Inovance Technology (a leading domestic servo system enterprise), Estun (industrial robot servo solutions), Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan (high-precision servo drives).

　　Perception and control system

　　Sensors: Hanwei Technology (force control sensor), Orbbec (3D vision sensor), Hesai Technology (LiDAR), Bosch Germany (Inertial Measurement Unit IMU).

　　Controllers: Siasun Robot & Automation (a leading domestic robot controller enterprise), Fanuc of Japan (multi-axis motion controller).

　　Precision transmission and special components

　　Ball screw/planetary roller screw: Hengli Hydraulic (the leading domestic high-end hydraulic component manufacturer), Jiangsu Leo (lead screw transmission system).

　　Torque sensors: Yuli Instruments (high-precision force control sensors), ATI from the United States (the world's leading six-dimensional force sensor).

　　Downstream integrators

　　Downstream integrators of humanoid robots are responsible for integrating core components, systems and technologies to develop complete products.

　　Globally: Tesla and Boston Dynamics are benchmark enterprises in technology. Tesla Optimus plans to advance commercialization and aims to achieve mass production in the future. Boston Dynamics' Atlas focuses on the research and development of cutting-edge technologies.

　　Boston Dynamics has released the "brand-new Atlas". (Image source: Boston Dynamics)

　　In China, integrators are mainly divided into three categories:

　　Technology companies: such as Xiaomi (CyberOne), Zhiyuan Robotics (Yuanzheng A1, invested by ByteDance), CloudMinds (Cloud Robot XR4);

　　Professional robot manufacturers: UBTECH (Walker series), Leju Robot (Aelos educational robot);

　　Manufacturing giant: Hon Hai Group (Foxconn Industrial Internet focuses on joint motors for humanoid robots).

　　At present, Chinese enterprises are accelerating their layout in the field of humanoid robot integration, and are expected to occupy an important position in mass production and scene application in the future.

　　Source: CCTV.com, Maied