Robot industry thrives in Chengdu, SW China's Sichuan

①: Photo shows a multi-purpose robot designed for use across commercial, cultural, tourism and sports settings on a street in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology)

②: A robot equipped with an AI brain greets a researcher in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology)

③: Photo shows "AIQ," a humanoid robot designed for emotional interaction, on Jiaozi Avenue in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology)

④: A robot dog crawls up a grassy stairway in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology)

Standing at a busy intersection in downtown Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, a humanoid robot named "Tongtianxiao" keeps a watchful eye on passing vehicles and pedestrians. The moment the light turns green, it swings both arms, guiding people safely across the street.

Built by Chengdu Aplux Intelligence Technology Ltd., the embodied AI robot has moved well beyond traffic duty. From directing traffic at busy commercial intersections to answering public inquiries and joining older residents in tai chi exercises, the humanoid robot has found its footing across a growing range of real-world settings.

Chengdu's AI and robot industries are expanding rapidly, with a steady stream of new technologies and products coming to market.

Robots have become a familiar sight in the city. Since June last year, Chengdu has focused on three key domains — industrial production, health and wellness, and culture, tourism and sports. The city has rolled out 60 products from 35 companies across 16 venues for live-environment testing, among them the premier historical district of Kuanzhai Alley, Wuhou Shrine and the Chengdu Natural History Museum.

"The robot industry is in a period of vigorous growth, and products need to be validated in real-world settings for reliability, safety, scientific soundness and peak technical performance," said Liu Sha, director of the equipment manufacturing industry division under the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology's new economy development commission.

Chengdu has established a dedicated task force to advance its AI and robot sectors. Through scenario-based deployment, the city is steadily paving the way for the commercial use of locally made embodied AI robots, with plans to develop at least 70 benchmark application scenarios.

The city has released Sichuan's first full-cycle solution for deploying embodied AI robots in cultural and tourism settings and hosted more than 20 supply-and-demand matchmaking events under its "Robot Plus" initiative. It also sent over 10 robots from seven companies to support the 2025 World Games. At the 2025 World Robot Conference, nearly 30 robots from 12 Chengdu-based firms made their collective debut in an immersive, scenario-based showcase — marking a breakthrough in translating technological advances into industrial applications.

On New Year's Eve 2025, a crowd gathered along Jiaozi Avenue in Chengdu as "AIQ" — a humanoid robot designed for emotional interaction, standing 1.43 meters tall and weighing 38 kilograms — rang in the new year alongside residents and visitors.

The robot features 3D ultra-short-throw projection technology and precise control over 59 facial points, enabling more natural expressions and emotional interactions, said Feng Zhenyu, an executive of Sichuan Embodied Intelligent Robot Technology Co., Ltd.

Capable of recognizing at least 15 types of emotions with an accuracy rate of no less than 85 percent, AIQ can sense human feelings and respond through facial expressions, voice and movement.

Rapid product iteration rests on a solid industrial foundation. "The localization rate of our core components exceeds 90 percent," Feng said, noting that the vast majority of the company's upstream and downstream partners are based in Chengdu, covering machining, assembly and related processes.

Chengdu is home to over 100 major robot enterprises, including Sichuan Embodied Intelligent Robot Technology Co., Ltd., forming a complete industrial chain that spans core components, robot hardware, system integration and end-user applications.

The city has also established a robot industry association and set up a 100-billion-yuan ($14.5 billion) future industries fund to accelerate investment in AI and robot firms, while facilitating western China's first robot financing lease deal, valued at 3.5 million yuan.

In 2025, Chengdu's core AI and robot sectors generated output worth 150 billion yuan, with a growth rate exceeding 35 percent. The city's intelligent robot industry has been recognized as a special cluster for small- and medium-sized enterprises, making it the only national-level full-chain intelligent robot cluster in western China. Chengdu's overall AI competitiveness continues to rank among the top tier nationwide.