Mitsubishi joins the humanoid race at 1,000 unit per MONTH pace
Avatar for Jo Borrás Jo Borrás | Aug 7 2026 - 5:47 am PT 32 Comments Mitsubishi Motors and Highlanders Sign MOU to Establish a New Industrial Foundation Where Humans and Robots Work Together Mitsubishi is joining the rapidly growing ranks of robot builders...
Key takeaways
- The most recent developments in humanoid robotics show rapid expansion into both commercial and regulatory arenas.
- At the Humanoids Summit 2026, Honda unveiled its new “Avatar” robot—a tele‑operated humanoid with a dexterous multi‑fingered hand that is positioned as a physical extension for humans in hazardous or remote tasks, reviving the legacy of its ASIMO platform.
- In parallel, Mitsubishi Motors announced a partnership with the University of Tokyo startup Highlanders to mass‑produce up to 1,000 “HL Human” humanoid units per month at its Kyoto engine plant, targeting manufacturing, logistics and disaster‑response work.
- Tau Robotics has begun a pilot in San Francisco that lets residents hire its $50,000 humanoid cleaners for $30 an hour, though the service is still supervised by remote operators.
- Industry analysts are projecting explosive growth: Goldman Sachs expects global shipments to reach 76,000 units in 2027 and 502,000 by 2032, while Barclays predicts the market could swell from its current $2‑3 billion valuation to $200 billion by 2035.
Avatar for Jo Borrás Jo Borrás | Aug 7 2026 - 5:47 am PT
32 Comments
Mitsubishi Motors and Highlanders Sign MOU to Establish a New Industrial Foundation Where Humans and Robots Work Together
Mitsubishi is joining the rapidly growing ranks of robot builders, with plans to build up to 1,000 of its Highlanders humanoid robots per month at one of the automaker’s ICE engine plants in Kyoto – and if the plan comes together, the automaker could begin mass-producing its new worker-bots as early as next year. While the normals probably think of Mitsubishi as primarily an also-ran automaker, the company is recognized as a global leader in the automation and controls space – and it’s into that space that the company is planning to inject thousands of new industrial robots.
The humanoids, co-developed by Mitsubishi and Highlanders, a new startup from the University of Tokyo, will explore the development of the humanoid robots for use at Mitsubishi’s manufacturing facilities first, even putting them to work making themselves at the company’s former Kyoto engine plant according to a memo of understanding (MOU) signed by the two companies last month. Mitsubishi Highlanders’ flagship humanoid platform, dubbed “HL Human,” features a “19-degree-of-freedom” (DOF) body equipped with high-output electric actuators that the company claims enable human-like movement. The robot is designed to autonomously perform complex industrial tasks using AI-powered perception, motion planning, and natural-language interaction with its human co-workers, who will help train it to do practical work in manufacturing, logistics, construction, and disaster response fields where labor shortages are becoming increasingly severe.
Top comment by Elysia
Liked by 14 people
There will be intense competition in the robot space. I have no idea why Tesla investors thought (still think?) Tesla will dominate this space in any way.
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