Leju Robotics and Hunan University have officially inaugurated a joint research centre for industrial embodied intelligence, according to a report by China's D1EV. The centre, based at Hunan University's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Innovation Research Institute in Guangzhou, will focus on developing embodied-AI technologies and vision-perception large models for real-world industrial applications, with the goal of accelerating the deployment of intelligent robots on production lines.
Three research priorities
The centre has laid out three main research tracks. The first is wide-domain multimodal active perception for embodied-intelligence robots, targeting large-space industrial manufacturing scenarios. Researchers aim to solve challenges around precise perception and dynamic adaptation in complex environments, improving the accuracy and robustness of robots working across broad factory floors.
The second track is an industrial embodied-AI large model that combines task planning, imitation learning, reinforcement learning and tactile perception. The goal is to overcome current bottlenecks such as weak autonomous decision-making, slow action response, limited task variety and low operation success rates, thereby improving robots' ability to work independently in complex scenarios.
Third, the centre will develop robots with agile movement and fine manipulation capabilities for both home and industrial manufacturing settings, pushing results into typical applications such as industrial sorting.
Institute backed by local government
The Hunan University Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Innovation Research Institute is jointly established by the university and the governments of Guangzhou city and Zengcheng district. In its first five-year phase, the institute is prioritising six research areas including artificial intelligence and robotics, smart manufacturing and equipment, and new-energy vehicles, and is designed as a platform for industry-education integration and commercialisation of research outcomes.
Leju Robotics is a Chinese developer of humanoid and embodied-intelligence robots. The company has previously partnered with automakers and other manufacturers to explore robot use in factory settings, part of a broader push by Chinese robotics firms to move humanoid machines from demonstrations into production environments.
The announcement comes as China's automotive and manufacturing sectors increasingly experiment with embodied-AI robots for tasks such as assembly, inspection and logistics, though commercial-scale deployments remain limited. The new centre is expected to help bridge the gap between laboratory research and practical industrial use, according to D1EV.
