Science & Tech · AI · 17 hrs ago
Automotive firms adapt proven technology for robotics in China
At the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, automotive companies showcased technology for robots and other new uses.
Aptiv is adapting car technology, including high-speed connections and computing platforms, for embodied intelligent robots, data centres and energy storage.
Aptiv says its robot computing platform has been selected for projects by several Chinese companies and is nearing mass production.
The company has also signed with local partners to test robots in its own factories.
Bosch says it will focus on robot parts and testing rather than making complete robots; its Chinese team is developing robot joints that could reach the market in 2027.
Bosch plans to test robots at 100 to 200 workstations this year, while carbon-fibre company Heng Rui is applying lightweight car-manufacturing methods to robots.
The work aims to make robots lighter, reliable and easier to produce at scale.
Automotive companies in China are adapting established vehicle technologies and production capabilities for robotics.
At the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Aptiv said its computing platform for embodied-intelligence robots had been selected for projects by several Chinese companies and was nearing mass production.
Bosch said it is developing robot joints and testing industrial robot applications at factories in China.
Carbon-fibre company Hengrui is applying automotive lightweighting processes to robotics and serving several leading robot companies.
The companies say technology reuse can help develop reliable products and expand their use.
- Who
- Aptiv, Bosch and Hengrui Carbon Fibre, among other companies.
- What
- Automotive technologies, production capabilities and materials processes are being adapted for robotics.
- When
- The report was published on November 8, 2026, during the ninth China International Import Expo.
- Where
- The expo was being held in Shanghai, China; Bosch was also testing robots at factories in China.
- Why
- Companies are reusing proven automotive capabilities to support robot development, reliability and wider deployment.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The ninth China International Import Expo was underway in Shanghai, and Aptiv signed an agreement with local partners to test robots in its own factories.
Bosch planned robot trials at 100 to 200 workstations and was testing industrial applications at factories in China.
Bosch expected to bring its robot joint products to market, if development progressed well.
- Aptiv robot computing platform
- Selected for projects by several Chinese companies; nearing mass production
- Bosch robot trials
- Planned for 100 to 200 workstations in 2026
- Bosch robot joints
- Expected to reach the market in 2027, subject to progress
- Hengrui Carbon Fibre
- Applying automotive lightweighting processes to robotics; serving several leading robot companies
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What people are saying
Although automotive vehicles and embodied robots have different application scenarios, their technologies share the same origins, their underlying foundations are connected, and their industrial chains are common.
We hope to extend capabilities that have been validated over a long period in the automotive industry to emerging fields such as robotics, supporting faster product development, improved reliability and scaled application.
Bosch will not make embodied robot bodies, but will focus on core components and scenario validation.