Mitsubishi Motors will produce and deploy humanoid robots

Japan’s labor crisis is pushing Mitsubishi Motors towards humanoid robots and potentially producing them at scale Mitsubishi Motors has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Tokyo’s robotics initiative Highlanders to jointly develop humanoid robots for manufacturing operations and explore mass production at its Kyoto Plant from early 2027. The deal was the first between an automaker and a humanoid robot developer to cover mass production. Japan’s manufacturing sector is facing increasing pressure from labor shortages and increasingly complex production demands, making flexible automated systems a growing priority for the industry. The partnership addresses both: Mitsubishi Motors will deploy Highlanders robots at its facilities to build operational expertise; Highlanders, in turn, will gain a reliable path to scaled production through Mitsubishi Motors’ established capabilities in series production engineering, quality assurance and mechatronics control. Currently, unused buildings at the Kyoto Plant are being evaluated for the production program. Mitsubishi Motors has already invested in Highlanders and plans to invest further. Takao Kato, chairman of the board of directors, executive board representative and Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Motors, said in his statement: