At its Tech Day event last night, XPeng unveiled its next-generation humanoid robot, IRON, which walks with a remarkably human-like gait. The company aims to begin mass production by the end of next year. However, some netizens questioned in online comments whether a real person might be hidden inside the female-looking robot.
In response, XPeng Chairman He Xiaopeng released a video today addressing the skepticism. “Our robotics team is both thrilled and amused by this,” he said. “Some people still can’t believe how fast the world is changing. This morning, they insisted I record an unedited, single-take video to clear things up. We hope you can judge for yourselves and help us set the record straight.”
According to last night’s official announcement, XPeng’s new humanoid robot IRON mimics human movement with a soft, natural stride and features a human-like “brain” capable of reasoning. Designed as the most lifelike humanoid robot to date, IRON integrates a biomimetic structure comprising a spine-inspired skeletal system, artificial muscles, full-body flexible skin, a 3D-curved display head, highly articulated shoulders, and dexterous hands offering 22 degrees of freedom.
The IRON robot is powered by a large physical-world AI model and equipped with three Turing AI chips, enabling a sophisticated cognitive architecture that combines VLT (Vision-Language-Thinking), VLA (Vision-Language-Action), and VLM (Vision-Language-Model) capabilities. This setup supports advanced functions such as natural conversation, autonomous walking, and interactive tasks.
IRON also debuts the industry’s first all-solid-state battery application in a humanoid robot, achieving exceptional lightweight design and enhanced safety. It further introduces the world’s first AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking) system tailored for indoor robotic environments, maximizing safety for all participants in the physical AI ecosystem. Additionally, XPeng has extended Asimov’s robotics principles with a “Fourth Law”: user privacy data never leaves the robot.
XPeng aims to become China’s first company to mass-produce high-level humanoid robots, targeting large-scale production by the end of 2026.
