Factory Pilot Deployment

A trial placement of robots on a real factory line to test the job and collect data before wider rollout.

“In-factory training” (进厂实训) is a term used in Chinese robotics media and industry for humanoid robots and other embodied-AI products being placed on real production lines — at automakers, electronics assemblers, and similar companies — to pilot specific jobs such as material handling, part feeding, quality inspection, or labeling. It usually sits between proof of concept and scaled deployment: on one hand it tests whether the robot can meet the line's cycle time (the seconds allowed per unit of work), reliability, and safety requirements; on the other, it gathers real-world data to feed back into training. Most of these placements are small-scale trials, not settled orders or genuine worker replacement, so readers should distinguish a pilot from a letter of intent, and both from an actual paid deployment.

ExampleSince 2024, Figure has reportedly run line pilots at a BMW plant in the US, and UBTECH's Walker S series has done similar factory trials at several Chinese automakers.

Also called

In-Factory Trial Run, Shop-Floor Pilot

Related

Proof of Concept · Pilot / Small-Batch Delivery · Scaled Deployment · Real-world Deployment · Deployment Data Backflow · Cycle Time / Units Per Hour

Sources

Figure AI - Wikipedia
UBTech Robotics - Wikipedia

As of

2025