TECH – China’s electric-vehicle maker XPENG Motors stunned observers with its new humanoid robot named “IRON,” whose fluid, lifelike movement prompted the company to perform an on-stage demonstration in which they literally cut the robot open to eliminate doubts that a human could be hiding inside.
Unveiled during XPENG’s AI Day event in Guangzhou, the robot features a flexible spine, articulated joints and “bionic muscles” that enable it to bend, pivot and gesture with human-like ease. The firm claims IRON is equipped with 82 degrees of freedom—including 22 in each hand—enabling it to move with surprising expression. For example, the robot could motion like a model walking a runway, pivot sharply, or even adjust posture with subtle grace.
Behind the scenes, IRON is powered by three bespoke AI processing chips, delivering a combined performance of approximately 2,250 trillion operations per second (2,250 TOPS), according to XPENG’s statement. In comparison, some high-end laptop processors top out near 120 TOPS. The company says this substantial compute power supports IRON’s vision system, motion control and real-time response capabilities.
Design-wise, the robot was built under a philosophy XPENG calls “born from within,” meaning that the internal skeleton and muscle systems were modelled after human anatomy. The outer shell includes full-body synthetic skin, designed to make the robot appear more familiar and perhaps less intimidating. Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng remarked: “In the future, robots will be life partners and colleagues… you will be able to choose colours, hair length, clothing for your desired purpose.”
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Another notable technical feature: IRON uses an all-solid-state battery instead of liquid electrolyte lithium-ion cells, which are more prone to fire risk. XPENG indicates that this battery design makes IRON safer for indoor use in commercial settings.
While the press presentation emphasised IRON’s human-like mobility, XPENG clarified that household chores are not yet within its feature set. Instead, the robot is targeted for commercial use—shops, offices or showrooms—with deployment slated for 2026. The company cited concerns over safety and complexity in unpredictable home environments.
XPENG’s broader ambition is to integrate “physical AI” across its vehicle, flying-car and robotics business lines—embedding intelligence into physical machines rather than just software. The IRON launch underscores how far humanoid robotics has come, blurring the boundary between machines and humans in movement, form and purpose.
As the debut footage of IRON circulated online, many viewers paused in disbelief, some questioning whether the robot was real or simply a highly evolved suit. The on-stage “cut-open” moment served both as dramatic theatre and as proof that the machine was autonomous. Whether IRON can translate its striking demo into safe, reliable, mass-deployable robots remains to be seen—but for now it marks a bold step forward in humanoid robotics.
