Another factory of robots that manufacture robots.

On the battery production line.

What happens when the world's largest battery manufacturer decides to replace heavy factory labor with humanoid robots powered by the very batteries they produce? Chinese giant CATL has begun integrating GBT S1 humanoid robots into its production lines, taking automation to a new level.

The robot was designed to transport heavy loads, navigate complex industrial environments, and operate continuously on critical tasks. Its structure allows it to lift up to 50 kg using both arms simultaneously, making it one of the strongest humanoids built for industrial applications. Instead of relying on factory-installed sensors, it uses computer vision to map its surroundings in real time, identifying equipment, aisles, and obstacles while performing its tasks. Its locomotion system also enables movement in any direction, allowing for quick maneuvers in spaces shared with people, autonomous vehicles, and production lines, thereby maintaining continuous operation even in highly dynamic environments.

All this capability requires an equally advanced power source.

Drawing on decades of battery development experience, CATL equipped the robots with a high-energy-density battery pack capable of sustaining approximately eight hours of continuous operation. The system utilizes cathode materials optimized for increased storage capacity, anodes designed to minimize wear during rapid charging, and next-generation electrolytes that enhance chemical stability and extend cell lifespan.

In practice, the company’s own technology powers the robots responsible for manufacturing the next generations of those very batteries. CATL’s initiative demonstrates that the next generation of industrial automation will not consist solely of specialized machines, but of new systems capable of handling increasingly complex tasks.

As physical strength, artificial intelligence, and high-performance batteries evolve in tandem, the industry moves closer to a scenario where much of the heavy lifting can be performed continuously by machines designed to build the future of manufacturing itself.