Gasgoo Munich- Here are the major developments in embodied intelligence and driver-assistance technology this week:
FF raises 2026 robot shipment target to 1,500 units
Gasgoo has learned that on May 15, Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "FF") released its financial results for the first quarter of 2026 as of March 31, 2026, highlighting key progress in its EAI robotics business.
Image Source: FF
Specifically, the EAI robotics business hit a key inflection point in the first quarter of 2026, generating initial sales revenue and achieving positive product gross margin, laying the foundation for scaled deployment. As of April 30, 2026, FF had shipped 68 EAI robots, with May shipments expected to accelerate as it moves toward a target of 200 units in its first delivery quarter. The company projects cumulative EAI robot shipments for 2026 will exceed 1,500 units.
FF attributes this momentum to the continued expansion of its EAI robotics strategy, which includes education-focused use cases, broader ecosystem development, and scenario expansion, alongside over 1,200 paid pre-orders secured at launch. The company believes the EAI robotics business provides an efficient pathway to support near-term commercialization, cash flow generation, and long-term EAI ecosystem expansion.
On the compliance front, following the previous certification of its Futurist and Master humanoid robots, the FX Aegis quadruped has secured full compliance clearance in the U.S. Consequently, all pre-delivered FX Aegis units to date can now be converted to official deliveries, supporting the company's continued expansion in the U.S. EAI robotics market.
Xiao Zhi Take: FF is already selling robots. It’s getting hard to recall exactly how many vehicle deliveries FF has actually made.
ByteDance and others invest in embodied intelligence robotics developer Zibianliang Technology
Gasgoo learned on May 14 that, according to data from Qichacha, the former Zibianliang Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. recently underwent a corporate restructuring, changing its name to Zibianliang Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. The company also added ByteDance affiliate Beijing Quantum Leap Technology Co., Ltd. and SAIC Motor’s Shanghai SAIC Chuangyuan Venture Capital Partnership as shareholders.
Founded in December 2023, the company’s business scope covers intelligent robot R&D, sales, general AI application systems, and innovation service platforms. Public information indicates it is a core operating entity for the Zibianliang Robot brand, focusing on the R&D and manufacturing of embodied intelligence large models and humanoid robots.
Image Source: Zibianliang
Gasgoo noted that on April 21, Zibianliang Robot held a launch event to unveil a plan for bringing its next-generation robots into homes. Robots rolling out a month later will feature the proprietary WALL-B embodied intelligence foundation model. This is the world's first embodied intelligence foundation model based on the World Unified Model (WUM) architecture, marking a significant leap from VLA architectures to native multimodal fusion architectures.
Since its inception, Zibianliang has focused on building the "brain" for robots: an end-to-end embodied intelligence foundation model. In late 2024, the company released WALL-A, its first-generation embodied foundation model based on the VLA (Vision-Language-Action) architecture. By September 2025, it plans to open-source a lightweight version, WALL-OSS, based on the same architecture.
On the application front, Zibianliang partnered with 58.com to deploy WALL-AS-equipped robots in actual homes, working alongside cleaners. This marks the first time robots have entered households to manage complex domestic life, as well as the first large-scale deployment of robots in complex consumer environments.
Xiao Zhi Take: Looking at the trajectory of most emerging industries, tech giants either join the race as players or step in as capital.
Lead Intelligent signs strategic partnership with Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center
On May 13, Lead Intelligent and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, an embodied intelligence platform, officially signed a strategic partnership agreement.
The two parties will leverage the trend of "new quality productive forces" to deeply integrate industrial manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge embodied intelligence technology. Together, they aim to drive humanoid robots from the lab to large-scale industrial deployment, reshaping the landscape of the new energy and high-end manufacturing sectors.
Image Source: Lead Intelligent
With highly complementary strengths and aligned strategies, this partnership ushers in a new era of "intelligent equipment + humanoid robots." Future collaboration will focus on four key areas:
First, scenario integration to empower industrial deployment. By deepening presence in new energy industrial scenarios, they will create integrated "high-end equipment + humanoid robot" solutions that bring embodied intelligence to real production lines, extending application boundaries into high-end manufacturing and achieving full-process human-machine collaboration in production logistics and equipment maintenance.
Second, building a digital foundation to solidify the industrial base. They will jointly establish industrial data centers and intelligent iteration systems for general industrial and new energy scenarios. Using massive on-site process libraries combined with embodied large models and machine vision for imitation learning and generalization training, they will enable robots to quickly meet the rigorous demands of industrial precision, cycle time, and stability.
Third, leading standards to co-build an industrial ecosystem. They will jointly define hardware and software standards for humanoid robots, address gaps in industry benchmarks, and build platforms for technical innovation and industrial services to foster the standardized, scaled, and ecological development of the embodied intelligence industry.
Fourth, equipment empowerment to accelerate mass production. Leveraging Lead Intelligent’s strength in high-end complete equipment, the partnership will use a mature industrial manufacturing system to support the mass production and sales of humanoid robot core components and bodies, feeding the growth of the embodied intelligence sector with hard manufacturing capabilities.
Xiao Zhi Take: The commercialization of embodied intelligence is gathering pace.
Figure Founder: F.04 robot enters component delivery phase
On May 13, Figure founder Brett Adcock announced on social platform X that the design for the F.04 robot has been finalized, and the component delivery process has begun.
He stated: "The F.04 represents our biggest leap between robot generations to date. The system's engineering has reached a whole new level. We’ve built a truly stunning product, and I can’t wait to show the world what our team is capable of."
Image Source: X
Figure AI is a U.S. humanoid robotics startup founded in 2022 by Brett Adcock, who previously established the electric flying taxi company Archer Aviation. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, the company focuses on the development of general-purpose humanoid robots.
Since its inception, Figure AI has maintained a rapid fundraising pace. In May 2023, it closed a $70 million Series A round led by Parkway Venture Capital, followed two months later by a $9 million Series A+ round involving Intel Capital. In February 2024, it closed roughly $675 million in Series B funding, pushing its valuation to $2.6 billion, with investors including Microsoft, NVIDIA, and funds affiliated with Amazon.
Figure AI unveiled its first humanoid robot, Figure 01, in March 2023. By May 2025, the third-generation Figure 03 was officially launched. In June 2025, Figure AI formed a strategic partnership with LY Precision, becoming one of 16 robot brands to sign a joint agreement. Through a "chain leader + ecosystem partner" model, the partnership integrates resources across the "core components-modules-whole machine" chain and collaborates technically with the National Robotics Innovation Center.
Xiao Zhi Take: Mass production and delivery will be the critical battleground for embodied intelligence companies this year.
Unitree launches GD01 manned transforming mech starting at 3.9 million yuan
On May 12, Unitree announced via its official Weibo account the launch of the world's first mass-produced manned mech—the GD01—priced from 3.9 million yuan.
Described as the world's first mass-produced manned mech, the vehicle is capable of transformation and is classified for civilian use. It weighs approximately 500 kg when occupied.
Image Source: Unitree Technology
On March 20, Gasgoo reported that the Shanghai Stock Exchange had formally accepted Unitree Technology Co., Ltd.'s application for an initial public offering (IPO) on the STAR Market.
The company plans to raise 4.202 billion yuan in this IPO to fund four major projects: intelligent robot model R&D, robot body development, new product creation, and the construction of a manufacturing base, aiming to deepen technological innovation and expand production capacity.
From 2022 to 2025, Unitree’s revenue climbed from 123 million yuan to 1.708 billion yuan. Net profit shifted from a loss of 22.1 million yuan in 2022 to a profit of 288 million yuan in 2025, reflecting a steady upward trajectory.
According to the prospectus, cumulative sales of Unitree’s quadruped robots exceeded 30,000 units during the reporting period, cementing its leading position in the global market.
In 2022, quadruped robots accounted for 76.57% of revenue, with 2,403 units sold at an average price of 38,600 yuan. However, by the first three quarters of 2025, although sales volume surged to 17,946 units, their share of revenue fell to 42.25%.
Xiao Zhi Take: Scenes from science fiction are becoming reality.
